Marriage For Everyone

    I have only been in the ministry 8 years but during that time I
have given the wedding vows to 69 different couples.  I don't have any
way of knowing how many have kept their vows, but I feel privileged
to have given them the chance to live together in the way that God
intended.  In the standard ceremony that I use I ask if they will take
the other as their wedded husband/wife, to have and to hold from this
day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in
sickness and in health, to love and to cherish until death do us part.

    Of course to some these words are just something to say to satisfy
the law but to others they are held sacred and they try to live their
whole lives by their vows until "death do us part".  Their word is
their bond.  Likewise when we become Christians we have taken a vow. 
At the time we came to believe in Jesus we entered into a love
relationship that says that we desire to spend our life in fellowship
and service to Him and in return He will provide our needs as well as
watch over and protect us from all harm.  Our marriage ceremony was
when we entered the waters of baptism and identified with the
sacrifice that He made by dying on the cross and spending 3 days in
the hell of the grave.  Then as we were lifted from the water, just as
He was lifted from the grave, we look to be resurrected and be with
Him and the Father in heaven.

    In our earthly relationship, the marriage is consummated by the
oneness of sex.  This union seals the marriage and eventually blooms
into the fruit of bearing children.  Of course sex is an earthly
function and doesn't enter into our relationship with Jesus, but in
our heavenly marriage as his bride, we consummate our vows by partaking
of His blood and flesh as we drink the wine or grape juice and eat the
unleavened bread of communion.  A beautiful reminder that the fruit of
our relationship is living eternally with Him in the kingdom of God.

    Then too as the marriage relationship is given by God for all
mankind of the earth to participate in, the heavenly marriage of Jesus
and His church is given for all who will.  Jesus opened the way for us
to come to Him when two thousand years ago he suffered the shame and
torture of dying on a cruel wooden cross for our sins.  Once He opened
the way, all is left is for us to trust Him enough that we want to
enter into a heavenly marriage with Him.

Frank Cooke