Why are wedding days such a big deal? I often ponder the question. There are a lot of ceremonies, but none of them as big as a wedding.
But then, what does a wedding symbolize? The creation of a family. And what is a family? The cornerstone of society, the basis for community, the context of the individual. Without the family, society ceases to exist and disappears into the ominous shadow of Government.
Marriage may seem like a private agreement between two individuals, or for a Christian, between two individuals and God. But it is more than that -- it is an agreement between the couple and the community. The couple is promising to perpetuate society and to take part in the community. Community is promising to provide a setting in which the couple can raise the family.
Then as Louis de Bonald said, the marriage covenant is between not only the man and the woman, but also between the unborn child(ren). The family exists for the child; the child exists because of the family.
Weddings, as much as they have been overblown and exaggerated, are a big deal because they are a chance for the community to share in the marriage. They are a chance for the couple to participate in the community. It is a seal between man and wife and society, for better or for worse.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Friday, April 16, 2010
The Ache of the Unknown
Have you ever experienced the ache of things that you will never know?
The true conservative believes that God is at work in every culture, in every political system, in every nation. There may be systems that are more or less suited to curb man's sinful nature and ease the pain of throwing hundreds of sinners in a community together, but altogether no true conservative can completely discredit a nation as being outside of God's work. In fact, no true Christian can do that.
Which means, of course, that if a community is inside of God's work, then it is inside of God's beauty. Every culture -- though every culture has its own version of rampant immorality because people all have their own version of rampant immorality -- has in its own unique expression the unfettered glory of God. The language, the food, the marriage ceremonies...they all show undeniable evidence of the existence of God.
So then, I ache because I will never know it. There is beauty of God expressed in ways I will never be able to see, or that I will even be aware of. There are cultural traditions in which I will never partake.
The mystery of it is the diversity of God, too great for any one human being to comprehend.
But in the end, the ache is similar to the feeling of a sunset. That indescribable bittersweet sensation that makes you want to be a part of the sunset, that knows in a few minutes the sun will be gone and you are only glimpsing a second's worth of eternal beauty. I get that feeling when I experience another culture, because I know I am only touching a second of the eternal glory and work of God.
The true conservative believes that God is at work in every culture, in every political system, in every nation. There may be systems that are more or less suited to curb man's sinful nature and ease the pain of throwing hundreds of sinners in a community together, but altogether no true conservative can completely discredit a nation as being outside of God's work. In fact, no true Christian can do that.
Which means, of course, that if a community is inside of God's work, then it is inside of God's beauty. Every culture -- though every culture has its own version of rampant immorality because people all have their own version of rampant immorality -- has in its own unique expression the unfettered glory of God. The language, the food, the marriage ceremonies...they all show undeniable evidence of the existence of God.
So then, I ache because I will never know it. There is beauty of God expressed in ways I will never be able to see, or that I will even be aware of. There are cultural traditions in which I will never partake.
The mystery of it is the diversity of God, too great for any one human being to comprehend.
But in the end, the ache is similar to the feeling of a sunset. That indescribable bittersweet sensation that makes you want to be a part of the sunset, that knows in a few minutes the sun will be gone and you are only glimpsing a second's worth of eternal beauty. I get that feeling when I experience another culture, because I know I am only touching a second of the eternal glory and work of God.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)