You’re invited to a wedding!
A June wedding is no surprise - but a wedding during Sunday worship might be.
For Julie Pearson and Jerry Wolff., June will mark a new beginning. Though you
may not know them, you’ve probably seen them Sunday mornings. Julie has
been a member of Good Shepherd for several years; until recently she coordinated
the gift bearers for the Lord’s Supper. Her fiancé, Jerry, is a
lifelong member of the United Methodist Church in Grand Haven. He’s been
using crutches lately after tearing his achilles tendon playing softball.
Usually you invite your family to your wedding, and that’s exactly what
Julie intends to do. When I asked Julie where she wanted to hold the ceremony
and who they planned to invite, she said, “Good Shepherd’s my real
family. So I wondered if we could get married on a Sunday morning during the
service, at Good Shepherd... with my family.”
If the the season of Pentecost celebrates the pouring out of the Holy Spirit
upon us, sending us out to share Jesus’ undying love, surely the Holy
Spirit is present in this wedding, too. For Julie and Jerry, the Holy Spirit
is present in the surprise that the death of love once is not the death of love
forever, that there’s a person out there who loves you as much as you
love them and maybe even more, who loves you in a way you do not deserve and
could never earn. And for us who will witness their marriage, the Holy Spirit
is present in the surprise of a wedding invitation, the surprise of discovering
that you’re considered family by someone you might not even know, the
surprise that you’re part of a church that really works to embrace with
love all the folks who walk through its doors. During the season of Pentecost
we celebrate the Lord of surprise - the surprising ways we encounter the Holy
Spirit, and the surprising ways we’re sent to share God’s love.
We’ve set the date for Sunday, June 15. Jerry and Julie will exchange
vows and rings after the sermon, the bride and groom will kiss, and when I introduce
them as husband and wife you will applaud their courage and hope and joy. Otherwise,
you won’t find the service much different. We’ll share the prayers
of the church and Jerry and Julie will serve the wine for Holy Communion. After
the service you’re invited to share the light lunch and wedding cake they’ll
provide in the fellowship area.
Join us for the season of Pentecost, my friends, and encounter the Holy Spirit in ways you never imagined!
Pastor Jim
This is my commandment, that you love one another
as I have loved you. John 15:12
From the Shepherd's Song Newsletter -- June 2008
Copyright 2008 by Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
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E-mail your comments and questions to Pastor Jim in care of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church at gslc@sirus.com.