Last night, I was given the distinct honor of officiating what social media has recently dubbed a “micro wedding.” No registry, no reception, no dancing, no music. Just a quiet moment for two people to walk through a gate into the rest of their lives. I asked the bride if there was anything she’d like me to incorporate into the homily. She said, “restoration and redemption.” I looked into her eyes on the sidewalk next to the courthouse where we filled out the paperwork. I knew those words were her story. I met the groom half an hour before the ceremony and chatted about his journey to this moment. His life story showcased those two words, too.
In case you have some pain you’d like redeemed or brokenness you’d like restored, here’s what I said to the bride & groom. I hope the human vessels of Jesus’ love in your life will likewise help you realize that healing through their acceptance and affirmation, challenge and loyalty.
This evening we’re celebrating a new beginning. This small gathering huddles around a burgeoning love and a blossoming romance. This new marriage doesn’t showcase two starry-eyed kids but instead two adults who know well the surprises and challenges that the world can throw at them. In these nuptials stands redemption of past pain, seasons of disillusionment, and prayers seemingly unanswered. This wedding is the official grand opening of a permanent relationship that will help you both forge a new legacy and write a different end to the grand narratives of your lives.
Your vows will start this new reality, but your vows by themselves won’t sustain the work of unity, compromise, and shared mission. Scratched paintings don’t heal their own canvas. Torn fabric doesn’t sew itself back together. Historic houses don’t restore themselves. Neither do classic cars or vintage furniture. Reclaimed beauty is imbued by the wisdom, talent, and energy of someone who envisions what can be, what should be, what will be.
Thankfully for all of us, the Father loves to make all things new. He longs for restoration even more than we do. He dreams of our full and abundant lives more than we ever could. Jesus wants to help you write that story you want to tell at the end of your days. The Holy Spirit wants to guide the transformation of how you experience love and acceptance, forgiveness and mercy, unity and purpose.
Part of that process is being married to each other. God will use your marriage to encourage you, to refine you, and to give you a safe place to coalesce in between the tests that will strengthen you. As you pursue the heart of your Creator and the heart of your spouse, you will find both of those pursuits transformational. As you give access of your will both to Sovereignty and to each other, you will feel stretched and vulnerable. Enlarging our hearts and expanding our souls often comes with growing pains, but the reward outpaces the costs.
Today, we officially celebrate a love that is relatively new to you but that is rooted in a love displayed on a cross two thousand years ago and in a garden thousands of years before that. While we all revel in the romance of this moment, I hope you both will be able to luxuriate in the reality of these vows every day for the rest of your lives. May your faith in Heaven’s omniscience and your trust in each other take you to scenic overlooks you could never have reached alone. May this commitment we’re commemorating today be a constant source of support, healing, and inspiration. And may Jesus do what only he can do in and through you both.
