Deeper Kind of Love
This has been a very busy year for weddings. So far, my wife and I have invitations to six weddings, and I’m sure there will be more as the year goes on. When people go to weddings, there is usually some aspect of the wedding that they really focus on. For some it might be flowers, for others it might be the colors that the bride has chosen, for others it might be the music. I like to focus on the service. Besides the vows and exchanging of rings, seeing what other elements they have included shows the personality of the couple. Do they want to celebrate holy communion? Do they want to have a special prayer time? Do they want to have some poetry read? A marriage homily preached? What passage did they have read? These things fascinate me for some reason. I guess you could say that it gives me some insight into the spirituality of the couple. I really like it when a couple decides to go against the norm and really make the ceremony special.
Last month I had the privilege of officiating my sister-in-law’s wedding. It was a very beautiful ceremony. It was held outdoors at her parent’s house, and the yellow flowers that made up the backdrop in the field were gorgeous. The weather had been stormy the day before, but the clouds and the rain gave way to sun and you couldn’t have asked for better weather. It was just a beautiful day all around.
A few weeks before the ceremony, the couple asked for Colossians 3:12-17 to read instead of the traditional 1 Corinthians 13. I like it when a couple chooses a passage that means something to them, one that speaks life into their marriage and one that they will use as a model for this new life together. I’m sure many couples over the years have chosen Colossians 3 as the passage for their wedding ceremony because it has the word “love” in it, but if you read the passage closely it depicts a beautiful lifestyle that all of us should
strive to live by.
“12 So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. 14 Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”
singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”
Anytime Paul begins a passage with the word “so” or “therefore,” you know he is about to make a very important statement. He begins by reminding the believers that they are holy and beloved. The word “holy” is not a word that you use very loosely when referring to somebody. To be “holy” means to be set apart, which means not of this world. For a believer when you have been redeemed and brought into the family of God, you are no longer part of this world but an agent of the Kingdom of God. Just like anything else in life, if we want to remain in something we have to work to stay there. To stay in Christ, we have to daily die to self and follow him, which is not easy, but is what He calls us to do. The beauty of it is that God has created a way for us.
This holy lifestyle is not completely foreign to humanity. In Genesis 1:26-27 we see this beautiful picture of God creating us in His image and calling that good. It’s important to realize that we were not created to be like God but we have holiness DNA in us. In order for us to fully live out a lifestyle where compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and forgiveness are evident, there
Johnathan Venable
Vestavia Hills, Alabama