Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
Sacrament of Marriage
“The man said, “This is now bone
of my bones and flesh of my flesh;she shall be called ‘woman’for she
was taken out of man.”
Men and women are different. They have different ways of
thinking, different tastes, and different strengths. God designed men and women
to be different so they could make each other complete. You’ve heard the
old cliché, "OPPOSITES ATTRACT." That’s good because a man and a woman
can help one another further expand their interests, further develop their
character, and further balance their lives. God’s divine desire was to create a
man and a woman to be together, to become one. God, Himself, saw that man
should not be alone and made him a helper comparable to him. Meaning similar to
him, equal to him, helping him and supporting him in all things. I Corinthians
11:9 states that “woman was created for the man”. Men and women were
created to have understanding, develop respect, nurture love and to procreate.
Children are a heritage from the Lord and the fruit of the womb is His reward
but procreation is not the main aim of marriage. Many couples cannot have
children and struggle with this expectation of marriage. While the gift
of children is a true blessing, children are only one of the many gifts through
which God gives His blessings.
Paul compared the marriage between a man and woman to the
relationship that God Himself has with us, His people. Marriage is only a small
version of what an enduring and lasting relationship with Christ should be, and
our union with Christ is the ultimate example of what a marriage should be.
Paul expresses this in Ephesian 5:32 when he talks about marriage asbeing “a
great mystery”. Just as the church has to cooperate with God, there must be
cooperation between man and woman.
In our world today, the meaning of marriage and spouse has taken
on new understandings. We, as Christians, have but only one understanding of
this union. Christian marriage between a man and a woman is elevated through
the Holy Spirit during our marriage ceremony. Through prayers and the faith of
our community of believers, the couple is united in the Lord. He is there
blessing the rings, He is there with the circling of the crowns and He is there
with the tying of the minnu. In this way, the bride and groom fulfill the work
of the Holy Spirit and become one. The union of marriage, the
independence of living as one and the stability of family need to endure from
now and until Christ comes again.
Prayer: We come to you Lord in Prayer and ask your blessing on our
marriages as we come together in harmony with sympathy, compassion and
humility, faithfulness, honesty, respect and most of all love. Amen
Thought
for the day: “God created marriage. No government subcommittee envisioned it.
No social organization developed it. Marriage was conceived and born
in the mind of God.” ~ Max Lucado
Theme for the week: The sacrament of
Marriage