The Day of Pentecost

The Gift of Marriage

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Love is in the air around Good Shepherd. Last Saturday, Josh and Nicole Church were married at Good Shepherd, and this coming Saturday, Ezra Spry and Esther Benton will be married at Esther’s home church in North Dakota.

We read in the book of Proverbs,
He who finds a wife finds a good thing
and obtains favor from the LORD. (Proverbs 18:22)

Scripture tells us a wife is “a good gift.” A man who finds a wife receives a good gift from his God and Father in heaven because marriage is a gift for both man and woman. It’s an arena for a man to sacrifice himself for his wife, as Christ did for the Church, and for a woman to love her husband as the Church loves Christ. (Ephesians 5:22-33)

But we also need to be realistic about the fact that marriage is hard.

Now, during the reception at Josh and Nicole’s wedding last Saturday, they had an anniversary dance where all the couples gathered on the dance floor, dancing until they were voted off or, should I say, kicked off the dance floor from the least number of years in wedded bliss to the most. I’m happy to report that the last three couples dancing were all from Good Shepherd—the Scardinos, Bergs, and Engels.

What a blessing it is to have many couples in our midst who have been married for over 50 years. What a resource and image of Christian love to the younger generations and newlyweds among us.

As we grow in our Christian faith and love for one another at Good Shepherd, I want to encourage everyone to view each other as resources. For example, if you are newlyweds (or married less than 50 years ;-), talk with couples who have been together for over fifty years and learn from their successes and struggles (as they’re willing to share). Ask them how God has worked in their lives. Learn from them how they continue to care for and sacrifice for each other, just as Christ did for his beloved bride, the church.

Because for a husband to find a wife is to receive “a good gift,” and if this marriage thing is a gift, why wouldn’t you want to give it the best care possible?

God bless the marriages of the saints at Good Shepherd!
Pastor Rogness