When preparing to perform my first wedding ceremony several weeks ago, I spent quite some time reflecting on what actually occurs during a wedding ceremony. There is no doubt that the legal dimension of marriage is important. When the officiating minister and several witnesses sign the Marriage Certificate, they are participating in the process that legally joins together two people as husband and wife. But Christians believe that there is more that occurs on the wedding day than merely legal “rites of passage.”
Jesus informed us that God is the one who joins together a husband and wife (Matt. 19:6), a statement that raises numerous questions: When does this union occur? Does this “joining together” occur all at once or over a period of time? Do the spoken words have any impact on this union? Would the union occur regardless of what the minister says or does? As of right now, I am left with two conclusions. First, the God we serve is far beyond human comprehension, and this God has filled the world with mysterious realities that defy simple human explanation. Second, there are things in this world that lie beyond human perception. Just because we cannot see these things does not mean that they are not there. The Holy Spirit dwells within Christians; prayer is powerful and effective; spiritual forces, both good and evil, pervade our world. The question is not “if” these unseen realities are there. The question is “whether” we have the eyes to see and the ears to hear where our God is working in the world. Lord, may we be people who both see and hear.
