Anniversary
Originally scheduled for July 7
My wife
and I recently celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary.
It has been interesting to hear what people say to that bit of
information. There are three primary reactions:
·
“Wow”
·
Most are
polite enough to offer us their hearty congratulations and wish us
many more.
·
There is
also this: “How did you ever manage to do that?”
That
last one is not so much their astonishment that we, in particular,
would stay together that long. It is more along the lines of “how
could anybody stayed married that long?” In our society
today, divorce is often seen as the normal end of a marriage. A 50
year marriage seems to be a fluke, at best. Our answer usually is to
tell them, “You have to work at it.”
One
technique that has been very fruitful for us as been a weekly date
night. It may be as modest as watching a favorite television show
together, after the children are in bed. It may be going out to a
nice restaurant — but either way, our emphasis is on strengthening
our love for each other. You don’t let it just happen; you plan it.
There are two things you do on date night:
·
You look
back. You talk about the week that you just went through; how your
partner is holding up under the stress and what might be done to
help the situation.
·
You look
forward. This is the time to talk about your plans for the future,
whether that’s “what are we going to do this weekend” or planning
your retirement.
This
method, in a small way, gives you some insight into communion.
Remember, the church is the bride of Christ. That implies that the
church needs to be faithful to Christ while anticipating his return.
You look back, remembering the past and you also focus on the
future.
You
remember the past by thinking about his sacrifice on the cross. For
many hundreds of years before the time of Christ, God made it clear
that an atonement sacrifice had to be made for sin. Christ is that
sacrifice for us. It is the greatest example of love in the history
of mankind.
You look
forward as well. Communion will last until our Lord returns. Each
time we take communion, we are proclaiming the truth that he will
return to judge the living and the dead. It is a time to remember
that you will either face the mercy of Christ, being one of God’s
children or the judgment of Christ. It is well to remember also that
those around us will face that same problem.
It is
not something to be taken lightly or trivially, but in a worthy
manner. Examine yourself and identify where repentance is needed.
When you partake, see in the bread his body, and in the cup his
blood. You are dealing with eternal things. If 50 years of marriage
provokes admiration and wonder, consider the wedding ceremony of the
Lamb. Those who attend will spend eternity with God. It’s that
important.
