This is the sermon I gave for two dear friends, Muddy and Designgirl, whose wedding was my first blessing and celebration of a non Eucharistic sacrament as a new priest. I hope they won't mind my posting it here ;o)

10 December 2006 (a week and a day after my ordination!).

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Readings: John 15:9-12, (also a Celtic blessing and a poem by Czeslaw Milosz - included below)

Celtic Blessing:

If there is righteousness in the heart, there will be beauty in the character. If there is beauty in the character, there will be harmony in the home. If there is harmony in the home, there will be order in the nation. If there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world. So let it be

The Two of you... by Czeslaw Milosz:

Don't run any more. Quiet. How softly it rains On the
roofs of the city. How perfect all things are. Now, for the two of you Waking up in a royal bed by a garret window. For a man and a woman. For one plant divided Into masculine and feminine which longed for each other. Yes, this is my gift to you. Above ashes On a bitter, bitter earth. Above the subterranean echo of clamorings and vows. So that now at dawn You must be attentive: the tilt of a head, A hand with a comb, two faces in a mirror Are only forever once, even if unremembered, So that you watch what is, though it fades away, And are grateful every moment for your being. Let that little park with greenish marble busts In the pearl- gray light. under a summer drizzle, Remain as it was when you opened the gate. And the street of tall peeling porticoes Which this love of yours suddenly transformed.

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Most of us would agree that the heart of every good marriage ought to be love.

Well... it is clear to me that on this glorious day, we have all gathered in the presence of Love, to celebrate and together to consecrate the Love that Muddy and Designgirl share for one another.

Our three readings today all point to the heart of a deep and abiding care that heals, transcends, lifts up, and glorifies. Bridemom’s reading from the Celtic tradition draws the conclusion that through the shared love and harmony of the home, order and peace can be created in the nation, and the world. Groommom’s reading from Czeslaw Milosz speaks of love as transformative of both life and heart. John's Gospel similarly speaks of love, as Christ's one great commandment to his followers.

While each of these speaks of love in ways that draw up our hearts in the warm embrace of comfort and peace, they also come with a catch.

As Muddy and Designgirl, and any of us who have been in a committed relationship know, love isn't always easy. Our Celtic Blessing speaks of harmony in the home leading to order in the nation and peace in the world, but there is a critical step that is required for one to lead to another. Milosz touches on the same theme in speaking of the many different transformations that love has the power to bring about both within us and because of us. Yet Love is powerless until acted upon. It is this same aspect that draws my attention to the last bit of Jesus' commandment in John's gospel today - "love one another - as I have loved you."

Jesus' love was a love of action. He walked thousands of miles over the course of his life, looking with compassion and love on those who were oppressed, marginalized, ostracized, and outcast. Yet without reaching out his hand to make a difference in his world, all his love and compassion would have made no difference.

Christ's love, which we are commanded to have for one another, is a love that transcends fear and convention. It is a love that boldly spoke truth, heedless of consequences. It is a love that teaches us that in order to be great, we must become the servant of all those around us - heedless of reward or repayment. It is a love that teaches us that the greatest gift we can give one another is to lay down our lives for one another.

Muddy and Designgirl embody this love today. As they lay down their individual lives to commit themselves to becoming one, they mirror Christ's commandment to all of us. In taking courage in the transforming and transformative power of love, they have been moved to act on that courage and have just begun to unlock the amazing power that love holds in store for them in their lives together.

From our friendship over the past fourteen years, as well as from our conversations over the past couple of months in premarital counseling I am confident in the knowledge that this action will not stop at their joining together before God and us today.

I first met both Muddy and Designgirl in 1992 through youth programs in the Episcopal Church. Muddy at Youth Group, and Designgirl a few months later at a powerful weekend youth retreat called Happening. Both of them were profound examples to me to God's love during a hard time in my life, and despite the difficulties that each has endured over the years, neither of them has ceased reaching out and caring for others around them.

And though neither of them has frequented a physical church on a regular basis for some time now (something I hope I can convince them to think about), they continue to model Christ's love in their daily lives. When both played active parts in my wedding three years ago, it was my secret hope that they might finally recognize that they were perfect for each other.

Designgirl, each and every day of the long years you waited for a new kidney, you took the opportunity to be thankful for the small things that kept you positive, motivated, and looking forward. Your gift of courage and your ability to recognize the silver lining in every cloud touched so many of our lives. It is a gift that will serve you well in the years to come as you and Muddy continue to face each new day together.

Muddy, you've been a brother to me for almost half my life. Your ability to find and share humor and joy in life, to reach out to those near you in love and generosity, and your faithfulness to your friends and family are some of the most dear and treasured traits a person can have. They have already served both you and Designgirl well as you struggled together through the last stage of her wait for a kidney, and they will be invaluable in your relationship as husband and wife.

You are a treasured and loved couple, and my hope for you both is that you will continue to cultivate your many gifts together, and continue to share that amazing love that you share in common with those around you who so need a glimpse of the holy Love that your relationship embodies.

We are each called, with Muddy and Designgirl, to reach out beyond our own circles of comfort today and every day. To act on the kind of Love that Christ speaks of, transforming lives around us, serving those who most need to experience the abundance of God's love in this world, and by the power of love, to make the small differences in each others lives and the lives of those around us that, when added up over a lifetime, have the power to change the world.

Amen.