The Marriage of Brian Klinge and Rebecca Moseley

Dear Brian, Rebecca, George, Elizabeth, Marjorie, Andrew, Douglas, Christopher, Theodore, family and friends.

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

There’s a saying, “Life comes at you fast.”

Meaning you have to be prepared for the twists and turns of life when they arrive.

Still, sometimes, you cannot be ready for what lies ahead. Can you Brian and Rebecca?

Undoubtedly, the joys of the past few months have appeared to move at lightning speed as preparations for today’s wedding took place.

Yet, this life also possesses darker days, when grief and mourning follow in the shadows of death and the grave, causing everything to come to a standstill.

Why?

Because “Life comes at you fast.”

The pace of life is often the genesis for your unexpected sadness, but also the joy that might follow in the days yet to come.

For instance, what do you think was going through (the Biblical) Rebekah’s mind during the first reading this morning?

I mean, there she was, completing her daily tasks and chores, much like the two of you working on farms, when her whole life changed at the well.

She approached as a virgin maiden, only to depart with a “ring” and a plan for marriage. (but please ensure your ring goes on your finger, Rebecca).

If this was you, you might say, “Life comes at you fast.”

However, notice how Rebekah and her family respond to this abrupt change in life.

Isaac’s servant asks Rebekah if she will be steadfast in love and faithfulness to his master Isaac, while her father and brother respond by saying to the servant’s request of Rebekah,

“[This] thing has come from the LORD... Behold, Rebekah is before you; take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the LORD has spoken.”

Life is full of instances, reasons, and timing we cannot explain. These matters are simply in the hands of God. And when we entrust all our sadness and joys of this life to God, the result will be faith in Him.

In a way, a beautiful aspect of Isaac and Rebekah’s marriage is that courtship was not afforded to them at that time.

This is countercultural for us today.

We live in a time when most couples date for two to five years before getting married. They need time to figure things out, see if they are compatible, if their families mesh, or whether they can love this man or woman for the rest of their earthly lives, kind of like a trial run.

The thing with love for another man or woman is that it takes constant work.

I love this about Isaac and Rebekah in our reading: they would have to learn to love each other, but only after they became husband and wife.

Brian and Rebecca, in a moment, you won’t say, “I do.” Instead, you’ll echo the actions and words of Isaac and Rebekah by saying, “I will…”

This is an important nuance in the English language. The words “I do” reflect the present state of your emotions and feelings.

While the words “I will” look to the future. 

These words look to tomorrow as you awake to a full house and the children’s excitement overflowing. 

These words look to the days when the butterflies of love ebb and flow with life.

These words look to the instances when life moves too fast or as it slows, and the crosses of sadness and grief permeate.

It’s at this moment that the words “I will” are tested.

It’s at this time when the words from First John must ring in your ears,
By this we know love, that [Christ Jesus] laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers…let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. (1 John 3:16,18b)

This is the true challenge of marriage: sacrificial love.

Sacrificial love is found in the words of Jesus as He tells His Mother in today’s Gospel, “My hour has not yet come.”

What is the meaning of this hour?

It’s the hour when the laying down of Jesus’ life would be necessary.

The hour of His crucifixion and death.

The hour of His mercy and love for you, His bride, the Church.

For this reason, the cross is now the image of marriage – your marriage.

I’m sure this isn’t the love story the world prefers to imagine on a day like today, but it’s the story you have already known and will know in the days, weeks, and years to come.

It is a story of sacrifice, confession, and forgiveness. You’ll depart the familiarity of home, Rebecca, and head for uncharted territory just a little north of here. You’ll bear one another’s grief and sadness. You’ll experience milestones of joy together, and eventually, you’ll reach your own life’s end as you’re brought into the nearer presence of your Savior. 

This is love.

And it’s the love you must now learn to have for one another in this marriage.

In this way, your marriage becomes an icon and image of Christ and His cross to George, Elizabeth, Marjorie, Andrew, Douglas, Christopher, and Theodore.

As you depart today and enter this new life together as husband and wife, go with faith and be led by the love and the cross of Jesus Christ. +INJ+

Rev. Noah J. Rogness
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Tomah, WI