Well, we’ve started our Advent program with John Dickson and Becky Pippert speaking evangelistically. And they were outstanding. The Service of Lessons and Carols is taking shape and the choir are in fine voice. The Advent Classical Recital (opera stuff with a chamber orchestra) is generating real interest too; people are praying for and inviting their friends. Bless ‘em!
That’s all the planned stuff. An unplanned mega-event (big for us, anyway) evolved before our very eyes last Sunday. Ian and Lindy have been married for 35 years. They wanted to mark their anniversary in a special way. They hit upon the idea of renewing their wedding vows in the service. It seemed to me be a fairly innocuous request and would only take seven or eight minutes of the service. I love celebrations and I love this couple. Why not?!
Ian and Lindy told me that they’d be inviting some friends and as we were starting a series on the Incarnation (John 1:1-18 was set down for the morning) they were delighted. That was just what their friends needed to hear. Quite right.
What they failed to tell me is that they’d invited more than 100 people to the service and the reception which was to follow. And here’s the amazing thing - they all came! The place was packed with people who did not know God in Christ. Many of the guests had not been in church for decades (if ever).
The renewing of the vows was very moving. Ian and Lindy declared their love for each other and their total allegiance to Jesus as Lord and Saviour. We used sections from a Church of Ireland service (you can download the pdf here).
At the reception members of our congregation mixed freely and happily with Ian and Lindy’s guests. Brilliant.
To my mind, this is an event that we’d be wise to repeat. Not every week, mind - but half a dozen times a year….I just need to find more couples who’ve been married for more than three decades!!
Stuart Robinson is the National Mission Facilitator for the Anglican Church of Australia and the rector of St Paul’s Anglican Church, Chatswood.
