Wedding Message

1 Corinthians 13:1-13:13


(This message has been adapted from the comments of others. I hope that it might
provide you with some ideas, too.)

__________, __________, in just a few minutes you will publicly express your love, &
pledge yourselves to each other for the rest of your life in the sacred covenant of
marriage.

I dont know when you first met each other, or the circumstances involved. But I am sure
that much has happened since that day. Obviously, during this time you have learned to
love & appreciate each other.

There have been acts of thoughtfulness & words of encouragement. You have gained a
respect for each others qualities, strength of resolve, trustworthiness, & kindness.

I feel confident that during this time you have grown & matured in your relationship with
each other. And if you remain faithful to the vows you are about to make, your life
together will be a blessing both to you & to those around you.

There is a very beautiful passage of Scripture that I believe provides great advice for
those who are entering a marriage covenant. Indeed, it contains sound advice for all of
us to follow in our daily walk of life.

It is found in 1 Corinthians 13, in what is often called The Love Chapter of the Bible.
But as beautiful as it is, it is not about romantic love. The love of which Paul speaks is of
a behavior we exercise even when we do not feel loving or lovable.

A. Listen to Pauls words. In vs. 4 he says, Love is patient, love is kind. Sometimes you
will be stressed out. Sometimes you will be frustrated. Love is patient & kind.
Sometimes you might want to give harsh criticism when your spouse does something
foolish or hurtful. Love is patient & kind.

B. Second, Paul tells us that Love is not jealous or boastful. Sometimes we try to make
ourselves look better than we really are. We may even criticize our partner to make us
feel better about ourselves.

Our competitive spirit may get the best of us, & we try to prove that we are better,
smarter, more professional, more talented than our partner. Such selfish behavior in a
marriage will prove to be unproductive, even destructive.

May I suggest an alternative that is much more worthwhile & enjoyable? Be proud of
each other, build each other up, learn to praise the unique gifts of your lifes partner.

C. Pauls next advice is to avoid arrogance & rudeness. Paul knows that sometimes we
treat those we love with less courtesy even than a stranger. We may take our spouses
for granted. Occasionally we may be rude to them in private. Even worse, we may be
rude to them in public.

Paul would urge that we strive to treat our spouse with reverence & respect just like we
would want him or her to treat us.

D. Of all the ideals that Paul holds up before us, this next one may be the hardest. Love
does not insist upon its own way. Now, ________, ________, Im going to assume
there have been times in your relationship with each other, that one or both of you have
insisted on having your own way.

Such behavior is present in most relationships. But it is not helpful. Marriage is intended
to be a journey filled with compromises.

If both of you are willing to compromise; if both of you are willing to respond to the
wants & needs of the other, & not just your own, then your marriage will be much more
peaceful & productive. Me & My need to give way to Us & Ours.

E. Pauls next description of love is difficult to follow. He tells us that love is not irritable
or resentful. I wonder if there is anyone here who has never been irritable or resentful?

In fact, most of us fail to live out this quality of love. Rather than being pleasant, we are
sometimes easily irritated or angered. Rather than politely answering a simple question
of a spouse, we may respond with a loud or hostile voice. Too often we become
argumentative & defensive.

I believe that Paul would urge of all of us, that when we fail to live up to this ideal, we
avoid making excuses for our behavior & simply admit we are wrong. Sorry, Ive been in
a bad mood today! Lets start over.

Pauls model of Christian love may even suggest a strange double standard. When our
spouse is irritable, we are to be patient. When we are irritable, we are to ask for
forgiveness. If both of you live by this advice there will be peace in your home.

F. Paul goes on to say that love does not rejoice in wrong but rejoices in right.
_______, _______, this means that you should have strong principles & a sense of
justice. You should care about the welfare of those around you who are vulnerable. You
should celebrate when life is victorious, when love wins out over hate, & when
forgiveness wins over resentment.

G. Paul sums up his beautiful description of love with these words, Love bears all things,
believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. In other words, love never gives
up. It hangs in. It holds on. You can count on it. This is the type of love you are to have
for one another - love that can be trusted.

My prayer for the two of you is that you will continue to grow in love - love for one
another, love for God, & love for your neighbor. If you do this, you will not only have a
blessed marriage, you will have a blessed life.