The Wedding Planner (Reprise)

Wednesday, June 04, 2014 Posted by Katie

“There has been a slight change of plans.” When pulling together a wedding, good news rarely follows this announcement. As in the case of my wedding: There has been a slight change of plans. Instead of waking up healthy on your wedding day, you will have a fever of 101 and case of laryngitis so fierce that you will barely be able to croak out “in sickness and in health” when asked to do so, thus causing the entire congregation to laugh at the irony. Or in the case of my friend’s wedding a few weeks ago: There has been a slight change of plans. Instead of enjoying a long and lovely reception along the water, a sudden storm will roll in with a wind so strong it will very nearly rip the tent off of the dock causing all your guests to rush inside for safety, half of them in fancy clothes and looking like drowned rats.

Or how about in the case of Mary? There has been a slight change of plans. Instead of approaching your wedding day above reproach, you will be pregnant. The whole arrangement will be on the up and up, of course, being God’s child and all, but no one except you and Joseph will know that with certainty.

How about in the case of the Church? Yes, the church. We are the bride of Christ. This whole schmegegge is about approaching a Wedding Day. Or didn’t you know that? Try this on for size: There has been a slight change of plans. Instead of a faith journey in which you find yourself singing “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah, everything’s going my way”, you’re gonna suffer. You may not have enough money. You and your loved ones may not always be healthy. You may even lose one before you’re ready to. As part of your engagement to the King, you will be asked to you love your neighbor, even if they beat or berate you because they disagree with you.

Any number of “change of plans” may be announced during our engagement. But not to worry, the Wedding Planner has got it all under control. Christ wants everything to be just perfect for our Big Day. Here’s some Fast Fuel for thought: The pre-wedding plan-changing may all be part of the preparation in the first place.

“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” – 1 Peter 5:10

(Originally posted October 18, 2011)