For Noah's Wedding

 My son, Noah (25) is getting married this Saturday (07/01/2023).  I am co-officiating the wedding with Makenn's Grandpa, Roger and here are some thoughts that I plan to share. 

Introduction

I have been excited for this day.  The Bible says "An excellent wife, who can find? She is more precious than jewels." Socrates, the famous Greek philosopher said, "By all means, if you get a good wife, you'll be happy.  If you get a bad wife, you'll become a philosopher." Makenna, Noah has found a good wife. We have grown to really enjoy you and we're excited for you to be a part of our family.  You'll fit right in.  That may not be what you want to hear. 

Noah, I'm really proud of you and the man you've become. You work hard. You're dependable.  You're consistent.  You love well. And you're a lot of fun.  To quote another famous philosopher duo, "What a man, what a man, what a man, what a mighty good man." 

God's Plan

As I was preparing for today, a friend of mine asked me, "What is the one thing you would like for them to know?" The one thing that kept coming to mind was a very simple reality that is so foundational to anything else I could say - God loves you both very much.  I believe this is the reason for which we exist in this world, is to experience, enjoy, value, and savor the love God has for us, and to share that love with others. 

There are two reasons why this truth is so important in marriage.  

1. God's love is the fuel that fires our love for each other. 

1 John 4:19 says "We love because He first loved us." The same chapter tells us that God is love.  It is His very character to exist in relationships of love.  

The entire story of the Bible and the story of the world is a love story.  No matter how hard we have tried as human beings to resist, rebel against, and run from the love of God, He is persistent in chasing us down and opening the door for us to return to relationship with Him.  He is so persistent that He sent His Son, Jesus, to tear down the walls that divide us from Him and to show the extreme nature of His love.  That same chapter in 1 John says "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son" to pay the price for our sin. 

God's perfect character is perfect love. 

Marriage is a rich human experience.  It is absolutely mindblowing to realize that God chooses to provide another person in this world to be our everyday companion, best friend, confidant, partner, and lover. Marriage can also be one of the biggest challenges in life. It is hard work. 

Marriage is like a poker hand.  We start out with two hearts and a diamond and it ends with a club and a spade. 

 If you don't want it to end with the club and spade, it's an experience that requires uncommon grace, patience, and forgiveness.  We cannot expect to foster a marriage relationship that is healthy, passionate, and lasting, while drawing only from what is inside of ourselves.  Community is important.  Marriage is not an island.  We need the connections and supporrt of others in order to thrive. But most of all, we need the unlimited, steadfast, faithful love of God to fill us so that we can effectively love each other from a place of abundance rather than need. 

God's love is our fuel.  

2. God's love is the model for us in marriage. 

Marriage can often turn out to be less than we desire it to be, even if it stays together. 

It's been said that in the first phase of marriage, the man speaks and the woman listens.  In the second phase, the woman speaks and the man listens. And in the third, phase they both speak, and the neighbors listen. 

There is a better way. 

In John 13, we read about Jesus last hours with his friends before He was crucified.  We read that having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.  Jesus takes off his outer garment, wraps Himself in a towel, takes the basin in hand, and washes the stinky, dirty feet of His disciples. This was the role of a servant or the lowest person in the house.  Well, there was no servant with them that evening, and not one of the other twelve men in the room wanted to take on that despicable job.  Can you imagine their shock and horror when they realized what Jesus was doing? Here was their teacher, master, and Lord, washing their dirty feet.  

The Bible tells us that we should have this attitude in ourselves that was in Jesus, who although He existed eternally as God in heaven, did not consider the status of heaven something to hold onto, but he humbled Himself, left the throne of heaven, and took on the form of a bondservant.  And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself to the point of death, even death on a cross.  

The love of Jesus is our model.  We die to ourselves daily in marriage and learn to live for someone else.  That's Paul's command to you, Noah, in Ephesians, on how you ought to love Makenna. Paul writes, "Husband, love your wives as Christ loved the church and GAVE HIMSELF UP FOR HER so that she might be pure and blameless."

Submit yourselves to each other.  Make it a fun competition to seek to outserve each other, not for keeping score, but to develop an atmosphere of each other first.  

God's love is our model, and He gave it all.  

So, God's love is our fuel.  May you both be filled with His love fully and daily so that you can love each other well.  God's love is our model.  May you both live a life of sacrifice for the other, joyfully honoring, cherishing, and serving each other. 

Pray

Vows

1. Noah, do you promise to unclog the drain over and over again, even though clearly, none of it is your hair? 

2. Noah, do you promise to wear your running shoes whenever you fly with Makenna, so that you can sprint with her from gate to gate? 

3. Noah, do you promise that when it comes to retirement planning, you will consider Makenna more than you consider Zach? 

Do you, Noah Benjamin Youde, take Makenna Jean Anderson to be your wedded wife?

Do you, Makenna Jean Anderson, take Noah Benjamin Youde to be your wedded husband? 

Do you have the rings?

“I Noah, take you Makenna, to be my wedded wife. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish till death do us part. And hereto I pledge you my faithfulness.”

“I Makenna, take you Noah, to be my wedded husband. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish till death do us part. And hereto I pledge you my faithfulness.”

You may kiss your bride. 

Ladies and gentlemen, it is with extreme pleasure I introduce to you, the newest, hippest, freshest and dopest version - Mr. and Mrs. Youde.