Holy Matrimony

Wow, it's November already! And half-way through! Where does the time fly?
Well, as usual, I have been super busy. It's getting to the end of the semester which means course planning for next semester, exams, projects, tests... and it's also coming up to Christmas! Which means a lot of busy-ness, too. But I'm trying to enjoy it at the same time. You're only ever my age once, and I want to make the best of it.

So, of course I have been thinking about weddings... I still reminisce about the October Wedding... How I love weddings! (Duh.) But it is just such a special time, and I don't think I could ever get bored going to them! I love seeing what different couples emphasize in their ceremony, what rituals, traditions or non-traditions they encorporate, how their personalities come out in the decorations and choice of attire, all of that... But most of all, I love God-centred weddings, in which the couple profess their eternal commitment to the other person with a foundation on our Lord. It just blesses me so much to see this union, this covenant, this faith in action. That's what I think a wedding ceremony is. It's not just a fancy do-dah to spend a lot of money and get a certificate at the end. I believe there is something holy and incredibly spiritual about a wedding with a centre in God. It is a public declaration that the couple will continue to serve one another and serve God together.

In many ways, it kind of reminds me of a baptism. There was just a big group of teens who got baptised at my church's youth group this last week, and it was so amazing, so encouraging to see. The teens had to say a little about why they were getting baptized and it all came back to the same thing: they wanted to take their relationship with God to another level, they wanted to obey Him, they wanted to make a public declaration of their devotion to Him. Well, a wedding is much like this, but with two people, instead of one, partnering with God. When two people come to God's altar and make this holy bond, they are making this public confession to each other, to God and the witnesses there, to take their relationship with each other and with God to the next level, to promise that they will be devote to each other and to God. It is not just a lot of empty words, or spur-of-the-moment words. It is an eternal commitment. And I think that the world has forgotten this. Divorce rates are skyrocketing, marriages are unhappy and unhealthy... So it just encourages me to see a couple take the step and declare their commitment (not just their love, though that's important, too) to each other, to take that next step.

Anyhoo. Just some thoughts...