Please note: The following sermon is provided as a resource for the thought, prayer, and meditation of the members and friends of St. Mark's. It is the residue of a verbal event, and thus it does not have academic footnotes and other details that would be expected in a written document. The writer gladly acknowledges the prior thought and work of many Christians before him.

The hymn that we sing next will have some very familiar phrases in it.

The Lord's my Shepherd it begins.

Oh, yes, that is from the 23^rd Psalm, isn't it?

That Psalm is often associated with a funeral, but not today.

What makes this Psalm appropriate for this occasion?

or, said another way,

Why in the world would Sandrina and Garth have chosen this Psalm, and in the form of this Hymn, for us to use together today?

To talk about us having a shepherd implies that we are not in charge here...and that is true.

Life is a gift to us from God through our parents, and the coming together of Garth and Sandrina, if it is to be truly a marriage, is a gift of God to each of them and to their families and indeed the whole community.

Now what shall we do with these gifts?

Shall we squander them in foolishness?

           Some do.

Shall we willfully try to go our own way without regard for the one who gave us these gifts in the first place?

That kind of rebellion we call “sin,” and it is as foolish as the small child throwing a tantrum in the middle of a store, refusing to acknowledge that he/she needs the guidance of the parent who can see much more clearly than can the child.

But we have a shepherd, one who will indeed guide and direct us, even when we cannot see to what end we are being led.

And along the way we are gifted with green pastures and still waters.

Much of the year in Israel the color is dead brown; how wonderful is a green pasture.

Yes, we are celebrating the green pastures today, for Garth and Sandrina have found enough in each other, enough to forswear all others.

I hear that sheep do not like to drink in running waters; they prefer quiet pools, where they can feel more secure that some evil is not about to accost them.

The Lord God wants us to know that kind of trust, that he will not leave us comfortless.

And that leads us right to the rod and the staff.

They are different implements.

           the rod beats off the enemies, and the staff guides us in the right direction and pulls us back from danger.

That is not just for little children; persons of every age can take comfort that there is direction, that Christ will send rescue to us not just once, but as often as we need it.

And then there is the “table set before us in the presence of those who trouble me.”

How realistic this is!

Garth and Sandrina will discover that there is much evil in the world,  seeking in a hundred ways to drive them apart from each other, to woo them to some other love, and to some other god.

The forces of evil do not disappear after this day, they may just become  more devious and clever.

But in the middle of the mess of problems, Jesus sets a table for us.

The problems and challenges are not going to overwhelm Garth and Sandrina; nor are they going to overwhelm us.

The table is set with enough and more than enough for us to be strengthened to take on the challenges.

That “table set before us” can remind us of several things;

(1) the table of all of the things that we need from day to day.

(2) the occasion of Jesus himself being a guest at a wedding in Cana of Galilee, as is shown in the icon we have in front of us at a wedding.

It is the place where Jesus comes as a guest and promptly becomes the host, supplying a superabundance for the joyful festivities.

(3) The table that the Lord sets before us can also remind us of the table of Holy Communion, the regular meal of the Lord's people who share it in anticipation of the complete sharing that will take place when we reach the fullness of heaven, when we “dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

So now, all of these images that we discover in the 23^rd Psalm are very appropriate for this day; they represent just exactly what we need to hear at the time of a wedding.

They speak of the basis of the life now opening before Garth and Sandrina, and they speak of its fulfillment also.

Let our wish this day be that Garth and Sandrina will not have chosen this passage of scripture just for the day, but for their lifetime together,

to the glory of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

St. Mark's Lutheran Church

142 Market Street

Williamsport, Pennsylvania

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