Not many can say they have officiated a wedding. The opportunity just snuck up on me. In fact, I get incredibly nervous speaking in front of people but when asked if I would officiate the wedding, I had zero doubt that I wanted to make it happen. I wanted to talk about Christ in front of their families, our friends and my coworkers.
If you knew me, you may think it somewhat strange that I oversaw a ceremony. I am not a pastor, not really anyways. Not by the standards of many at least. I am not a chaplain and, before I was asked, I was not even ordained. In fact, the number of times that I have publicly stood and mentioned Jesus’ name can probably be counted on my fingers and toes. Therefore, I’m no preacher either. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love the chance to talk about my faith, but I just am not verbally forthright about my faith. And I think that is what drew these friends of mine to ask if I would do their wedding.
What is your view as to how much of your relationships literally talk about Jesus versus how you show love to others? How do you balance your ability to show Christ in a world that is fearful, or outright could care less, to get to close to him? What I mean is, I vividly remember when my boss and I began to talk about Church and religion and I was referred to as a relatable, down-to-earth believer. Am I not forward enough about Christ? Anyways, back to the wedding…
These friends of mine do not go to my church and, honestly, they don’t go to any church right now. I do know that they are great people. I also know that they fully understand who Christ is and that they have a desire to know more about Him. They really do and just because they don’t go to church doesn’t mean they could care less. We all get that way. We all get tired of the routine. We all lose sight of who Jesus is. We all would rather sleep in on a Sunday or call your coffee time with friends your church service. Right? What is more, my prayer is that these two will not hesitate to call or text me and my wife when marriage questions or issues arise. It was a joy to be a part of their amazing day.
I am writing this to say that I am no pastor, no preacher, no chaplain and not even a polished public speaker, but given the opportunity to talk about the love, grace and sacrifice of Christ at the start of a new marriage — in front of tons of people — I jumped at it and never looked back. Having a friend ask if you would solemnize their wedding because they understand you to be a person of God, does that count as the “fruit” that Scripture speaks of? What do you think?
