The Feast

Even though there are those who would want to cloud or distort the definition of marriage from a Biblical point of view, there is clear teaching, not only in the book of Genesis, but also in the words
of Jesus, about what marriage actually is. In Matthew 19, He says:
(4) "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,'
5 and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?
6 So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."

The teaching is clear, not only about marriage as one man for one woman, but also the idea of gender identity, or gender fluidity - God made them "male and female."  2 genders, no transitional forms. In an age in which God's ideas are being challenged by the world's inferior ideas, we can be challenged to hold fast to His principles; call it traditional, some may even call it old-fashioned, but it is good to know we serve a God who is unchanging, who does not redefine Himself according to cultural whims.

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In the aftermath of the royal wedding, I thought it would be appropriate to touch on what God has to say about marriage. We find that He instituted it in Genesis 2, and in Ephesians 5, we read, in part:
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,
26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,
27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.

Did you watch it?  Yes, it was another royal wedding that dominated cable news and the Internet on Saturday morning, the union of Prince Harry and American actress Meghan Markle. 

There was certainly a historic nature to the event - the union of a member of the British royal family to a mixed-race bride from the U.S.  In a country where at one time a King had abdicated because of his marriage to a divorced American, it shows a shift in attitude in the Church of England over the past century.  And, it's been pointed out by Glenn Stanton of Focus on the Family that cohabitation, or living together before marriage, as this couple practiced, increases a couple's chance of divorce.

But, the optics were grand and glorious - it was a celebration of the union of one man and one woman, which symbolizes, according to the Scripture, the relationship of Christ and His Church.  Marriage on display to scores of people around the world - it gives us an opportunity to consider the sanctity of marriage, the way God ordained it.

A piece on the Baptist Press website by Sheri Gaches, she writes about not only the picture of marriage, but the future wedding feast in which believers in Christ will participate:

In a recent statement released by Buckingham Palace, Prince Harry and Ms. Markle formally invited members of the public to join in the wedding festivities.

In the statement, they insisted that they want to celebrate their wedding with "people chosen ... from a broad range of backgrounds and ages." It's unlikely they intended to make this connection, but their desire reflects the apostle John's vision when "a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language," gathers to worship the Lord and be wedded to him (Revelation 7:9; 19:6–8).

Like the royal wedding, the final wedding of the Lamb and His bride will be an international celebration. Generational, racial, cultural and linguistic gaps will close as we all partake in the wedding feast together.

And who will forget the featured sermon of the day, delivered in an impassioned style by Episcopal Bishop Michael Curry. He was appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury to give the address, and he certainly did not disappoint.  The presence of an African-American orator and the presence of gospel music throughout the occasion were not what one might have expected from a royal wedding. Mark Tooley of the Institute of Religion and Democracy offered a critique of the sermon.  He said:

The wedding sermon from Episcopal Church USA Michael Curry justifiably has earned rave reviews for compelling delivery and a love-soaked message very appropriate for a wedding, royal or otherwise. He was quite soaring in his vision of love’s power:

Think and imagine, well, think and imagine a world where love is the way. Imagine our homes and families when love is the way. Imagine neighborhoods and communities where love is the way. Imagine governments and nations where love is the way. Imagine business and commerce when love is the way. Imagine this tired old world when love is the way, unselfish, sacrificial redemptive. When love is the way, then no child will go to bed hungry in this world ever again. When love is the way, we will let justice roll down like a mighty stream and righteousness like an everflowing brook. When love is the way, poverty will become history. When love is the way, the earth will be a sanctuary. When love is the way, we will lay down our swords and shields down, down by the riverside to study war no more. When love is the way, there’s plenty good room, plenty good room, for all of God’s children. Because when love is the way, we actually treat each other, well, like we are actually family. When love is the way, we know that God is the source of us all and we are brothers and sisters, children of God. My brothers and sisters, that’s a new heaven, a new earth, a new world, a new human family.

But, Tooley cautioned: 

Many have acclaimed Curry’s sermon for offering a positive alternative to more conservative Christianity. But these celebrants may forget that Curry’s denomination is literally dying, as are all liberal Protestant communions that share its theology of amorphous love without judgment.

Tooley quoted from Gavin Ashenden, a former chaplain to the queen, in his article.

Ashenden offers this critique at his website:

The world is rightly talking about Michael Curry’s wedding sermon. It was as tour de force. He is very good at preaching. But it also offers us all an insight into the dramatic difference between the two kind of Christianity that are at odds with each other in the Anglican Communion.

We will call them for the moment, ‘Christianity-max’, and ‘Christianity-lite’.

Credit where it is due. ‘Christianity-lite’ can be very appealing. It reaches out to where people are hurting and it encourages them. It reaches out to where they are longing for good change, and it promises them that change can come.

It speaks continuously of love and hope. Everyone likes to hear of love and hope.

But it has three serious flaws. It doesn’t define love, and it never delivers on the hope. It isn’t what Jesus preached.

And, it's commonly pointed out that Curry affirms same-sex marriage, which is certainly not the picture of traditional marriage that was seemingly on display on Saturday.  Curry is part of group of so-called "progressive" Christians who are part of a movement to "reclaim Jesus," which is the theme of an event in Washington this week.

Tooley wrote:

There may have been aspects of Curry’s sermon that caused carefully listening traditionalists to wince. Yet the Gospel’s power is such that even kernels of it can save and transform. Let’s hope such kernels, sumptuously wrapped, were transmitted globally by the royal wedding.

But, all in all, whenever there is a celebration of marriage, there is the element of what the Bible has to say about it and the foundational nature of the institution in our culture.  We can certainly take the opportunity to celebrate our own marriages and to relish in the Biblical definition of marriage, an institution ordained by God.

We can also use discernment and see how the Biblical picture of marriage - one man and one woman, symbolizing and acting in the love of Christ for His Church - is still relevant for today and indeed beneficial for our culture, if people would embrace it rather than try to redefine it.

Finally, we can't be flippant about the use of the word, love.  But, we can rightfully embrace the Christ-centered nature of sacrificial love, the love that motivated Him to die on a cross.  A love that causes us to put God, and then other persons before ourselves.  A love that does more than tolerate; a love that truly transforms and equips us to be disciples of the Most High.