Explore Christianity

Rev Graeme - June 2011

Yes, I along with so many other people watched the wedding of William and Kate the other day on TV. What a grand occasion it was, and we as a nation do that kind of thing so well. I guess that is why the world's media was queuing up to relay the wedding to their homelands. I especially valued the Bishop of London's sermon. Imagine it. You have the job of giving a sermon that is instantly heard by millions upon millions of people. I think he did a great job and communicated very clearly.

Their wedding was not only a wedding between two people, it was a Christian wedding, and I would like towrite a few words about that. As I have written just now, it was a wedding between two people. It was also a wedding of someone who will almost certainly become King at some point. But, to me, the thing of greatest significance was that it was a Christian wedding. I wonder if we see things quite like that?

A Christian wedding means that these two people are making promises to Almighty God, with Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. It means that they are saying that they have chosen to become followers of Jesus Christ, and to let God have the overriding say in every aspect of their lives! Wow, as we let the weight of this sink in, it is something profound and truly wonderful.

And where is God with all this? Well, He is jumping up and down for joy about it. He is rooting for their success. He is on tiptoe, wanting to respond to them whenever they call on him for help. He is also wanting so much that their marriage honours Him, and it is to this I will now write a few words.

God wants human marriage to be a reflection, an image, and a reminder of His relationship with us. Just as a married couple stick together through thick and thin, so the relationship between us and Jesus should stick together through thick and thin. Just as a loving married couple are prepared to suffer for the sake of their spouse, so it should be between God and us. Jesus Christ suffered because He really cares about us, and so many Christians have suffered through their public loyalty to Jesus. As you can imagine, I could go on and on about the similarities between our relationship with Christ and a marriage relationship.

Let us pray for William and Kate, that their relationship to each other will be an enduring reminder of Jesus Christ’s relationship with those who place their trust and future in Him. Let us pray that when the pressures come, they will both seek ever more to be followers of Jesus Christ, and that they would ask for His help. He is only too willing to be there with them and help them through.

And that goes for all of us who are married too.

Always with respect and kindness, Rev Graeme.