Weddings

I was talking with a couple of women earlier today who have weddings on their mind. It was interesting to note that neither of them were real regular church attenders, both wanted a church wedding and both grew up in the Catholic church with parents who wished they were a little more "Catholic" as we speak. So I asked them why it was important to have a church wedding. They started with things like tradition and parents would kill them if they didn't. However, where they came alive was when they talked about getting married as a spiritual act.

There was a great passion in their words and it got me to thinking some. Do we often sell short those who are not sitting in the pews on Sunday morning? Are we too quick to write them off as not as spiritual? We tell them things like, "You need to find God." Yet even those not in attendance probably realize that God is not lost.

It also got me to thinking about when I'll be leading weddings in the future (I've already got a couple scheduled for this fall). I think sometimes because there is such a focus on trying to make the event look like a bridal magazine, that I begin to fear they want the "God stuff" toned down a bit. When in fact, my impression after tonight was that is the exact opposite of what they want, what they need. Here is an opportunity to really proclaim the gospel to people who are not really sitting in the pews most Sunday mornings. And here is the killer part of it, that's exactly what they want and expect me to do as the pastor. What a beautiful deal.

Funny, I've spent four years sitting in classrooms at seminary, and yet I've learned more at times like tonight standing around a grill, drinking a beer, and chatting with friends who only sporadically attend church.