Five Cs Spell Marriage
Sermon
ROSES, RINGS & REJOICING
Marriage is built on five Cs. That's right. There are five words, encompassing five concepts, beginning with the letter C, that help to form the basis for a Christian marriage. ____ and ____ , I hope you will let the following words be vehicles for strength in your marriage bond.
The first word is Christ. Yes, Jesus Christ is the rock upon which your marriage must be based. He's the building block, the corner stone, as it were. He gladdened the wedding feast at Cana with his presence. You will do well to found your marriage upon Jesus Christ. Remember your own personal devotional practices. Will you have table grace at meals, prayer, and a daily time of devotions together? Remember that your hope for this marriage is built on Christ and that all other ground is sinking and, i.e., it goes for nothing.
The second word is caring. By this I really mean love and compassion and kindness. The motto for the Hallmark card people is, "When you care enough to send the very best." Well, we have a Hallmark God, one who "cared enough to send the very best." And that very best was his own Son, Jesus. Strive to emulate his love, his compassion, and his kindness of spirit, which he showed toward others. Be considerate and thoughtful of each other.
The third word is communication. My, how many marriages have broken down simply because the couple has ceased to talk with each other. This is all-important. When we forgo prayer and a time of daily communion with God, we find ourselves drawing further away from him. The same is true with human beings. We need to talk, to communicate, in order to maintain a closeness of feeling and relationship together. I know that you will be busy and there will always be a hundred other things that you could be doing. But even if it's only for fifteen minutes at the close of the day, please share with each other something of what has gone on with you that day: your hurts and your joys, your plans and your dreams. As long as you can communicate, there will always be hope for a stronger marriage.
A fourth word is conflict. It may seem strange to you that this word is included. Yet I have found that many marriages break down simply because they do not know how to handle conflict constructively. You will have conflict. No two people can live together as closely as you two are going to live together, without some conflict. So what if you disagree or have different opinions? You're human. This is normal. The important thing is to be able to talk your conflicts out, to talk things through, to try to better understand each other. If you will work through your conflicts, rather than ignoring them or refusing to talk about them, you will find that they will render your marriage stronger than ever.
The final word is counseling. By all means, if problems or concerns seem to be getting too much for you and you are not sure you can handle them together, ask some professional outside help. It may be your pastor or a professional marriage or family counselor. Often, an objective observer, looking at your relationship from the outside, can see things which you, the married couple, cannot see, simply because you are too close to the situation with so many emotions and feelings involved. Too often people will seek counseling as a last resort or after the decision has already been made to separate and possibly dissolve the marriage. Remember that seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness. Seek God's help and his guidance through prayer and meditation, and God can use others as his instruments to bring about healing and wholeness in your marriage relationship.
Well, there you have it, the five Cs for marriage. Think about them. For remember that the way you handle these five important areas in your married life may well determine whether you have a good marriage or a poor one, or a marriage at all.
____ and ____ may Christ's loving presence strengthen and enrich your marriage. Amen
— Hollis A. Miller
Zion Lutheran Church
Lexington, South Carolina
The first word is Christ. Yes, Jesus Christ is the rock upon which your marriage must be based. He's the building block, the corner stone, as it were. He gladdened the wedding feast at Cana with his presence. You will do well to found your marriage upon Jesus Christ. Remember your own personal devotional practices. Will you have table grace at meals, prayer, and a daily time of devotions together? Remember that your hope for this marriage is built on Christ and that all other ground is sinking and, i.e., it goes for nothing.
The second word is caring. By this I really mean love and compassion and kindness. The motto for the Hallmark card people is, "When you care enough to send the very best." Well, we have a Hallmark God, one who "cared enough to send the very best." And that very best was his own Son, Jesus. Strive to emulate his love, his compassion, and his kindness of spirit, which he showed toward others. Be considerate and thoughtful of each other.
The third word is communication. My, how many marriages have broken down simply because the couple has ceased to talk with each other. This is all-important. When we forgo prayer and a time of daily communion with God, we find ourselves drawing further away from him. The same is true with human beings. We need to talk, to communicate, in order to maintain a closeness of feeling and relationship together. I know that you will be busy and there will always be a hundred other things that you could be doing. But even if it's only for fifteen minutes at the close of the day, please share with each other something of what has gone on with you that day: your hurts and your joys, your plans and your dreams. As long as you can communicate, there will always be hope for a stronger marriage.
A fourth word is conflict. It may seem strange to you that this word is included. Yet I have found that many marriages break down simply because they do not know how to handle conflict constructively. You will have conflict. No two people can live together as closely as you two are going to live together, without some conflict. So what if you disagree or have different opinions? You're human. This is normal. The important thing is to be able to talk your conflicts out, to talk things through, to try to better understand each other. If you will work through your conflicts, rather than ignoring them or refusing to talk about them, you will find that they will render your marriage stronger than ever.
The final word is counseling. By all means, if problems or concerns seem to be getting too much for you and you are not sure you can handle them together, ask some professional outside help. It may be your pastor or a professional marriage or family counselor. Often, an objective observer, looking at your relationship from the outside, can see things which you, the married couple, cannot see, simply because you are too close to the situation with so many emotions and feelings involved. Too often people will seek counseling as a last resort or after the decision has already been made to separate and possibly dissolve the marriage. Remember that seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness. Seek God's help and his guidance through prayer and meditation, and God can use others as his instruments to bring about healing and wholeness in your marriage relationship.
Well, there you have it, the five Cs for marriage. Think about them. For remember that the way you handle these five important areas in your married life may well determine whether you have a good marriage or a poor one, or a marriage at all.
____ and ____ may Christ's loving presence strengthen and enrich your marriage. Amen
— Hollis A. Miller
Zion Lutheran Church
Lexington, South Carolina
