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Tuesday, October 18, 2005
They Came as They Were
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"Show Me The Money"
Psalm 99; Matthew 22:15-22.
Jesus' religious opponents put him on the hot seat. Again! "Is it lawful," they asked, "to pay taxes to the emperor?" (Just whose law did they have in mind?) His answer: "Show me the money!"
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First in line for a wedding in our newly restored Sanctuary, Tag and Shelley tied the knot last Saturday morning.
The room's beauty sparkled as midday sunlight streamed through stained glass, highlighting the freshly painted walls, rich red carpets, and refinished fir flooring.
To say nothing of the bride's beauty in her snow-white gown. The groom was very dapper, and the whole wedding party glowed with contentment.
Well over 100 people were there to cheer them on, and to party the afternoon away in our Fellowship Hall. Good vibrations from start to finish. I was pleased to be their pastor for the day.
Just the Sunday before, I'd preached on God's intention for us to be a "come as you are" church. How timely....
For a dozen or so of Tag and Shelley's guests parked their Harleys in our lot and doffed their leathers before spiffing up for the ceremony. Tag had told me about their motorcycle club's two great loves: for riding, and for charitable work in the East Bay community.
He and Shelley said the loudest "amens" of all every time I ended a prayer in the wedding ritual. Their faith commitment is even stronger than their biker bodies, and everyone could sense the presence of Christ within and between them.
The music was provided by CDs. As people were seated a nice mix of pop, jazz, and blues played softly. Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" gently moved the bride and her attendants through the processional. At the end, everyone fairly danced back up the aisle to "Brown Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison.
Somehow, to my mind and heart, the mixture of traditional church architecture, contemporary unchurchy music, and nontraditional lifestyle felt just about perfect. I think Jesus would have been grinning ear to ear if he'd been there.
In fact, each of our own smiles reflected that he really was there. ("Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them" [Matthew 18:20]).
posted by Jack Buckley at
10:30 AM
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