A Day of New Beginnings

I presided at a wedding this morning. In Scoville Park. At 6:00 A.M. Yes, you read that right: 6:00 a.m. Toni and Lornell called our church a few weeks ago and asked if I would conduct a weding in a park. Sure, I said. What day and time? Saturday, July 7, they said. At dawn. You see, this is a new beginning for Lornell and Toni. They were married when they were both 19 years old, not ready for a long-term commitment, not sure yet who they were or what life was all about. They had a daughter together named Jasmine, but gradually their vows lost meaning. Eventually they ended up getting a divorce. Over the years, they stayed connected, raising Jasmine, who is now 20 years old. They remained friends. They both matured. Life happened. They learned some lessons. And Toni and Lornell realized they were ready to start over again, together. They want to grow old together. Toni and Lornell went to city hall and got a new marriage license. They met with me and talked about this new beginning. They didn't want to get married to have a big party, to entertain famly and friends. They wanted this ceremony to be intimate and pesonal. Before they shared their vows, Lornell presented a ring to Jasmine -- who held them together during all these years. I read Colossians 3:12-17 as we stood together at dawn, with Jasmine taking pictures on her phone. Colossians talks about the essential elements of any good marriage: forgiveness, love, peace and gratitude. When I asked Lornell and Toni for words to describe thie relationship, they said: Peace, Reconciliation, Wholeness. We all cried. There is a hymn in the New Century Hymnal written by Brian Wren, that begins with these words: This is a day of new beginnings, time to remember and move on, time to believe what love is bringing, laying to rest the pain that's gone. For by the life and death of Jesus, God's mighty Spirit, now as then, can make for us a world of difference, as faith and hope are born again. It is a day of new beginnings for Lornell and Toni, once again joined as husband and wife. May it be a day of new beginnings for all of us, as we celebrate the God of Second Chances, who sent Jesus Christ to live among us . . . so that we might be born again.