“The heavens are telling the story of God.” Psalm 19:1
The wedding season is in full bloom. From May till October each year there are weddings almost every weekend in the Northwest. The majority of those weddings are at venues. There was a time when most couples were married in Church and then everyone gathered in the Church fellowship hall for mints, nuts and punch. Life was simpler then. Those days are gone.
After a beautiful outdoor wedding, I walked into a lavish reception. It was a party to rival the wedding feast in Cana of Galilee. No, Jesus was not there to turn water into wine. They had an extravagant array of wines, craft beer and signature cocktails. Wait staff dressed in black and white served gourmet appetizers on silver trays. It was amazing.
An hour later it was time to eat. Most of the guests were feeling fine. The young people were in full blown party mode—the old people, like me, had already figured out where all the bathrooms were. It was time to eat. Pastor Jim, will you lead us in prayer before we eat?
I took the microphone. “Good evening. Good Evening. If I can have your attention for just a moment and then we will have dinner.” The “have dinner” part quieted them down. “I would like us to pause for a moment. I would like to put the party on hold for a minute or two. Look around. Pause—let there be a pause in the party to give thanks. Give thanks for the beauty of creation. Give thanks to the amazing staff that is serving us here and in the kitchen. Give thanks to those who have labored that we might eat and drink.
Give thanks for those who are gathered here today. For Stacy and Brad and their families. For the community gathered here—a community created by the merging of two lives—of two families. Community—we have loved you Stacy and Brad as individuals and now we promise to love you as a couple.
Pause. Look around, open your eyes, give thanks.
Let us pray. Gracious and loving God we give you thanks for the abundant gifts of this day. For the beauty and the bounty of the earth. For the gifts of wheat and wine. We give you thanks for a wedding feast. For the very young and the very old, as generations celebrate together.
We thank you for the privilege of sharing this special day in Stacy and Brad’s life. Bless them with good health, days of wonder, and nights of passion. And may the memory of this day remain sacred for all of us. We pray in the name of the one who turned water into wine at a wedding, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
The wedding season is in full bloom. Creation is in full bloom. “The heavens are telling the story of God.”
Pause, keep your eyes open, and keep smiling!
Pastor Jim
