I'm performing my cousin's wedding tomorrow -- this will be the third cousin of mine I've married. (I know, incest and polygamy! Shocking! Actually, I have performed three weddings for my two brothers...) Anyway, this is, I think, my ninth wedding as officiant, and I really like doing them. Every one has its own unique quirks and drama; powerful symbols like this bring out powerful emotions in people, and even the smallest wedding I've done had a lot of logistics involved (which most people are not in a regular habit of dealing with).
One of the things I love about performing marriages is that getting to be the minister means being the "non-anxious presence" that is so important to many pastoral situations -- but nowhere does it seem more important than at a wedding. It's like being at the eye of the storm. But what I really love the most about doing weddings is getting to know a bit about the couple and their relationship, their hopes and dreams for their life together.
One of my central theological convictions is that God is Love, and so each little bit of love in the world actually reveals something about God. In B. and H.'s relationship, I see the way they constantly look out for one another's needs -- and it's a lot like the daily sustaining, often below-the-radar love that God gives us in every day. I also see their unreserved, unabashed, total smitten-ness with one another. They are completely in love, and not afraid to show it! And it's a nice reminder of how God is totally smitten with this crazy world, and the boldness we seek in trying to show our love for God.
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