How God Blesses a Marriage
Sermon
Together Till Death Us Do Part
(Name) and (name), it is good that you are here, in this church, with relatives and friends, to take your holy vows and to begin your life as husband and wife. What a great day of celebration! Most importantly, our Lord is here to accept you both and to bless you, through his presence, and through you to each other. The opportunities of sharing the love of Christ are greater in marriage than in any other relationship. Thus we cherish for you, ______, that God has chosen you to be an instrument of his mercy; through you he will show His love to ________ in a very special way. And we are glad for you, ________ that the radiance of God's love will be demonstrated in a unique way through you to ________.
It's very precious, this love which God bestows on us. But its true glory lies in the fact that we do not have to earn it, or work for it, or trade for it. It is simply given to us - no strings attached! This is the kind of love which God would have us reflect toward each other in marriage. It is a love that demands no response, a love that gives without thought of return, a love which seeks only the joy of the beloved. It is grace. Grace is, at once, the most powerful and the least powerful ingredient in a joy-filled marriage. It is powerful because it is the only power that can conquer the human heart, that almost impregnable fortress. And grace is powerless because it can do nothing except by consent. Grace never overpowers.
The psalmist illustrated this winsome truth when he wrote: "Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he (God) gives to his beloved sleep." Psalm 127:1-2
While that is a description of our dependence on God, it is even more an illustration of grace. Most things in life require that we work hard for them; we get things the old-fashioned way. "We earn them." After all, we live in a "you get what you deserve" kind of world. Whether you are a nurse or a pastor, a student or farmer, or anything else, you must labor faithfully, do your best to deserve your position and receive your pay. But the psalmist warns that all you are searching for and amassing in this world can be futile unless the Lord adds the dimension and meaning and nourishment that only he can.
It goes even deeper than that. The words, "he gives to his beloved sleep," indicate that God's blessings, his gifts, have nothing to do with success or status or the attainment of things in this world. The psalmist is telling us that the content and meaning of life, including the rewards of marriage, do not come from the sweat of our brow or from the things for which we work so hard. They come as we relax in the knowledge of God's great love for us and share his love with each other. Indeed, God's most glorious gifts often come when we least expect them, in areas we would never have guessed, at a time when they are most needed.
What it means is this: the avenues of joy will be hidden from our eyes as long as we focus only on this harried and busy world, as long as our energies are spent in anxiety, fear, and frustration. It is only as we are content to rest in the knowledge that all things work together for good to those who love God, and cast all things on him - our fears, our cares, our work, our relationships - that he can free us to enjoy the beauty of his grace which is able to refresh our marriage, our outlook, indeed, our very lives. Jesus put it another way when he said we are to consider first the kingdom of God; then the joy, peace, contentment, and harmony which we need, will be ours as well.
God gives to his beloved in sleep. What a lovely truth. God's gifts are unmerited, unearned, undeserved, treasures of grace, but they are the real joys of life. In your marriage, too, grace must abound. Indeed, your lives should mirror the same unselfish love which God showers upon you. The soft flow of a blessed marriage does not come from trying to deserve or earn the love and favor of each other, because we, too, "give to our beloved in sleep." You are to rest in your relationship and simply give of yourselves so that your marriage might be all God wants it to be.
However, the greatest joy is not in receiving grace, but in giving it. The nature of love is that the more you give, the more you receive. Love cannot be hoarded; it can only be shared. As the old song said so simply, "A song is not a song until you sing it. A bell is not a bell until you ring it. And love was not put in your heart to stay. For love isn't love until you give it away."
________ and ________, our prayers go with you as you leave this service to begin your labor of love together. Hold fast to this: unless Christ builds your home with you, you labor in vain. It is useless to rise early and go late to rest, just to attain a certain standard of living or reach a certain goal. For then life merely becomes an obstacle course - a merry-go-round - as you eat, and toil, and live out a worry-fraught existence. But live in - and generously share with each other - the grace of God, for he promises thereby to bring joy into your marriage, through each other, in unique and mystifying ways. May you discover the blessing of God in your years together. Amen
It's very precious, this love which God bestows on us. But its true glory lies in the fact that we do not have to earn it, or work for it, or trade for it. It is simply given to us - no strings attached! This is the kind of love which God would have us reflect toward each other in marriage. It is a love that demands no response, a love that gives without thought of return, a love which seeks only the joy of the beloved. It is grace. Grace is, at once, the most powerful and the least powerful ingredient in a joy-filled marriage. It is powerful because it is the only power that can conquer the human heart, that almost impregnable fortress. And grace is powerless because it can do nothing except by consent. Grace never overpowers.
The psalmist illustrated this winsome truth when he wrote: "Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he (God) gives to his beloved sleep." Psalm 127:1-2
While that is a description of our dependence on God, it is even more an illustration of grace. Most things in life require that we work hard for them; we get things the old-fashioned way. "We earn them." After all, we live in a "you get what you deserve" kind of world. Whether you are a nurse or a pastor, a student or farmer, or anything else, you must labor faithfully, do your best to deserve your position and receive your pay. But the psalmist warns that all you are searching for and amassing in this world can be futile unless the Lord adds the dimension and meaning and nourishment that only he can.
It goes even deeper than that. The words, "he gives to his beloved sleep," indicate that God's blessings, his gifts, have nothing to do with success or status or the attainment of things in this world. The psalmist is telling us that the content and meaning of life, including the rewards of marriage, do not come from the sweat of our brow or from the things for which we work so hard. They come as we relax in the knowledge of God's great love for us and share his love with each other. Indeed, God's most glorious gifts often come when we least expect them, in areas we would never have guessed, at a time when they are most needed.
What it means is this: the avenues of joy will be hidden from our eyes as long as we focus only on this harried and busy world, as long as our energies are spent in anxiety, fear, and frustration. It is only as we are content to rest in the knowledge that all things work together for good to those who love God, and cast all things on him - our fears, our cares, our work, our relationships - that he can free us to enjoy the beauty of his grace which is able to refresh our marriage, our outlook, indeed, our very lives. Jesus put it another way when he said we are to consider first the kingdom of God; then the joy, peace, contentment, and harmony which we need, will be ours as well.
God gives to his beloved in sleep. What a lovely truth. God's gifts are unmerited, unearned, undeserved, treasures of grace, but they are the real joys of life. In your marriage, too, grace must abound. Indeed, your lives should mirror the same unselfish love which God showers upon you. The soft flow of a blessed marriage does not come from trying to deserve or earn the love and favor of each other, because we, too, "give to our beloved in sleep." You are to rest in your relationship and simply give of yourselves so that your marriage might be all God wants it to be.
However, the greatest joy is not in receiving grace, but in giving it. The nature of love is that the more you give, the more you receive. Love cannot be hoarded; it can only be shared. As the old song said so simply, "A song is not a song until you sing it. A bell is not a bell until you ring it. And love was not put in your heart to stay. For love isn't love until you give it away."
________ and ________, our prayers go with you as you leave this service to begin your labor of love together. Hold fast to this: unless Christ builds your home with you, you labor in vain. It is useless to rise early and go late to rest, just to attain a certain standard of living or reach a certain goal. For then life merely becomes an obstacle course - a merry-go-round - as you eat, and toil, and live out a worry-fraught existence. But live in - and generously share with each other - the grace of God, for he promises thereby to bring joy into your marriage, through each other, in unique and mystifying ways. May you discover the blessing of God in your years together. Amen
