Friday, June 22,
2018
Then the Lord God
said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for
him.” So the Lord
God formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he
would call them, and the man chose a name for each one. He gave names to all the
livestock, all the birds of the sky, and all the wild animals. But still there was no helper just right for
him. So the Lord God caused the man to
fall into a deep sleep. While the man
slept, the Lord God took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the opening. Then the Lord God made a
woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man. “At last!” the man exclaimed. “This one is bone from my bone, and flesh
from my flesh! She will be called
‘woman,’ because she was taken from ‘man.’”
This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to
his wife, and the two are united into one.
Genesis 2:18-24(NLT)
This is a picture of our
dear friends John and Anne, who recently celebrated their 54th
wedding anniversary. Anne writes a blog
and shared this photo from when they took their wedding vows. Let’s hear how it went from Anne:
54 years ago photographers did not take pictures
during a wedding ceremony. We posed as if we were exchanging rings. All of a sudden, Pastor Gross (yes, that was
his name!) exclaimed, “I hope the book won't show in that shot. I had it open to Burial of the Dead.”
Had I been drinking coffee
at the moment I read that, there would be coffee spray all over my computer
screen! THAT is a classic! It’s no wonder the only one smiling is the
preacher!
As one who has stood on that
side of the ceremony I can truly attest to the fact that weddings are something
of a hint of foreboding, considering all that follows the ceremony for years (sometimes
months in current culture). All things
considered, what with not picking up your socks, squeezing the toothpaste from
the wrong end of the tube, and some more substantive issues…the fact that some
couples do make it past 50 years is undeniably a gift of the grace of God
alone!
I would suggest that one of
the reasons many couples who do manage to have a lifelong (till death us do part)
marriage is due to strong faith, lived-out, coupled with a learned humility
that fosters forgiveness. You cannot
live successfully together with another human being without both!
My theological take on John
& Anne’s pastor tweaking a tedious photo session after the ceremony (while
all the guests wait interminably at the reception hall) is that he really was
conducting a burial of the dead service. Let’s face it; if you’re going to have a
successful marriage you’ve got to bury some things…the most important being selfishness,
which is the biggest roadblock to two actually becoming one!
Coupled with burying some
things is establishing other living things – a living
commitment to Christ and His church, as well as serving others in His
name. John has served in many ways,
teaching young ones, and helping the choir director/organist (Anne). Most pastors would consider themselves blessed
to have a couple or two like the Mehrlings!
Congratulations, my friends,
on taking burying the dead seriously all these years. Your commitment to each other, our Lord, your
family, and community are an inspiration to us all.
For You Today
Marriage going well? If it could use a boost, try burying some self,
and lifting up your spouse. Two
becoming one takes a lot of lifting!
Go to VIDEO
[1] Title Image
& story: Courtesy of Anne Mehrling (also current picture of John & Anne near their mountain home in the Blue Ridge of NC)
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