A Wedding

I officiated my first wedding today. Kevin and Andrea asked me quite a few months ago. It was fun. It was exciting. It was a blessing to be a part of such an amazing celebration of unity. Weddings tend to blur together for me (which of course this one will not). In general, there is an older minister who likes to expound on things, has heard a million pastors use a million different illustrations, a million different charges and a million different approaches to the exchange of rings, communion and the "message" and then tries to combine the best of them and drag the ceremony into an uncomfortable length for sitting and watching. Hmmm... sounds like many of the sermons my ears heard growing up.

Things felt different for me today. I realized Thursday that this wedding wasn't about me. It was about Christ, Kevin and Andrea and the cool buisness that was being done there. It helped me to feel much less nervous, a little less self-conscious and peaceful that the focus would and should be on them. I researched the various ways to say the various elements and expound on them, but I chose to go simple... which is what they wanted in turns out. The older system values being the best, using the best, looking the best, impressing the most. I have fallen prey to that pursuit in many areas of my life, but I am constantly reminding myself lately that I don't have to be the best or look the best in others eyes. I just have to be His. He will make me what He wants me to be and sometimes that means I may not look too smooth, or cool, or excellent, but I will have the glow of the Christ who guides me. I want to please Christ with my life, and allow Him to please others through me.

Although I am a man who bucks the system at times and runs from tradition, I do like traditions. I hopefully started two of those with this wedding. The first is that I used the chalice that I designed and painted for my wedding in August of 1999 to serve communion. The second is that I used my favorite blessing immediately following the Pronounment of Man and Wife. I guess I don't care where it goes, but I hope that I can always use it somewhere in the weddings I officiate.

A Reception
I have some strong thoughts on this crazy thing. I will have to write about this tomorrow. My friend Jimmy called from Cali and I miss him, so I must go.