The
Marriage of Jonathan Hoback & Kim Lendt
August
13, 2016
Trinity
Lutheran Church
Nicollet,
Minnesota
John
15:12-14
His
Love That Did Not Move
In
the name of the Father and of the ☩
Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen!
Dear
Kim & Jonathan, what will your marriage be like? Will it be like
Ruth and Boaz's marriage? Will it be like Hannah and Elkanah? Will it
be like Noah and his wife's?
My
prayer for you today is that your marriage will reflect the love of
Christ for His bride. He described her as His dearest friend.
12My
command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater
love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
14You are my friends if you do what I command. (John
15:12-14)
His
bride is us, His holy Church, in which every member is His dearest
friend. On the cross His great love for His friends led Him to lay
down His life. He didn't become frustrated, decide that the
relationship with His friends was literally killing Him, and
get down from the cross as He easily could have done. So often
we speak of love as being active. Here the greatest love of
all did not move. Jesus stood, or rather, hung
firm for His friends and sacrificed His life for us.
He
stood firm and died for you, Kim and Jonathan, many centuries ago.
And He baptized you, many years ago, and stands firmly beside you
now.
Today
you are getting married. It is good when friends marry each other,
especially two friends of Jesus, but even though planning a wedding
can be stressful, starting today your friendship and your love will
be truly tested.
In
the months ahead you'll get to know the real Kim and the real
Jonathan. Maybe you already think you have a handle on who is a picky
eater, who is messy, who turns up the TV too loudly, who is the night
owl and who is the early bird. These little things and a million
things like them will put your friendship to the test.
But
there's more. You're about to promise to live with your friend until
death, standing firmly beside each other in the little things and the
big things.
When
you sin against each other, it's a big deal. But God's mercy is even
bigger. It might very well feel a little like laying down your life
when as Jesus' friend, you know you need to repent and ask for
forgiveness from your spouse. Be resolute and stand firmly up to your
own transgression and ask your friend for mercy.
And
the one sinned against, stand firmly by your friend in Christ and
forgive them. Show your friend mercy, just as Christ pours mercy down
on His friends.
Christ
chose you to be His friends, and now you have chosen each other as
husband and wife. You are creating a new Christian home, where Christ
is the vine and you are His branches. Vines deliver life daily; the
branches receive life daily.
So
as true branches of the true Vine, receive Jesus daily. Remember the
day He baptized you. Speak aloud the words of Jesus in your home to
each other and to the other branches with which He may bless you.
Come to church and receive His preaching and His sacrament for the
forgiveness of your sin.
The
end of all things is near, and getting closer every hour, every day,
but this is the fruit that will last.
Even
when married life together is difficult,
as
it was with Hannah and Elkanah,
even
when it is peaceful and filled with joy,
as
it was with blessed Ruth and Boaz,
even
when it just a matter of surviving,
as
it was with faithful Noah and his family on the ark,
take
heart, dearly beloved, that Jesus, Your dear friend, stands firmly
beside you. He laid down His life for you. As you stand firmly with
each other, He stands firmly beside you.
☩
In
the Name of Jesus.
No comments:
Post a Comment