Finding Ultimate Joy In Wedding Festivities—Hoping In Him To Whom They Point

This past Monday (Memorial Day), after much anticipation, my sister was married to Daniel Reissig. Everything went off very smoothly from the Rehearsal to the Reception. There was much joy expressed in smiles, laughing, dancing, and tears. Emily and I were thrilled to take part in the celebration.

As I’ve thought of the wedding as it encompassed the entire weekend, there were many thoughts that came to mind about the unique gathering of God’s elect. My dad touched on this reality at the Reception, calling it “a little taste of heaven.” These tastes were evident from the moment we arrived in Louisville. I will not soon forget the reunion between my mother and her best friend Sonja at the Country Inn & Suites parking lot upon arrival. Hugs and smiles were going all around when Sonja mentioned to everyone present how much they love to laugh together—and there was much laughing this weekend.

Another reality in the weekend’s festivities was the willingness to make much of Christ in marriage. At the end of the bachelor party, everyone encouraged Daniel through words of wisdom and creativity. My dad, for example, gave Daniel a gravestone, signifying the necessity of him dying for his bride the way Christ died for the church. I mustered up all the creativity in me to buy Daniel “Sex, Romance, and the Glory of God,” by C.J. Mahaney (which, by the way, I would recommend to all MARRIED men). Creativity or not, the heart expressed through these words and gifts was to lift up the name of Christ through the marriage of Daniel and Courtney.

This same desire was particularly evident in the 2 hymns we all sang at the ceremony. The songs, “Before the Throne of God Above” and “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us,” greatly magnify the glory of God and set the stage for the vows of a man and woman who rest in the finished work of Christ. I even heard Daniel briefly mention to a groomsman that those songs make him cry in a normal setting, how much more on his wedding day when the emotions are so high!

Daniel was not the only one crying however—we were all in tears throughout the day. Perhaps the most emotional time was when my dad danced with Courtney to “Cinderella” by Steven Curtis Chapman. The love my dad has for his only daughter runs very deep and seemed to culminate in this dance where his “giving her away” was actualized. At the ceremony, the father gives his daughter away in a few moments, but the reality that she is no longer under him seems to climax when they dance. Courtney will no longer call my dad when she’s in a pickle, or needs protection or provision—this is now Daniel’s job—which is how it is meant to be.

In pondering marriage and all it entails, it is really an altogether strange phenomenon. That is, there is so much transitioning. Courtney is no longer a Tarter but a Reissig. She is no longer defined as a daughter primarily, but as a wife. Both of their friendships with others will also never be the same, for the energy expended in these relationships will now be largely directed toward each other.

Scripture bears witness that these transitions find their meaning in Christ. Although there will be major transitions for Courtney—from being a daughter and friend primarily, to being a wife primarily—there will be no transitions in Christ. For when we are saved by the cross of Christ, God will never cease to be our friend, our father, and our groom. For when Jesus comes again and claims His sheep, we will come to Him as a glorious Bride, as friends, and as sons of the Father. So whenever there is a wedding or any type of Christian gathering, may we enjoy our brothers and sisters in Christ—not merely because it is a glimpse of heaven in our human relationships, but because they point to the culmination of our relationship with God. For it is only in this, when Christ is our hope, that our relationships with loved ones will have the joy and fellowship they are designed to have in bringing glory to God.

We love you Daniel and Courtney! And Emily and I will be praying that you will find more joy and satisfaction in Christ so that you will find more joy and satisfaction in each other!

“No longer do I call you servants… but I have called you friends.” (John 15:15)

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” (1 John 3:1)

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish…This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the Church.” (Eph. 5:25-28, 32)