Thursday, September 11, 2008

SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY: Ephesians 5:21-6:9

PSALM OF THE WEEK: Psalm 102:1-12

HYMN OF THE DAY: CH# 453 “Called as Partners in Christ’s Service” [no link available]

 

VERSE OF THE DAY: Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.  Ephesians 5:21 NRSV

 

The wedding service I use most often comes from an old version of the Book of Common Prayer.  The reason I like it is because all of the vows and words for each person is the same as for the other.  It is the mutual taking of vows of commitment for each other, or as it says in verse 21 (above), to be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.  A lot of people don’t like Paul’s writings on marriage.  They think he is too one sided – against the woman.  They think he wants the wife to be subject to the husband (see verse 22).  Actually, he expects both sides to be equal in their treatment of the other (as verse 21, above, says).  For example, he tells children to respect their parents (see verses 6:1-3) and parents to be worthy of that respect (see verse 6:4).  In this case, he also tells husbands to love their wives as much as Christ loves the Church.  The Church is the Bride of Christ and the Body of Christ.  Christ loved us enough to die so we could be saved.  That is how much a person should love their spouse.  Maybe we should include that in the wedding vows; “Do you love her enough to die to save her?”  That’s what the bachelor, Paul, saw in marriage.  Maybe it’s time we started taking that vision a little more seriously.  We need to have that kind of commitment to our spouses, and as members of the Church, we need that kind of commitment to the Christ who has that kind of commitment to us.

 

PRAYER: O God who gave All; let me give you and my spouse the kind of love and commitment you each deserve.  May I put that Love ahead of my own desires and live in the life of love now and forever. Amen.

 

See you in Church Sunday,

Pastor Sandy

 

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