The Perfect Love Story: Sermon for the Wedding of Logan & Samantha Moeller
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
The way they
looked at each other and held each other’s hand as they walked through the mall
told a story in itself. I would guess them to be well into their 80s. But what
you noticed was not so much their age as their obvious concern for one another.
Occasionally, she would glance at him with a twinkle in her eye as if to say, “You
are my man and I love you.” He, in turn would smile a well-practiced smile and
with only a look reply, “I know, and I love you, too.” It was obvious they were
partners, friends, and lovers.
As this
nameless couple walked side-by-side their love told a story for anyone who
would take the time to watch. It was a story without words. If words were
necessary, they could doubtless fill many chapters, recalling times of
challenge and joy, struggle and success. As I sat on the bench and watched, I couldn’t
help but find myself imagining their story, filling in the details in my own
mind.
First
their eyes met. They both turned away when they felt a glance become an uncomfortable
stare. Both chanced a second peek when they thought the other would not be
looking. Later, they mustered the courage to actually speak to each other. Well,
she did more talking than he. But he managed to string together enough words to
ask her out on a real date. Soon they would be seen together at every church
social and community event.
A year later,
they were married in a simple ceremony in a little church (much like this one).
Their early years together were not easy, but neither seemed to mind. He worked
extra shifts to help save up for a down payment on their dream house. She cooked
from scratch and canned their garden produce to reduce expenses, and spent her spare
moments doing all of the little things that make a house a home. It was a struggle,
but they succeeded by working together.
Soon they
moved from being a couple to being a family. As children arrived, they
sometimes had to sacrifice what they wanted for the things their children
needed. But what they lacked materially, they made up for in warmth, humor, and
tenderness. When their kids entered school, the evenings were filled with
church and school events, and helping with homework. Still they made time for
family meals and devotions. The teen years were probably the most challenging
period of their life together. Their parenting skills were tested virtually
every day. To be sure, they made their share of mistakes, but each day they
prayed that God’s love and grace would fill out their insufficiencies.
Before
they knew it, it was time to send their children out to write their own stories.
For this couple, it was a time of writing a new chapter for themselves, too. It
was a time of reconnecting, but in a new way. Now they had time, once again, to
center their lives on each other. It was a time of making readjustments,
renewing old interests, and reprioritizing their time. It seems one day they
were changing diapers and getting kids ready for school; the next day, they were
focusing on planning their retirement together.
That day
came much sooner than they expected, too. They bought a used recreational vehicle.
Stayed in Arizona for a couple of months each winter. Visited their family
often enough to sufficiently spoil their grandchildren, but not so much as to
wear out their welcome. The last couple of years each had taken a turn nursing
the other through a serious health scare, but now both were doing well. Through
each joy and sorrow shared their love for one another grew and deepened.
I have no
idea whether any of this remotely resembled the life this couple in the mall had
shared. But I’d like to think so. It seemed obvious that they had a story to
tell, a love story. They could teach us much about what it means to be
married—to have the kind of partnership God intended for us in marriage. You
see—marriage is not only our story; it’s God’s story, too. He wrote love and
romance right into the plotline from the very beginning.
The book of
Genesis tells the story of the first couple to begin their journey together as
husband and wife. We know their names—Adam and Eve. God said, “It is not good
for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” Looking
around, God saw there was no other created being that could be this for Adam, so
He made one especially for him. He took a rib from man and used it to fashion a
woman, someone perfectly suited to love, support, and complete the man. Adam
and Eve were created to walk as partners, friends, and lovers. That is God’s
perfect plan for marriage: “For this reason a man will leave his father and
mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.”
In the
beginning, the first couple were perfectly united. They worked and functioned
as a team. But they were also very much unique individuals. Each had something
to contribute as they walked side-by-side, supporting each other throughout
their story, year after year, and chapter after chapter. They were God’s gift
to each other.
And you,
too, Logan and Samantha, are God’s gift to each other. God willing, you, too, will
write many chapters in your own love story. Some will be written for you. No
chapter will be exactly the same. Only God knows exactly how your story will
unfold. But then, mystery is an element of good story telling, isn’t it?
In your
story, there will be movement and growth. There will be surprises. There will
be adjustments and readjustments. It won’t always be easy (just ask any older
couple at the mall). There may be times when you let each other down. There may
be days when you become angry and say things you wish you’d never said. But be
assured that you will never be alone. God, who brought you together, will
always be walking with you. Remember, this is His story too.
As I
already mentioned, God’s love story began with Adam and Eve. Created in God’s image,
the two were like God in many ways: holy like God is holy, loving the way that
God is loving, righteous as God is righteous. Adam and Eve were perfect for
each other because they were perfect—literally, perfect! But unfortunately, it
didn’t last. Adam and Eve blew it. They sinned and, by doing so, lost the image
of God. They were no longer the perfect couple for the simple reason they were
no longer perfect. The rest, as we say, is history.
But it’s not
just history. The rest, sad to say, is part of our story, too. When Adam and
Eve lost the image of God, we lost it, too. The sin of our first parents has
been passed on to all of their descendants. We’re not like God any more,
either. Holy? Not by a long shot! Loving? Not always! Not unconditionally. I
know that you have discovered this about each other—neither of you is perfect.
One thing that I’ve always admired about Logan is his honesty and openness
about his imperfections and insecurities. Sometimes uncomfortably, almost embarrassingly,
honest. That’s what makes him a good writer. And Samantha, as we’ve visited, I’ve
come to know you are well aware of your own faults and foibles.
The hard,
cruel reality is that each marriage since the first one in the Garden is the
union of two sinners. If someone is expecting perfection or near perfection
from his or her spouse, then he or she will soon be disappointed. Each person
in the marriage is, as the ancient liturgy sets forth, a poor miserable sinner,
who justly deserves God’s temporal and eternal punishment. Left to our own
resources, it would be a sad short story, indeed.
But I
have Good News for you, Logan and Samantha, and everyone else gathered here: Though
it would have been well within His rights to do so, God did not end the story
there. To the first man and woman who had fallen into sin, God promised a
Savior, who would defeat sin, death, and the power of the devil. He would
redeem this fallen couple and their descendants that they might have eternal
life. He would restore unity and love to relationships broken by sin.
Jesus is
the fulfillment of God’s promise. In His death and resurrection, He brings to a
glorious climax the story of God’s love and mercy. Our Lord Jesus shows us His
love by giving up His life on the cross so that we might live as God’s chosen
people, God’s dearly beloved children. And as Christ shows His love for His
bride, the Church, He gives us the perfect model for marriage. Wives submitting
to husbands as to the Lord. Husbands loving their wives as Christ loved the
Church and gave Himself up for her. Through His Word, God empowers Christian
marriages to be a human echo of that relationship—one of submission and
service, forgiving and building up one another. This is the perfect love story.
It is the story I most love to tell, the story we love to hear. Logan and
Samantha, it is your story today as you begin your life together in His name.
Who knows?
Perhaps one day, after many chapters of your life have been written, you may be
walking along in a mall and someone will look at you and see a story, a story
without words, a story of love and forgiveness. They will see in you, a Savior
who has guided you every step of the journey and who promises heaven at the end
of your days. It’s your story, but it’s really His story, God’s perfect love story.
It is my
prayer for you, Logan and Samantha, that your marriage will be a reflection of
the perfect love that Christ has for His bride, the Church. May you continue to
receive God’s grace and forgiveness through the lifelines of love, His Word and
sacraments. As the Holy Spirit works faith and love in you, may you continue to
write your own perfect love story. Amen.
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