Wedding Wishes from a Father
Editor’s Note:
“Can a maid forget her ornaments, [or] a bride her attire? Yet my people have forgotten me days without number. Jeremiah 2:32 (KJV)
May was a busy wedding month for our family as our fifth grandchild Mercy, married Benjamin on May 3 and our son Peter married Maddie on May 17!
Mercy’s parents, David and Abbey Lee, are celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary on June 24. They are the parents of 11 children (3 married!) and their 3rd grandchild is on the way! David serves on the Board of Trustees for WCF/S and will be spearheading the transition and development of our new digital reporting forms platform and online infrastructure this summer.
I asked David’s permission to share this wedding blessing that he gave Mercy and Ben at their wedding reception in this month’s Family Heritage Developer as it fully reflects my original vision for this monthly newsletter. Never forget to cultivate remembrance of the Lord as the center of your Christian home!
Marriage: A New Endeavor
Congratulations on your marriage! Mom and I are so excited to see how the Lord brought you two together, and equally excited to see what God will do in you and through your marriage.
Ben, I remember with fondness the opportunity I had to give you your second Civil Air Patrol orientation flight at the Carroll County Airport in 2019. I especially remember the impression I got of you, of your sincerity of faith and trust in the Lord even at your young age. I am glad to see how God has blessed your pursuit of a career in aviation, and I am thankful you have achieved an impressive array of flight ratings on your path to becoming an airline pilot. We are praying for your continued blessing and protection as you pursue this noble career of flying.
Mercy, I remember how the spring lilacs and wisteria were in full bloom the week mom and I brought you home from the hospital. I remember placing those flowers around your head and taking your first photos. You have always been our beautiful little bundle of flowers. I’ll always remember that date night when we flew to Hagerstown for dinner, watched 4th of July fireworks from the air over Boonsboro, and then almost ran off the runway with a flat tire upon landing back at Frederick. Maybe the Lord was preparing you for life with Ben?
Remember…
Now that you are married, we, your parents, send you out to start your new life together. Remember that Christ sends us out as lambs among wolves. (Luke 10:3) Remember that that which is highly esteemed by man is an abomination to Christ. (Luke 16:15) Remember that “the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (I Cor. 1:25). Remember that: “not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. Remember that of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:25-31)
What are the things that are despised by the world, that God uses to confound the world by? We have it easy because both the Scriptures and the world tells us what those valued and despised things are. These include marriage, fatherhood, motherhood and children.
Marriage is a Model
Scripture teaches us that marriage is a model, a reflection of Christ and the church. The institution of marriage is His idea, for His purposes and not our own. It is in this institution that men are called to be husbands who love their lives as Christ loved the church and gave His life for it that he might sanctify and cleanse it. It is also in this institution of marriage that God calls wives to be submitted to their husbands, just as the church is to submit to Christ. This model is disregarded by the world, nevertheless we winsomely and joyfully embrace it as we seek to glorify Christ.
Also, in this model of marriage, God often endows the gift of children. In fact, God tells us in Malachi 2:15 that the reason for marriage, why he made them one flesh, is because He seeks a godly offspring. Again, the idea of children is God‘s idea, not our own. The purpose for those children is God’s purpose, not our own. We cannot see those children as just another asset or liability to be acquired along with our other possessions, for our own happiness. Clearly, if it were for our own happiness or financial stability, then those who have none are the most blessed. However, children are God‘s idea to perpetuate His kingdom. When we remember that these children He blesses us with are not just things, but are created in the image of Christ. Image-bearers of Christ! The awesome responsibility we have as parents begins to dawn on us. God has extended to parents an amazing gift to share in creating little Christ-image-bearers on this earth. He could have done this through many different means, but He chose to use families to do so. Fatherhood and motherhood is quite literally an opportunity to be a fellow-laborer with Christ. To not only share in the sufferings of Christ through the sacrifices that parenthood demands, but also to share in His beauty and glory as we get to raise little image-bearers of Christ.
In Matthew 25 Jesus gives the teaching of “the least of these,” and how what we do for the least of these, we do unto Him.
“Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’” (Matthew 25:37-40 ESV)
Without a doubt, Christ includes His image-bearing children in our homes when He was referring to “the least of these”. Image-bearers, mind you, that are tainted by the sin of Adam and the curse of the fall, yet still cute, lovely and adorable little image-bearers of Christ that we are called to train, correct and disciple. And as we do this through Christ’s enabling power, we allow the little image bearers of Christ in our home more clearly reflect the image of Christ in the world.
Marriage is a Catalyst
Those of us in this room who have been down this path of marriage will be the first to tell you of our own failure and insufficiency. When two image-bearers of Christ, distorted by the flesh and tainted by sin live together in the same home, those flaws can become sources of frustration and bitterness. However, learn to let those problems become the catalyst of repentance, humility, grace and, yes, Mercy, in your marriage. But above all, learn what it means to love.
“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:1-13 ESV)