Burkhardt Renewal

Opening Scripture:

Proverbs 3:3–6 ESV

Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Message

It does my heart good to have the honor of co-officiating the renewal of your vows. Partly because of the friendship we share - the years of being there for certain memorable moments in your life - the marriage of your trouble child (I won’t name names), baptism of grandchildren, being present at family emergencies, enjoying surprise parties and crab feasts, working together to build the Kingdom of God here in the Bay Hundred. We have certainly shared laughter and tears.

But it is also good to be here because of what we are celebrating with this renewal of vows. The faithful witness of a healthy, life long marriage. You two have made it work for 50 years!

And despite all those times Barbara probably plotted your untimely death Bruce - you both held it together and showed your community - and most importantly, your own family - what it takes to keep your vows.

If you will bear with me for a moment, I’d like to speak to what your marriage shows us...

First, it shows that a godly marriage unites.

Matthew 19:5–6 (ESV)

(Jesus) said [referencing Gen 2:24], ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

For 50 years, you have been joined together as one. You know each other better than anyone else. You can probably complete one another’s sentences - you know each others likes and dislikes, dreams, regrets, aspirations. You are two in one.

Second, in your marriage, you became co-Creators with God. Your union brought two new souls into the world. Matt and JR. And for that, we say “Thanks alot.”

Genesis 1:28 (ESV)

And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it...”

How wonderful it is that you can look into the eyes of your children and grandchildren and know that they exist because of the love you two have for one another. And, just as importantly, you have passed along the faith to your children and grandchildren - making sure they are beloved children of God’s family.

Third, you have shown that a godly marriage is self-giving. You have learned how to sacrificially love one another so that the life of your spouse has flourished - and you yourself have become a better person because of it. Marriage and parenthood teach us that it is not all about us - that true love requires sacrifice.

Whether you were aware of it or not, your marriage has born witness to a greater mystery.

This is the mystery that Paul speaks of in his words on marriage:

Ephesians 5:32 (ESV)

This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it (marriage) refers to Christ and the church.

Paul is saying that godly marriage reflects, points to, bears witness to Christ and His Church. As Timothy Tennant writes in his book, For the Body, “[Marriage] is a testimony and witness to the eternal, redeeming love God has for his creation in Jesus.”

In short, Bruce and Barbara Burkhardt, through your 50 years of faithful marriage, you have demonstrated to us the uniting, persevering, sacrificial, patient, fruitful, complete, loving relationship that God desires all of us to experience with Him.

Thank you for your testimony and may God bless you with many more years of blissful union.

Amen.