January 20, 2019

From ME to WE
2nd Sunday in Epiphany, Year C
Becky Robbins-Penniman

The Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage is one of the sacraments of the Church. The Book of Common Prayer [p. 423] teaches that marriage is for mutual joy, help and comfort, noting that God delights when two people bind themselves together, demonstrated by the fact that Jesus “adorned this manner of life by his presence and first miracle at a wedding in Cana.”

The prayer book goes on to note that marriage symbolizes the union of Christ and his church, an ancient idea with origins in our text from Isaiah, which says God rejoices over Israel as a bridegroom over a bride. All four  Gospels refer to Jesus as a bridegroom.

I’ve officiated at my share of weddings. As I’m working with a couple in premarital counseling, one of my first concerns is to shift their focus from preparing for the wedding to preparing for the marriage. A wedding is one day. Simple or extravagant, it’s over pretty quickly. Marriage, though, is the commitment to change our very perspective on life,
to change our primary focus from “ME” to “WE.”

Read the full sermon HERE.

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