Gibney Sluke

Wedding Lisa Gibney / Marcel Sluke  6.2.2001

Texts: 1 John 4.9-12   Matthew 22.23-40

love in the verses, love in the air, lovely day, lovely all

love, love, love… all you need is love

was it always this way? Was it love at first sight?

“Who was that?”

Lisa’s first comment after meeting Marcel for first time

Think about the last 2-3 years: when did you fall in love?

First date at Redhawks game?

Sometime when doing your outdoors stuff?

When you saw lisa’s goodness and kindness to others

When you saw Marcel willing to do the dishes?

When engaged on Valentine’s Day

Even if felt love at start, know that there was a process of that love growing and maturing to the point where you can each say, I love you; let us be married

You’re not just trying to obey J’s command: Love your neighbor as yourself.

impt to make distinction between LUV and LOVE

LUV as a feeling is okay, desirable

LOVE is an action

A goal of Xn life in general and Xn couple in particular is to have this love become natural but it always remains something we practice, choose to do: love neighbor! Love one another!

and now I am quoting from the 1 John passage you chose

hope you realize what an awesome command and challenge this is: love one another!

But know that w/ every command God gives, God also gives the way to make it possible to keep

Look at verse: In this is love, not that we loved God but that God loved us… Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another.

it is God’s love for us that makes it poss to love our neighbor

it is God’s love for each of you that makes it poss to love each other

And in loving each other, you are fulfilling the command to love God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind

I am convinced that it is God’s love that brings you to this day

and God will continue to be present with you in the midst of sickness and health and better and worse and all that the years may bring

today not only celebrate your marriage but also celebrate this love of God which is being manifested in your relationship.

And throughout your marriage, I pray that you will not only LUV each other but also LOVE one another as God has loved you

love, love, love… all you need is love: God’s love for you and the love God has given you to share with each other

thanks be to God for such a love as this

AMEN.