I think it says a lot about Chris and Karin that they asked the pastor with the least amount of marriage experience to give the homily. I’m not sure what exactly it says about them, but it says a lot.
I don’t know if I have ever told y’all this, but I love the way you met each other. I think that every Christian couple should have the blessing of meeting while building a church! Most of you know that Chris works every summer as a mission builder, going wherever he is needed in the country and helping churches build new places of worship. Karin and Chris met while they were building this very church we are in today! What better way is there to lay a foundation for Christian fellowship and love than by literally laying a foundation for a place of Christian fellowship and love!
I think that a lot can be learned about marriage by looking at how we build different structures. The first lesson to learn is that marriage is a group project where both the husband and wife are co-workers, working under the guidance of Christ, the foreman, the boss. Although there might be times when one of you leads the other, remember that you are equals in this endeavor, and that the work will be much more enjoyable if you strive to always work hand in hand and walk side by side. Let Christ be the one calling the shots and find a rhythm you can set your lives to together.
The second lesson we can learn is that sometimes changes have to be made and plans have to be adjusted for the marriage to work. Just like a foreman might have to make slight changes to the blueprints to account for the land, available material, or some other reason that comes up after the initial plans are made, married couples have to be willing to change plans and go with the flow sometimes. Even during our almost 18 months of marriage, Jess and I have had to change short-term plans and long-term plans to fit different things that have come up. It’s been an eye-opening and good reminder that once again, God is in charge, and God’s plan always supersedes any plans we make.
The third lesson we can learn is that marriage might take work, but it is a good work, and one that is pleasing to God. Like building a house or a place of worship, marriage is an act of creation. When the building is up and the labor is finished, the final product is right there for everyone to see, and there is a sense of pride at a job well done. When your lives are over and the labor is done, you should be able to look back upon your marriage and be filled with a sense of accomplishment, of pride, of joy at the good work you did together.
I love the Scripture reading that y’all picked from Colossians. What a wonderful guide to not only live a full and wonderful life but to live a full and wonderful life together! I’m sure, though, if the Apostle Paul were writing this letter to the two of you today, though, he’d use a little different wording. It would probably go something like this:
Therefore, Chris and Karin, as God’s chosen builders, holy and dearly loved, paint the walls of your marriage with compassion, carpet with kindness, put in windows of humility; seed the lawn with gentleness and lay a patio of patience. Dig deep your basement of fortitude. Install showers of forgiveness to wash away whatever grievances you have against one another. Build your frame and roof out of love, which holds everything together in perfect unity. And be thankful for the home God has given you. Let the word of Christ richly furnish your rooms as you admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And may the foundation of everything you build together always be the name of the Lord Jesus.
May your lives together be built on these principles, and may our Lord Jesus Christ bless and strengthen your marriage.
Let’s pray.
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