Wedding Matthew 19 4-8

Marriage:
God’s Picture of Himself for Us

Wedding Sermon

Matthew 19:4–8

Rev. Richard A. Bolland, pastor, Our Savior Lutheran Church, Pagosa Springs, Colorado

Today, probably at this very moment, all over the world marriages are beginning. In gatherings much like this one, men and women are standing side by side, surrounded by family and friends who are there to witness what is, by any measure, an important event in the lives of those about to enter the holy estate of marriage. Why is this such a universal occurrence? For as long as humankind has inhabited this planet, marriage has been a part of the picture. And now, you are here before the altar of God’s church and before his people to say your solemn vows of holy marriage.

Today you are stepping into a continuum of history dating back to the very beginning of human history.

Marriage is the first human relationship ever established. God established it because he knew it was not good for people to be alone. In a very real sense our heavenly Father has “custom-designed” woman for man and man for woman. Therefore, marriage between a man and a woman is a wonderful creation of God.

Marriage Is the Expression of God’s Will

In God’s great wisdom he has divinely designed husband and wife to be the very expression of his will. We are divinely designed to be a perfect “fit” for one another. We are designed to fit each other emotionally, physically, spiritually, and intellectually. When you join together in marriage this day you will become more as one.

Marriage, therefore, is an age-old and sacred practice. In spite of all the voices in our world that denigrate marriage, it is right that you are here! In spite of the curses our society chooses when it opts for easy divorce and a distorted picture of marriage to be less than God designed it to be, what you are about to do is absolutely ordained by God! You already know that, don’t you? That is why you have chosen to be here before the altar of God.

The union you are about to enter is a sacred mystery. The language of Jesus in this text is puzzling from a human perspective. How can two become one? God is describing a totally new way of relating as human beings. He is not describing two independent people who have merely chosen to live together, but rather the creation of an entirely new entity, comprised of two people, who are taking sacred vows to live as a new kind of sacred unit. You are becoming a “we,” and not just a pair of “I’s.”

In a very real way, God has created a human relationship that gives us a picture of himself. There is the sacred mystery of the Holy Trinity. Three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—yet one God. Then consider the mystery of Jesus Christ himself. In Christ there are two natures—divine and human—but one person. And now in marriage, two people become one flesh.

In the holiness of marriage we can begin, then, to comprehend the graciousness of God himself. Here is a view of God personified. Christ was willing to give up the glory of God to become a man. He was willing to become the servant of another because of our desperate need for a restored relationship with him, a relationship that had been broken by humanity’s sinful rebellion. Christ was willing to sacrifice his life for the sake of his beloved people.

Marriage, too, is a place of considering the other person’s needs ahead of your own, a place of mutual servanthood for the sake of another, a place of personal sacrifice for the love of another. The more you look at the love of Christ for us, the more you will understand your own marriage and how marriage works. If you wish to learn how to love one another as husband and wife in such a way that the quality of your love continues to grow with the passage of time, then you must learn more about the love of God in Christ Jesus. God is love, and he will teach you what love truly is.

As you begin this mysterious and sacred journey today, remember that it is God, the Creator of this holy and blessed institution of marriage, who stands ready to show you how to confidently live in his love and his forgiveness together for as long as you live on this earth.

This is a time blessed by God and established in his name. Find your mutual joy in the journey with him.