Be Our Guest :: Matthew 18:20

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Dear David and Lori, along with friends and family gathered here for this special day that marks not just the 19th anniversary of your marriage but the divine blessing of it ... 

Hear again the word of our Lord Jesus Christ from Matthew chapter 18:[18-20]: “Amen, I say to you, whatever you may have bound upon the earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you may have loosened upon earth will have been loosened in heaven. Again, Amen, I say to you, if two of you are in unison on earth concerning all matters for which may ask from my Father in heaven, it will be (done for) them. For wherever two or three are being gathered into my name, there am I in their midst.”

This is why we are here today for a civil marriage blessing: You long for the Lord to always be with you in your home, to bless you and keep you. And indeed he is and has because ... 

CHRIST HAS UNITED HIMSELF WITH BOTH OF YOU

I. Christ’s desire to unite himself with you and to bless your marriage is a desire to give you what you need most: a Savior ...

... a Savior from sin, a Savior from strife, a Savior from disharmony and discord, a Savior who unites and reunites us ... who reconciles us and makes us whole ... not only with each other but most importantly with our Maker and Redeemer. This is what brought us together today. The Lord has made this day to be gracious to us and to make his face shine upon us (Ps 67:1). He desires all men to come to the knowledge of this truth (1 Tm 2:4). 

I am sure there are days when you have forgotten this part. There may be times when you have thought, after 19 years of marriage, we need this extra blessing ... this special blessing ... God’s blessing ... because without it, we might not live “happily ever after.” 

It never takes long for those of us who are married for any length of time to realize how much we need our Lord to always be in our midst. Sin has wrecked too many homes and marriages. Sin kills and destroys. Sin separates. You and I are sinners who sin. We are at risk of failing ourselves and each other. 

We fail each other all too often ... because as Jesus once told us ... Out of the heart come forth evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, blasphemy (Mt 15:19). These things like our love for ourselves, our love for money ... our thoughts, our words, our deeds ... the things we do, the things we don’t do ... these things ... left unforgiven ... drive a wedge between you and me just like that day in the garden when Adam and Eve separated themselves from each other and broke fellowship with God. 

II. But God desires all to be united with him, to be one with him ... to remain in our midst.

So he has given us a savior. That’s why you are here today ... you are here to be reminded of what your heavenly Bridegroom has done not only for the world, but for you. Today he is in our midst, reuniting you. He has kept you united for 19 years ... through trial and tribulation. And he will continue to bless you. 

Let the peoples praise you, O God, for this divine gift (Ps 67:5). Jesus gave up his life for us ... living for us, suffering death by crucifixion for us, and rising from the dead for our justification, so that in the end, we will be united forever in the heavens, always in his midst, where he has prepared a place for us. 

Dave and Lori, 

III. Jesus has sanctified and cleansed you in your baptisms so that you will be united with him and each other forever. 

Now that you’ve been forgiven, as your guest, Christ gives you an additional blessing: the power and grace to forgive one another. Your marital bliss is not contingent on perfection here on earth. It is dependent on forgiveness ... forgiving each other over and over and over and over again ... just as God ... on account of Christ ... has forgiven you. 

This is what divine love looks like. We love because he first loved us (1 Jn 4:19), loving us in this way, sacrificing himself for you. This is steadfast love ... love that endures ... love that lasts forever ... because he is forever. This is the love that doesn’t envy or boast in itself, that isn’t puffed up or behave rudely ... that thinks no evil or speaks no evil (1 Cor 13:4–5). The Lord dwelling in your midst will enable you to walk in this love, just as Christ loved you and gave himself for you. 

One of the prayers we Lutherans often pray is, Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest. You can be sure your Father in heaven grants this prayer to you just like he did for the couple in Cana of Galilee. He who was their guest then served them as host, providing them with the best wine of abundance. He alleviated their embarrassment and provided them with this material need in a miraculous way. 

As you pray, Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest, you can also be assured that he will provide you with what you need for this body and life. You can be sure he will calm the storms that arise, that he will assure you that he will work all things together for the good of those who love him (Rom 8:28). 

Your Savior is delighted to hear you pray, Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest. 

Pray it with each other daily. Draw near together and hear his Word together. Return to your baptisms daily. Receive his precious body and blood as often as you can. Join us in singing the hymns that declare his wondrous love and extol his marvelous grace. Gather day by day in his name ... not only with us, but just the two of you ... reading, praying, and singing. 

For wherever two or three are being gathered into my name, there am I in their midst.

This is how he becomes a guest in your home. 

This is how he blesses us and keeps us. 

And with it, our Lord and Savior will continue showering abundant blessings upon both of you ... in your marriage, in your home, and finally into eternity with Christ. 

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