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Since we've had an opportunity to talk together over the past few months, (Name) and (name), you might think I would soon run out of words of advice. You should know by now that this is one thing parents have in unlimited quantity!

Yet what I'm going to say is not really advice; a hope you will see it (or should I say hear it) as good news.

We all remember the fairy tales in which the prince married the beautiful princess. After the ceremony, they rode off to his castle to "live happily ever after." Many of the modern romances in books and movies are described and pictured until the day after the wedding. Then, we are to assume, the couple lives forever in a state of wedded bliss.

You are both mature and wise enough to know that everlasting ecstasy does not follow on the heels of the wedding. Yet harbored deep within the heart of every bride and groom is the idea, the hope, that perhaps their marriage will be the perfect marriage - that the dissension and discord which intrude upon so many marriages will not contaminate their own. And if problems do arise, they will be very minor and infreqent. That's a good wish to have.

But wishing does not accomplish anything. In order to bring any wish to fulfillment one must work to bring it about. The same is true of marriage. A healthy, happy marriage cannot be built on wishes. It is not an accident. It doesn't just happen. When you observe a couple who enjoys a joyful and rewarding relationship, it means they have struggled to make it that way. You see, when God created the institution of marriage, he at once gave us the option of finding within it the greatest joys known and the most thrilling life possible, or life's bitterest disappointments and most anguished moments. The degree to which you attain the high ideals you have set for your marriage depends to a large extent upon your willingness to work toward that end.

Unfortunately there are no easy formulas to guarantee happiness. However, you can go a long way on the words of the psalmist: "Blessed is every one who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways! You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you." Psalm 128:1-2

Now if you take those words to heart it doesn't mean that you will "live happily ever after." The Christian home is not immunized against the dissension and problems which afflict normal relationships. But worshiping Christ in the home does provides a basis for love, and fosters a willingness to forgive, that lends itself to harmony and reconciliation.

So I strongly urge you,
_________ and ________, to establish a period of devotions in your new home. From experience I can tell you that time set aside for Bible reading and prayer has done much to unite our home. I find that I cannot harbor ill feelings against my wife and family when I listen to God's Word for me and must, in turn, pray for Christ's blessings on them. All disharmony disappears before the healing love of Christ. I hope you begin a family altar from day one, because the longer you wait, the greater the probability that your marriage will never be enriched by this wonderful time of prayer and meditation.

Another thing the psalmist gently suggests is that we do not take life and its blessings for granted. The God who created the world at its beginning is still in the business of creation. To him belongs the glory and honor for home and work, for family and food. It is important that we do not recieve these gifts thoughtlessly. Therefore I encourage you to be wise stewards of any and all blessings which God showers upon you. Frequent attendance at worship can be a continual reminder that Jesus is Lord and you are dependent upon him, not only for your daily material needs, but for your spiritual well-being and emotional stability as well.

I don't say these things to you because that's what a pastor should say to a couple on their wedding day. I share these words because I know them to be true.

I have a sister who lives in suburban Minneapolis, in a neighborhood in which church-going is not a priority. Yet, when her neighbors are upset or troubled, they run to my sister and her husband, to a home which is built on the strong foundation of faith in Christ. The persons who come to them for help don't like to recognize it is Jesus which makes this home such a refuge, but that is precisely what makes it special. The home which has Jesus as its cornerstone is built on a strong foundation which can stand secure amid even the most perilous storms of life.

You will need that kind of foundation for your marriage, ________ and ________. And so, as you leave to begin your life together, I remind you of these cheerful words: blessed you will be, ________ and ________, if you hold the Lord in awe and walk in his ways. You shall eat the fruit of labor of your hands. You shall be happy; and it shall be well with you.
That is our prayer. God bless you both. Amen