And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are true words of God.” Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your comrades who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
Revelation 19:9-10, NRSV
June is traditionally a month for weddings. I was not a June bride, but I remember the week before our wedding in May twenty-three years ago. My sister, Esther, and I each had a daily list of things to do.
I had started planning the wedding a year before, but several things had changed, and I had to adjust along the way. I had thought that my years of experience as a wedding coordinator for my sister, Claire, and friends, would make planning for my wedding a breeze. Well, not quite. It was more like a whirlwind sweeping through my landscape, and I was hanging on for dear life.
Sometimes, I would forget why I was doing what I was doing. I would get cranky and distracted. Thankfully, I had a family and a church family who helped me to stay focused.
God used these living saints to help me remember that everything I did was because of God’s love and the call to commit to love and be loved.
I also learned that even though it was exciting to be in love and exhilarating to meet one’s soulmate, love was primarily a choice, not just feelings, and marriage was a covenant not only to my beloved but to God, the Beloved of all beloveds. It also helped me step back, find time to rest, and reflect quietly during a hectic schedule.
Years later, I found that what I learned from my wedding week also applied to the church ministry God had called me to do.
This year I will no longer have my beloved partner in marriage and ministry in life to celebrate our wedding anniversary. But I trust that in God’s time, we will celebrate the Marriage Feast of the Lamb in heaven with all who have faithfully loved and served Jesus.
As Jesus’ disciples, whether we are married or single, and as a church, God, thru Jesus Christ, is inviting us to grow in our relationship with God, culminating in the Marriage Feast of the Lamb.
As the bride of Jesus Christ, the Church is getting ready for this feast, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, we are striving to be pure, faithful, and focused. All we do that honors God is a preparation for this glorious celebration.
All our relationships and milestones in life, be it in celebrating weddings, wedding anniversaries, our Dads and Graduates, are blessings from God.
This is the same God who empowers us to serve our families, our communities, our nation, and the world.
May God – the Loving-Three-In-One – who sends us out to invite everyone and be part of this “marriage that is truly made in heaven” bless us and help us to grow.
Let us rekindle our love for Jesus, and in Jesus’ name, let us continue to unite, celebrate and respond to God’s love in our worship, in fellowship, in prayer and solitude, in the study, and service and rest – this June and every season of our lives!
Congratulations and best wishes to all couples getting married in June!
Happy Father’s Day to all Fathers!
And, Congratulations to the Graduates of Class 2023!
God bless you All and inspire you in the continuing journey of faithful love and the new adventures that await you as God’s children blessed with the presence of our loving God!
Yours and Christ’s,
Pastor Carla
*(wedding dinner photo is used with permission from Microsoft stock images)
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