From the Pastor’s Desk (272)
As New Life grows in every age bracket, I foresee there will be many weddings taking place. I, as your pastor who knows you well and wants what is best for you, would like to suggest that you seriously consider getting married at church. There are several reasons why I say this to you.
One, it is for a symbolic/spiritual reason.
The physical church building where we worship God corporately as one body of Christ is not holier than other wedding venues. God’s holy presence is not limited to our church building structure. He is everywhere. However, it is a special place for us because it is the place of our worship. Here in this sanctuary, we praise God, listen to our fellow church members’ testimonies, hear God’s word, give offering to the Lord, and commit our lives to Him in response to the Word that we hear through our pastors. It is the place where the cross is hung in the front that reminds us of what Christ has done for us. Exchanging your marriage vows and getting married under the cross is a beautiful thing.
Two, it is for a practical reason.
Wedding preparation can potentially be very stressful. And choosing a wedding venue and working with a wedding coordinator who is not familiar with the way we do weddings at New Life could be draining. However, if you get married at church, then things become very simple because you have the place already, you know the wedding coordinators well who are experienced with New Life weddings, and you will have certain amount of flexibility and leniency because we are not a business but family of God. Furthermore, no one has to drive to potentially far places that are unfamiliar to everyone.
Three, it is for a financial reason.
Getting married at any decent wedding venue is very expensive. If you invite 200 guests, then it will easily be over $20,000. However, if you get married at church, then it can easily be done with less than $10,000. Unless you are a millionaire, if you are starting out as a young couple with not much, it is a prudent idea that you save money by getting married at church.
Four, it is for a testimony reason.
By now, all of you know where I stand in terms of alcohol usage. At times, I drink a glass of wine or two. However, I do not need wine or beer to have a great time with friends and family. In fact, some of the happiest and most fun times that I have in life are with the men of New Life talking and sharing our lives with each other over a very simple lunch. This world is not good at knowing how to have fun without alcohol or other kinds of substances. Therefore, we the Christ-followers must do things differently and show the world how to have fun and festivities without alcohol.
Some of us want our wedding photos to come out picture perfect with beautiful backdrops. It indeed is nice to have great pictures. However, more than the pictures, God’s peace in your marriage is much more important. (By the way, we have several church members who work as professional photographers and I highly recommend that you use them for your wedding.)
Our sanctuary is not as pretty as these wedding venues. Our fellowship hall needs to be rearranged for receptions which requires much effort. And we cannot consume alcohol in the church. However, with the help of our own house church members, both the sanctuary and the fellowship hall can be beautifully decorated, and with the money you save, we can have better quality and tasting food. After all, people often remember the food they eat at the wedding reception more than the wedding venue or ceremony.
Getting married at church is not a rule but a recommendation. And if you want to get married in Tasmania and you want me to officiate your wedding there, I will not stop you. However, for the above-mentioned reasons, I think it is a wise choice to be married at church.
Your pastor,
Eric
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