Matthew 19:4-6; Ephesians 5:1-2, 22-33; Genesis 2:7, 18-24
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Falling in love. Have you ever stopped and taken a moment to consider those words? Falling in love.It’s almost like you tripped over something and, “Presto!” you found yourself with a skinned knee, a sore back, and, unexpectedly, in love! How’d that happen? Was it like an accident, a coincidence, or something else? Of course, what we mean by falling in love is that you weren’t really looking for it or expecting it; it just kind of happened. Kind of the way you Anna and Carson fell in love. You found yourself together in a study abroad experience that hadn’t gone the way you planned. You became friends. And then, “Presto!” you realized that you had fallen in love. That was back in 2023. However, today, August 23, 2025, you realize that there was more to your falling in love than mere accident, coincidence, or chance. You’ve even come to see God’s guiding hand in your coming together, your falling in love, and in the promise and commitment you are about to make to each other this day.
There are no coincidences. The LORD made them male and female. The LORD saw that it was not good that the man should be alone. The LORD made for the man a woman, a wife, and brought her to him. The LORD blessed them that they should be one flesh, be fruitful, and multiply. This is the LORD’s doing. There are no coincidences. Adam didn’t have to go out and find a wife, but the LORD brought husband and wife together, just as the LORD has brought the two of you together.
People today talk about “soul mates.” “You have go out there and find your soul mate.” And so, they peruse the dating circuit for months, sometimes years, looking for, searching for Mr. or Mrs. Right. But you don’t have to go out and find your soul mate. Your soul mate is the one you choose to love, that you commit yourself to care for, that you sacrifice yourself for to preserve and to protect and to care for. Because of your choice, you come to love someone you previously didn’t know, and they come to love you. And love isn’t merely a fleeting emotion accompanied by raging hormones and serotonin levels, but love is patient and kind; it does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not insist on its own way; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but it rejoices in the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.
When we met a few months ago to discuss marriage and to prepare for your marriage today I shared with you a seldom discussed teaching of St. Paul from 1 Corinthians chapter 7: “The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.” I’m certain that a lot of folks find these words scandalous today. But what is Paul’s meaning? Well, yes, he is speaking of sexuality and sexual relations, exhorting husbands and wives not to withhold themselves sexually from each other, except for an agreed upon period of time for prayer. However, truly there is much more to Paul’s teaching than that. Carson, Anna, your wife, is not only a body. Anna, Carson, your husband, is not only a body. Each of you are a body and a soul, created by God in His image, redeemed in the blood of Jesus Christ His Son for immortality and life with Him forever. I think we all understand that a husband is to care for his wife’s body, her health and well-being, and a wife is to care for her husband’s body, health, and well-being, how much more then is a husband to care for his wife’s soul, and is a wife to care for her husband’s soul? Yes! Carson, you are not just marrying a female human, but you are committing yourself to care for, nurture, protect, and preserve an immortal soul. And the same is true for you Anna. You have each individually been baptized into Jesus’ death and resurrection, and you each individually share in His immortal life. The soul of your wife, the soul of your husband, is as much a precious treasure to be cared for, protected, and preserved as is their body. Each of you is taking on a sacred charge today to care for, nurture, defend, protect, and preserve the other in both body and soul.
Today the LORD is making you a home. I don’t mean that He is building you a house, but the LORD is making you, Anna & Carson, to be a home. Husband & wife, father & mother, and children, should the LORD bless you with them, are the fundamental unit of society, created, instituted, and established, not by man, but by God. The home, the marriage of one man and one woman, and the family are the locale and means through which children are raised in the knowledge and fear of the LORD, civilization and maturation occur, and charity, mercy, forgiveness, and love are learned and cultivated. It is no wonder that Satan attacks marriage and the family, for they are the means through which the LORD causes and sustains stability and order, kindness and charity, peace and love, and all that is good. Yes, Satan will attack your marriage, your family, and your home. The only defense against his attack is the Word of the LORD and His blessed Sacraments. What I mean is that you must make the LORD and His Word and Sacraments a central part of your marriage, your family, and your home if you hope to remain strong against Satan’s attack. Go to church regularly. Pray in the morning and evening and give thanks before meals. Be quick to forgive and do not harbor resentment. Remember your marriage vows, remember your baptism, remember the forgiveness and mercy and love you have received from your LORD in and through Jesus Christ your savior. Jesus is truly the third partner in your marriage. The LORD has brought you together, and the LORD will bless you and make you a blessing. His is the love with which you love each other. Carson & Anna, remember the LORD, give thanks, receive His gifts, and share them with one another and others, and your marriage will be very good.
In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.
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