« Return to the St. Paul Lutheran Website

Happily Ever After

Pastor Jeremy Schultz
October 5, 2009

On the day of her wedding, the young bride takes one final, lingering look in front of the full length mirror. She can hear the sounds of Bach running through the sanctuary, down the hall and into the little room where she now stands alone. In 15 minutes she will be marrying Mr. Right. Her heartbeat quickens at the thought of it all. A few deep breaths later and she has regained composure. She now runs through a checklist of sorts. Something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue, she whispers aloud. Something old – ah yes. Grandmother's handkerchief. She smiles as she thinks of her grandma and grandpa's Golden wedding anniversary they celebrated just that summer. Something new – that's the dress she's staring at in the mirror. She allows herself a moment of vanity as she considers just how beautiful is the love that she and her husband will share. Something borrowed. Those are the pearls borrowed from Mom that she will, of course, return. But she will always know that Mom and Dad can be counted on for support. Something blue – she blushes as she thinks of her garter. However she knows that from ancient times, blue is the color of faithfulness, purity and loyalty. And with these ingredients she and her husband will pursue their happily ever after.

Happily ever after is what God originally planned for all mankind. Marriage, childbirth and growth in the Christian community were all a part of God's plan before the fall into sin. Just picture it.

Just a short while before, Adam was alone and in a deep sleep that came from God. And while Adam slept, God also took a rib from Man's side and fashioned the woman. Now he's awake and they've only just met, but it's obvious to each one that they are staring at their perfect compliment – God's choice. And now they stand together in the Garden of Paradise. Bare feet cushioned by the warm green grass. God Himself presides over their union. His message to them is a commentary that will extend to the coming of Jesus and even until today. Genesis 2:24, "Therefore a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife and the two will become one flesh." The man and his wife were both naked and they felt no shame. What a day!

No sin yet existed – not there in the Garden – not anywhere in their marriage. Adam and his wife were completely open to each other and had nothing to hide. Their intimacy - the "In To Me See" of their marriage was perfect and complete. Their depth and knowledge and happiness with each other were far beyond what any married couple since has ever enjoyed. This was the beginning of their happily ever after.

But then sin came into the world. And in their sinful desire to be like God, they found themselves cowering in the bushes. Afraid of God, blaming each other and now ashamed of themselves and not wanted each other to see how fallen they were. And ever since, sin has threatened to disrupt and destroy all marriage.

Did you ever get that sinking feeling that happily ever after has devolved today into something that more resembles a nightmare? As children we're taught to love fairy tales. Grimm fairly tales, like the Frog Prince, have always been very popular. But here is the Grimm Reality. The Grimm Reality is the story we know all too well. It's the story of a couple that begins living together and then breaks up. Then they start dating again and maybe he gets her pregnant. Then they get married and start having kids. Then there's fooling around on the part of one or another. And someone moves out. Then they move back in. Then they try counseling. Then they get counseling for the kids, (because after all they're not coping with this very well.) Then they're getting divorced, meeting someone new and repeating this pattern habitually ever after. Such is the Grim Reality.

The Grim Reality is that we have an almost 60% divorce rate in Oakland County. The Grim Reality is that we have 29% fewer marriages nationwide over the last five years. The Grim Reality is that even in Christian families today, lots of children think that living together outside the covenant of marriage is an OK thing to do. And not many tell them differently except maybe a grandma and the pastor when they come to get married. The Grim Reality is that you may be the victim of such shocking behavior because after all, marriage is the only legal contract between two people that can be broken today by only one party. That's the Grim Reality and if such has happened to you, please know that it is not my intention or desire to hurt you today. I'm sure you’ve been hurt, and to a degree, we've all been hurt by this Grim reality.

By the time of Jesus, such shocking behavior was so commonplace that the popular view of the rabbis said that divorce could occur for any behavior. That's what's behind the question of the Pharisees in today's Gospel lesson. For example, if a wife burned her husbands breakfast, put too much salt on his food, showed disrespect to him, spoke disrespectfully of her husband's parents in his presence, spoke to a man on the street, or even let her hair down in public, he could divorce her. What do you think, Jesus? He answers, "Moses allowed for it because your hearts were hard." But it was not that way from the beginning. In the beginning, God made them male and female...Ah yes, the happily ever after.

But the Grim Reality finds us all at times cowering in the bushes – afraid of being seen, afraid of knowing and afraid of being know. Afraid of being found out...by our spouse...by those who would respect us...even by God Himself. That's the Grim Reality. But the Gospel Reality is that such is the exact place that Jesus goes to find you. Now listen carefully, because this is no fairy tale. He finds you in the bushes where the redness of your face stands out against the evergreen of His truth and life. The Gospel reality trumps the Grim reality because the gospel of Jesus Christ is intent upon finding you in the bushes, covering up all your iniquity and restoring you as His children and creatures who are placed in friendships and marriages and families and communities.

People of God, our Lord did not leave Adam and Eve there in the bushes and He doesn't leave you there either. He has sent His only begotten Son to take upon Himself the shame of the whole human race. He loves you and He forgives you for all of your sin. Just as He covered Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden with the skins of an animal – the first sacrifice of blood to cover up their iniquity. So our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was the sacrifice once and for all to cover up all of our sins. And what Has He covered you with but the robe of His perfect righteousness, which you were given to wear on the day of your baptism. It fits you like the garment of a bride awaiting her bridegroom's return. And as you await His return, you abide in Him and have confidence in Him so that you wait without any shame (1 John 2:28).

Now you may have been hurt. And you might have messed up real bad. But the reality of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is that you are found, you are covered and you are restored in the precious blood of Jesus. Now your marriages and all human relationships are transformed for the better. For what we see in mothers and babies, husbands and wives, friends and friends is but a glimpse of the perfect love and the oneness that God the Father and Son share. And this is the love that God wants you to experience more than anything. Married or Single, widowed or divorced – this is the love that He has called you to in Christ Jesus. You won't be able to find a more perfect love than this. No child, parent or spouse could ever give you fully what He can and does! Yes, a glimpse. By God's grace a glimpse. But only a glimpse. Because only His love never fails.

This is the Gospel Reality. This is the love that He has given to you! This is the love that never ends. And because of Him, you will live – you will live...happily ever after. Amen.