Marriage Sermon

Audio version:

Script:

Hello, my name is Tom Torbeyns and I am your best man. A dear personal “welcome” and “thank you for coming” from the bottom of my heart. I am glad you have all safely arrived. Today we will be able to see how Mr. K. and Ms. H. will step into their marriage covenant. First of all, I would like to thank both of them for giving me the honour of being their best man. But most of all, I would like to thank our best Friend Jesus Christ for saving all who put their trust in Him and for having given me the ability to stand here before you.

Jesus Christ said (in John 15:10-15):

“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.”

Maybe this is a strange Bible passage to use on this marriage but I would like to reinterpret it in light of the marriage between I. and E. Basically, what Jesus is saying here, is that a Christian obeys Jesus in what Jesus asks from him because he loves Jesus.

In the same way, how can E. show her love to her husband I.? By obeying him, when he asks her to do something reasonable. This also works the other way around. When E. asks her husband to help her out, he can proof that he loves her, by helping her out.

I myself am still young and I’m not married yet. Nevertheless, I can give you some proper advice for your marriage. How to have a good marriage life and how not to face divorce. This advice comes from the Bible. I believe that king Solomon was inspired by the eternal King, who invented heterosexual marriage, when he wrote the following passage (in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12a):

“Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up. Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.”

When they face difficulties, in the context of their marriage, I. and E. have to lift up each other. They have to esteem each other as better than him/herself and they have to forgive each other or face divorce. As it is written:

“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Saviour of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her.” (Ephesians 5:22-25)

“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others [the other] better than him[/her]self.” (Philippians 2:3)

“Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends.” (Proverbs 17:9)

If the husband and wife agree to these Biblical terms, then there rests only one more thing for me to say, concerning this Christian marriage:

“Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received you, to the glory of God.” (Romans 15:7)

picture source: wikimedia.