September 18, 2006

I Love You

I was pastor at a wedding Sunday evening, under a giant white tent on the edge of Priest Lake in Idaho. Two youngsters who had passed 30 without a marriage and were celebrating their perfect day. Two adults who have found each other and are praising God for the miracle of love.

The temperature settled at 66 degrees, the sky arched blue, the lake lapped as clear as crystal, the food was gourmet, the music professional, and the couple joyous. Yesterday glows brightly as a highlight of our earthly lives.

As part of my “message” I had the privilege of reading two quotes from favorite authors of the bride and groom.

From the bride:
I found in him a sanctuary from the tumult around me. I felt his strong man’s scent like a forest in the fall and felt the muscles of his back and arms like the sturdy walls of a well-made house. The rhythmic beat of his heart against my own breast was like the pulse of the earth itself. Would that I could rest forever in the haven of this good man’s arms.

From the groom:
I love her, and I love being loved by her.
When her eyes fill with tears, I want to be there to hold her.
When she’s happy, leaping for joy, I want to join her in the celebration.
I love her cooking.
I love her smile.
I love her lips.
I love the way she looks at me out of the corner of her eye.
The sound of her voice makes my knees weak.
When she enters a room it is as if the lights suddenly come on.
I love her, and I love being loved by her.

When the vows were said and the cake eaten we sent them away in a 1955 Chevrolet BelAir whose muffler sang like Elvis. As they rocked off to New Life, we all waved 3-foot sparklers and congratulated ourselves on having such good friends.

“Watch what God does,” Paul wrote in the 5th chapter of Ephesians, “and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.”

Dick Duerksen
Storyteller
Florida Hospital