made for community...

Rachel and I were in Northern Ireland over the weekend for a friends wedding. It was a great day and it was evident that there was a lot of thought and planning had gone into the day. Marriage is easily sidelined as an institution or something for the old school withing the society that we live. There have been comments made that to cohabit is of the same standing as marriage and that it carries same level of commitment that there is as in marriage. However I'm not so sure it does and I will seek to explain briefly why I think marriage is vital to life and community. For Christians marriage is God's way.

Now I'm not wishing to say that cohabiting couples do not share deep love and commitment, as mostly they do. But as a Christian, one who wishes to live by the commands of Jesus, I believe that marriage between male and female was God's intended plan for family and the raising of children and an expression of the mysterious relationship/covenant between Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:25-32). 

I believe that marriage forms a fundamental part and basis for community. You may ask what is the difference between marriage and cohabiting, is it not essentially the same things? To this I would have to say no. A marriage is witnessed by community and is a public declaration, cohabitation is not. Cohabitation is something that just happens and does not involve public declaration of commitment and love. With a Christian wedding as was this that we attended it takes on a added dimension as it is an acknowledgment of a covenant commitment between two people before the community which the two people belong to, but importantly before our Heavenly Father who joins the couple together(Matt 19:6). So it  is also an acknowledgement that God had joined them together not just something that they have chosen to do. 

Marriage should be and is a signal of a binding commitment, security and the correct place for intimacy. For the Christian community there has to be love, commitment to each other and it has to be a safe and open place where others can encounter the love of God expressed through his people. 

Through the bible we see how marriage was always witnessed and celebrated in community often as a town wide event. The wedding we witnessed on Saturday I believe was an expression of such an act where the community of friends, family and fellow believers witness a sacred union between to people declaring their commitment to one another for life. 

Marriage is something clearly between two people but its implication and impact is far wider reaching. Community, where life is shared together, is so very important. I know that for the most part I have talked about marriage but the Christian community should be the kind of place where people whether married, single, divorced, bruised or broken etc can find a place of belonging and security where lives are shared whether successes or failures, highs or lows. people need people there really is not getting away from it...

Sorry if this has been a bit disjointed but hopefully you get the general gist of my trail of thought (if you do that will be a first :)] 

Till next time...