Pretanwd
Wedding of Jason Tanous/Stacey Prestrude
HLC-N 5/4/96 Texts: 1 Cor 13:1-13 Matt 19:4-6
is a sense in which today is like a fairy tale: romance and love
Once upon a time, man (Jason) and woman (Stacey)
discover each other among a circle of friends; first date was to see movie Aladdin together; they fall in love, get married and ... well, better not get ahead of selves; get them married first
But I hope you and everyone here today feels a bit of the romance of this ceremony / experience the fairy tale type of happiness that this wedding brings for this celebration is a time for love and fairy tale dreams and the start of a happily ever after
but as we all know, fairy tales sometimes turn out to be ONLY make believe in grim light of a real world w/ real problems which can be far more scary than any monster or dragon or witch
and the romance is wonderful... until a few years down the line when the flowers stop coming, and the cute things she does just seem like old habits and you think: romance is gone
you know what I mean: when kids at preschool start to get overwhelming, (the microbiol job hasn’t come thru) Menards drives you crazy, or the car breaks down and the bills come in or it seems you hardly ever see each other and you can't figure out if you're ever going to get out fishing or bowhunting again and you start thinking that your life would make good subject matter for some sad country, western tune...
in describing the trials and tensions of married life, I know I'm not telling you anything you're not expecting,
but in few moments, you two are solemnly going to promise your lifelong love for each other even under the most complex and difficult and un-fairy-tale like of situations.
I am certain that you will both do your very best to live out your good intentions, but in the real world, there are no magic potions, no golden-egg laying hens, no fairy godmothers who can fix everything with the wave of a wand
so how are you going to manage your marriage? how are you going to keep romance alive? how are you going to keep your marriage together, keep it all together and make your lives turn out happily ever after?
the answer seems obvious, simple: like it says in the 1 Cor 13 text: Love is all you need; love is the greatest thing there is
Yet true LOVE is anything but simple as you live it out in your daily lives where fairy godmothers don’t come around to do the laundry and fix the meals
you quickly discover that it is impt to disting between the LOVE that never ends and simple,worldly little thing called LUV - uc
- you fall in LUV at first glance, but you must grow in LOVE
- LUV is an impulse, but LOVE involves decisions / commitment,
- LUV is glamorous and sexy, LOVE is patient and kind
- LUV can be selfish and suspicious and jealous, but LOVE is not envious or boastful or arrogant
- LUV comes quickly, easily, and just as quickly/easily disap’ears
- LOVE takes time and energy, but also ... LOVE never ends
That kind of LOVE sounds great, doesn’t it? It’s the kind of LOVE which we dream about in fairy tales... but is it a love which is possible for you in the real world? Will you always need some fairy GODmother to keep you in this kind of love? Will such love always be able to keep you together?
In the Matt pass, J said: let no one and no thing separate you -- or put you asunder in the traditional wording
that's easier said than done, of course,
but it is impt to see that with everything that God does, there is a promise which accompanies the command
and the promise is this: it is God who has brought you to this day
it is what God has joined together that shall not be separated
it is is the love of God which will keep you together because God's love is far stronger and more powerful and more wonderful than even the most passionate and romantic of human loves
and this should be a great comfort and source of strength and encouragement to you, especially in the midst of trying and difficult times
For you see: you need not wish for some fairy GODmother to help you out of trouble
you can count on a wonderful, loving GOD who will be there with you in the midst of sickness and health and better and worse and all that the years may bring
So, when it's one of those times when you know that your life ain't no fairy tale, times when human love falters, that's when you will most appreciate God's love.
that's when you will be able to rejoice that it is God who has joined you together
and when that happens, well, that’s even better than a fairy tale for then we can rejoice that
Once upon a time, man (Jason) and woman(Stacey) fell in love, got married and lived happily ever after... and loved happily ever after because they were held in God's never-ending love AMEN.