Living In Harmony
Sermon
Best Wedding Meditations
An Anthology
Object:
Text: Philippians 2:1ff: "Now if your experience of Christ's encouragement and love means anything to you, if you have known something of the fellowship of his Spirit, and all that it means in kindness and deep sympathy, do make my best hopes for you come true! Live together in harmony, live together in love, as though you had only one mind and one spirit between you." (Phillips)
1. True love stems from Christ. In his love letter to the Philippians Paul writes: "If your experience of Christ's encouragement and love means anything to you ..." And I am sure that it does. You have been brought together in Christian faith and encouragement to know the love of Christ. Says Paul, "The love of Christ controls us," or "constrains us." It restrains us from the pursuit of our own selfish ways, controls our actions, and directs us in ways of truth, uprightness, forbearance, and understanding. "The very spring of our actions is the love of Christ," as Phillips renders it.
2. This love is directed by his Spirit. "If you have known something of the fellowship of his Spirit," says Paul. The Holy Spirit is our true marriage counselor, guide, and comforter, who knits together human hearts in love and fellowship. Paul is certain that by the operation of God's Spirit through the Means of Grace you will come to know what all this "means in kindness and deep sympathy." Participation in the Spirit makes for true love and affection. For such are the fruits of the Spirit -- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control." It is Christ who by his Spirit blesses the home with harmony, love, and unity.
3. This love accepts counsel. Recognizing then the source of our love and devotion, let us receive with thankfulness Paul's advice and counsel:
"Live together in harmony." Many homes today are out of harmony because they are out of touch with Christ and his Church. In and by the aid of the Spirit a couple can live together in harmony and mutual understanding. Harmony in marriage means working together in full accord, with full recognition of rights, respect, esteem, and encouragement; having common ardor, common purpose, common interests, sharing all assets, all confidences, all longings, all desires. It means living together, praying together, worshiping together, rejoicing together, sorrowing together when sorrow comes. Happy the home where harmony reigns!
"Live together in love." This goes even deeper. It involves all our thoughts and actions. True love adorns the whole family life with devotion, affection, beauty, and blessing. It involves kindness, sympathy, forgiveness, forbearance, thoughtfulness of the needs of another, and willingness to sacrifice and serve in joy and sorrow, in sickness and in health.
"Live together ... as though you had only one mind and one spirit between you." Marriage is a great mystery. It is inexplicable how two people are really made one. But such is the scriptural account of God's action in creating the home: "Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh." This unity is God's creation. Hence the scriptural injunction: "What God has joined together, let not man put asunder." Whatever disturbs this harmony and unity disturbs all society, parents, children, relatives, neighbors, friends, and associates. Whatever promotes this unity serves to preserve the integrity, the sanctity, and the strength not only of the home and family life but also of the web and woof of all human society. May your home be a home of harmony, love, and true Christian unity!
We conclude with Paul: "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus."
1. True love stems from Christ. In his love letter to the Philippians Paul writes: "If your experience of Christ's encouragement and love means anything to you ..." And I am sure that it does. You have been brought together in Christian faith and encouragement to know the love of Christ. Says Paul, "The love of Christ controls us," or "constrains us." It restrains us from the pursuit of our own selfish ways, controls our actions, and directs us in ways of truth, uprightness, forbearance, and understanding. "The very spring of our actions is the love of Christ," as Phillips renders it.
2. This love is directed by his Spirit. "If you have known something of the fellowship of his Spirit," says Paul. The Holy Spirit is our true marriage counselor, guide, and comforter, who knits together human hearts in love and fellowship. Paul is certain that by the operation of God's Spirit through the Means of Grace you will come to know what all this "means in kindness and deep sympathy." Participation in the Spirit makes for true love and affection. For such are the fruits of the Spirit -- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control." It is Christ who by his Spirit blesses the home with harmony, love, and unity.
3. This love accepts counsel. Recognizing then the source of our love and devotion, let us receive with thankfulness Paul's advice and counsel:
"Live together in harmony." Many homes today are out of harmony because they are out of touch with Christ and his Church. In and by the aid of the Spirit a couple can live together in harmony and mutual understanding. Harmony in marriage means working together in full accord, with full recognition of rights, respect, esteem, and encouragement; having common ardor, common purpose, common interests, sharing all assets, all confidences, all longings, all desires. It means living together, praying together, worshiping together, rejoicing together, sorrowing together when sorrow comes. Happy the home where harmony reigns!
"Live together in love." This goes even deeper. It involves all our thoughts and actions. True love adorns the whole family life with devotion, affection, beauty, and blessing. It involves kindness, sympathy, forgiveness, forbearance, thoughtfulness of the needs of another, and willingness to sacrifice and serve in joy and sorrow, in sickness and in health.
"Live together ... as though you had only one mind and one spirit between you." Marriage is a great mystery. It is inexplicable how two people are really made one. But such is the scriptural account of God's action in creating the home: "Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh." This unity is God's creation. Hence the scriptural injunction: "What God has joined together, let not man put asunder." Whatever disturbs this harmony and unity disturbs all society, parents, children, relatives, neighbors, friends, and associates. Whatever promotes this unity serves to preserve the integrity, the sanctity, and the strength not only of the home and family life but also of the web and woof of all human society. May your home be a home of harmony, love, and true Christian unity!
We conclude with Paul: "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus."
