I must admit, I was weepy the entire weekend: from the moment we picked up Kem's bouquet on Friday; to the surprise text message received early Saturday morning from another friend about the birth of she and her husband's beautiful baby girl (who melted my heart as I held her in my arms after church on Sunday); to the exchange of vows during the ceremony when Steve recounted the wisdom of his late grandfather, an unmarried man will never amount to much of anything; to the abundance of love and support manifest at their baby shower. I even cried when I was getting into the taxi headed back to the airport on Saturday night.
This weekend, I was reminded that love is stronger than pride; that true friendship grows as life changes; that laughter is necessary; that God is real; and that He has a way of speaking in the most unusual circumstances. I was also reminded that since God affirmed my call to minister in His name, that those who hear his voice will also affirm my call. Shout out to Rev. McKee who asked me to stand with him as he officiated the ceremony!
Below is the prayer I offered during their wedding celebration. It was an honor and privilege to stand with them and pray for them as they committed their lives to God and and each other:
O, Thou in whose presence we experience true love, abundant love, and unfailing love...
O, Thou in whose presence we experience peace that defies human understanding...
O, Thou in whose presence we experience the fullness of joy...
We invoke Your presence now upon this wedding celebration. May it be a time full of love, laughter, peace, and joy beyond measure.
Gracious God, we are most grateful for this day, a day that you ordained and blessed even before the foundations of the world were laid. We are most grateful for the love that you have for us, and the way in which we are able to share in that love with each other.
We are grateful for these two, Stephen and Takema, who--in the midst of a world where individualism, materialism, despair, and lust abound--are choosing to live their lives steeped in community, commitment, family, hope, and love.
We are grateful that on this day they are choosing to publicly bear witness and proclaim to the world that love never fails. We are grateful to be witnesses, and participants, in their love for one another.
As Stevie sang, and we know to be true, "We can't lose with God on our side..."
May You always be on their side, in their midst, and ordering their steps. May you be glorified in their union, both today and for always. May their life together continue to bear witness to Your love, Your goodness, Your mercy and all that is right in the world...
In the name of Jesus, Amen.
- Posted using BlogPress on the fiercest device ever...the iPad!!!
Rev that was a beautiful prayer, it was enough to make anyone teary eyed, i wanted to cry when i read it
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