Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Look, O daughters of Zion, at King Solomon, at the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding, on the day of the gladness of his heart.”
NL Daily Devotion for Tuesday, August 15, 2023
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
“On the day of the gladness of his heart.” I love that phrase. A wedding is truly an occasion for gladness. It’s an opportunity for the community to gather and celebrate together the love of two people as they proclaim their commitment to one another. I’ve been to many weddings over the years and each has been unique and beautiful, an expression of the individual couple’s personalities. I’ve seen the bride and groom recite their own vows or use the ones in their denomination’s liturgies. I’ve seen them sing to one another. I’ve been at indoor and outdoor weddings, big and small weddings, formal and casual weddings, weddings in all seasons, thrown birdseed, blown bubbles, seen doves released, taken communion, laid hands on the couple in blessing, I could go on. But what they all have in common is this: God is at the center of them all, the source of gladness, the holy power that binds together the couple and the community. Whatever that “day of the gladness of their hearts” might look like, God is the same.
What particular wedding practice have I witness that I found particularly meaningful and why?
