WEDDING NOTES

If people have been following my blog, they have noticed that I have observed a recess of sorts. There are reasons for this that would not interest you. One is that I was obligated to go to Kirksville to conduct the funeral of a long time friend. Now back to business.


The life and labors of a minister involves many venues. Weddings form a part of the ministerial duty. For some you have no advance notice. Talk about premarital counseling; that's out of the mix.


One night at bedtime - or really, some time thereafter, there came a knock at the door. A young couple wanted to get married. That was before we were engaged in World War II. The groom was in uniform and was, I believe, ready to be sent overseas. The room was serving as both living room and bedroom. With good grace I invited the couple and the two persons who had come along as witnesses into the room where my wife was in bed. By doctors' orders she was confined to the bed for some days due to the fact that our first son was but a few days old. The company made our room somewhat crowded.


To assist us during my wife's confinement, one of her sisters was with us at the time and was asleep in the adjacent room. As a precautionary move, I placed the baby's crib as quietly as possible in the next room.


Fortunately for me, I was fully dressed when this intrusion occurred, but not with coat and tie. Since it was a "come as you are" visit, I "went as I was" to perform my first wedding assignment. I learned later that my sister-in-law on waking up in the next room heard me reading from the minister's manual: "Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God, and in the face of this company to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony ... " She was struck with wonder! What's he doing? practicing his lines for a wedding? Well, it was sort of a trial run, and the precursor of many to follow.


I agree with Bro. R.E. Carroll who said, "I don't think that boys and girls ought to marry." Then as soon as the astonished people had time to catch their breath, he continued, "I think they should be men and women." It seems fair to state that too many too often rush into marriage too soon and too ill prepared for marriage. This reminds us of the story - real or not I know not - of a very young couple of kids who were being married. When the minister read the words for the boy to repeat, "And with all my worldly goods I thee endow," the groom's father spoke right out, "There goes Junior's bike!"


In 1957, the Annual Youth Camp of the Church of God was held at Morrison, Colorado, near Denver. I was the evangelist for this camp. Several young people were converted and among them a young man I judge to be about "of age", which in those days was 21, not 18 as of today. It was at this camp he met a fine young lady who became his wife. It was quite some time after this meeting that their wedding was performed at Overland Park. Just after the ceremony, the wedding party formed a line and friends were passing by to congratulate the bride and groom. As I came by to greet the groom, he stepped out of line and fell on my neck, and bawling like a baby, exclaimed, "You were the cause of all of this!" Really, he was overjoyed and connected his conversion under my ministry to this happy occasion.


I've surely been accused of being the "cause" of worse things!