What Is A Christian Wedding?

What is a Christian wedding? It is a ceremony celebrating the union between a man and a woman, both of whom are born-again believers. They commit their lives to each other, allowing their Lord, Jesus Christ, to lead them and to bless their marriage.

The home of a Christian couple will be filled with love--Eros love between husband and wife, but also Agape love as the husband and wife portray the Biblical relationship between Jesus and His Church. The Bible says that Jesus loved the Church and unselfishly gave Himself for it.

No, it will not be perfect like the love Christ has for us, and it will take a lot of work on the part of both the husband and the wife. Marriage is a lot of work. It takes a lot of time and give and take. If you are selfish and you are unwilling to change and put your mate first, forget it. Marriage is not for you. We are all selfish, but God can help us with this. We must be willing to change and to compromise with our mate.

So what is a Christian wedding? A Christian wedding is a celebration of love and the beginning of a brand new life together for the new husband and wife. It is also a blending of two separate families. Sometimes the blending is easy. Other times, not so much.

Sometimes the two families never do quite blend together. Some never make the effort. This creates a difficult situation for the happy couple. They find themselves in the middle of what can sometimes be an ugly and constant battle as both sets of in-laws pull the couple in two directions at once. Only the Lord can give them strength to stay together through it all.

Again, what is a Christian wedding? Ideally, a Christian wedding is a joyous occasion. But this is not always the case. Sometimes the couple's families are not pleased with the idea of marriage and will fight the bride and/or groom all the way to the altar. Their parents may threaten not to go to the wedding unless something is changed to suit them. (Been there, done that!)

Some family members will not show up at all, no matter what concessions you are willing to make. (I went through this, too!) It may be something as silly as you inviting some friends that they don't like or they may dislike the minister who will be officiating. Worst of all, they can't stand your choice of a husband or wife so they will wage a protest over that. (Been there, done that to all of the above.)

Just remember that at the end of the day, it is your wedding and your happiness, not your family's. I know it is hard not to have them there but you won't be spending the next portion of your life with them (unless you listen to them and don't go through with the wedding).

Remember that you are marrying the love of your life and the two of you have a future together no matter what your family fights about.

As the happy couple plan their wedding, only the joining of two born-again believers in marriage should be important. All fighting, especially among Christian family members should stop. Families should support and love the new couple but many couples do not have that kind of support. The bride and groom can take comfort in each other and in the Lord.

Notice I said "should" but in the real world lots of "shoulds" never happen. For instance, I have been married for almost 25 years now and my family hates my husband more than ever for no reason except that he married me. They are bitter and hateful. Every time I call home, I hear about what a horrible and terrible person my Christian pastor husband is from my mother, two brothers, and sister, who are supposed to be Christians...You would think after all this time, they might have grown used to the idea! Ha ha ha!