Wedding Sermon / Travis & Leah Kruk / Colossians 3:12-14 - Pastor Ted Giese / Mount Olive Lutheran Church - June 17th 2017

Wedding Sermon - Colossians 3:12-14/ Travis Kruk & Leah Freeman / Mount Olive Lutheran Church / Rev. Ted A. Giese /

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

Let us pray: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable in Your sight O Lord. Amen.

Grace peace and mercy to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Travis and Leah, Good Christian Friends and family, Abigail, Rob & Deb, Barry & Cathy, while commenting about his own marriage Martin Luther made this observation, he said, “It is no small gift from God to find a wife who is faithful and easy to get along with.” Over the last while of getting to know the two of you together I would say that you are very blessed because Leah is faithful and easy to get along with. In part this is because I see in her a compassionate heart. She has a compassionate heart towards you … but compassion is a two way street and as I look at the two of you I see that you, Travis, have a compassionate heart towards Leah.

This is the sort of love that Saint Paul is talking about in his letter to the Colossian Christians when he says, “Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts.” A compassionate heart, a kind heart, a humble heart, a meek, patient and faithful heart towards each other is what makes getting along with each other a joy and not a hardship. With such a heart it becomes natural to love and be loved, and as Saint Paul says this, we are to put on such love because such love is the sort of love that binds everything together in perfect harmony. Trouble however comes when compassion grows cold. Notice I say compassion not passion; the World is fixated on passion. The World thinks that passion equals love. Yet compassion runs deeper than mere passion, compassion is evidence of greater love then the world knows or understands. Compassionate love encompasses the whole life together; it wraps itself around the heartaches of life, forgives past troubles, is patient in the moment, its hopeful for the future. Saint Paul also says we are “to bear with one another” and that kind of language makes it sound like a chore but it isn’t really an unpleasant task; “bearing with one another” is so much easier to do when you have put on compassionate hearts towards each other.         

It is much easier to show compassion when you’ve received compassion from others. Here you have your friends and family who have stood with your through tough times, and in joyful moments, and who pledge to do the same in the years to come. Otherwise you wouldn't have invited all these people to come here and to be with you today. And now I see the fruit of their compassion towards you evidenced in your two hearts which are joining together this day. Today God gives you one heart to put on, a single heart that beats with compassion as you are joined together, that beats with forgiveness, and hope. And when you falter, when things beat out of sync remember that the heart of Christ Jesus beats in perfect rhythm for you: His kindness, His humility and meekness, His patience towards you, which bears all you can throw at Him, His forgiveness won at the Cross for you - and His whole Church - is perfect. Jesus’ compassionate heart is perfect when ours in not, His Love is perfect when our love falters, and in that Love you are made strong through His forgiveness even when you fail each other; and you are made strong in this same Love - that He prepared for you before the foundation of the world - when you are victorious and harmonious towards each other in times of trial and temptation. Now as your hearts beat for each other, as your new married heart beats with love, Remember that His heart likewise beats for you and His compassionate heart will never miss a beat. Amen. 

Let us pray:

Lord have mercy on us, Christ have mercy on us, Lord have mercy on us, “take our minds and think through them, take our lips and speak through them, take our hearts and set them on fire; for the sake of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Amen.