Slideshow image

Last Sunday, I invited our community to reflect on one of the most profound yet challenging teachings of the New Testament: “Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate” (Mark 10:9). This verse takes us back to the dawn of creation, when God blessed man and woman and called them to become partners and stewards of His creation. Marriage, then, is not simply a human arrangement, but a sacred covenant rooted in God’s love and purpose.

Marriage as a School

I spoke about marriage as a school, a lifelong place of learning where none of us ever truly “graduates.” After almost 22 years, I am still a student…

In this school, we learn:

  • Sacrificial Love: moving beyond selfishness to mirror God’s selfless love in daily life.

  • Communication: not just exchanging information, but speaking the truth in love, even when it is difficult. The truth can hurt, but it also sets us free.

  • Forgiveness: the ongoing rhythm of forgiving and being forgiven, without which no relationship can survive.

  • Parenting: raising children that not only shapes them but also reveals to us more about ourselves.

This “curriculum” is not easy, but it turns marriage into a channel of God’s grace and blessing.

Seasons in Marriage

I also reflected on the seasons of marriage, each with its own joys and trials:

  1. Early Love: the excitement of first commitment, often challenged today by a culture of endless choice that discourages commitment.

  2. Child-Rearing Years: an all-consuming time when responsibilities stretch identity and patience.

  3. Empty Nest: a bittersweet stage of rediscovery after children leave home.

  4. Aging Together: a gift when two companions walk into later years hand-in-hand.

  5. Widowhood/Widowerhood: perhaps the most difficult season, when life must continue after the loss of a beloved partner, yet love continues in ways that transcend death.

  6. Eternal Life: I began to share a story about a man who, near the end of his life, saw a vision of his late wife wearing her favorite dress from their youth. It was a moving testimony to love that endures even beyond this world into eternal life...

The Interruption

But then, something happened. In the middle of this reflection, a cell phone rang. It was loud and obnoxious. The moment was broken. I felt distracted, lost my train of thought, and decided to end the sermon abruptly.

At first, I was frustrated. But as I’ve thought about it, I realized even that interruption held a lesson. Life, like marriage, is full of interruptions. Words go unsaid, moments get disrupted, and our best intentions sometimes collapse in the face of noise and distraction. Yet what defines us is not perfection, but whether we keep showing up for one another with love, patience, and grace.

The Heart of the Message

So if you left church last Sunday wondering where I was going, let me say it plainly here: marriage is a school of love that unfolds in seasons. Each season, whether joyful or painful, calm or interrupted, becomes an opportunity to learn how to love as God loves.

Even in the awkward ring of a cell phone, I was reminded that we are all still students, practicing patience and humility in the school of life. And that is the truest sermon I could have preached.