As the pastor of a small town church, we don't have a lot of couples in the church who are getting married, but I often am called for ceremonies at local outdoor locations or even in the church for couples who simply want a church wedding.
I know some pastors that hate doing weddings. I am not one of those people.
I like being the mediator between families and helping them come together for a special day. I like working with photographers. I think secretly at one time I wanted to be a party planner, and so this is a little way to experience that =)
But what I love the most about weddings is not the flowers or the dresses or even the food (and we all know that I love food!).
It is actually the same reason that I love funerals... I get the chance to tell someone's story.
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| Photo by : Harry Fodor |
With weddings, I have spent many sessions preparing with the couple for the ceremony. I get to know how they interact, what they hope for, and from where they have come. And then in front of all of their friends and family, I get to help them begin this next part of their journey together. It is an honor to be a part of that moment.
Actually telling their story through the wedding ritual is the fun part. My first piece of homework for any engaged couple I meet with is for them to come up with a word or a phrase that describes their relationship. That word or phrase becomes the foundation, the metaphor, for the entire service. We find scripture readings that relate to their relationship based on that word. My message is based around that word. The liturgy is adapted to suit that word.
I have had easy words to work with like partnership and fire/passion. But some couples challenge me to really do some research with words like "symbiotic" and "osculate." Sometimes only by grace, the story is woven together and their relationship springs out of the liturgy.
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