Green Lane
Shirley
Solihull
West Midlands
B90 1AA
Heartbeat 2010 Feb 14
2-in-2-1
With Valentine's Day falling on a Sunday, many churches up and down the country are taking the opportunity to celebrate marriage. Today we want to affirm and strengthen those marriage relationships in the church and thank God for the examples that many couples have been in the church.
It's too easy to think that marriage matters far less in 2010 than it did say 30 or 40 years ago. The statistics certainly seem to confirm this viewpoint as the number of people marrying each year seems to keep declining. The media will always latch on to a marriage that is failing or a celebrity who is having an affair.
Jesus talked about marriage as being two people becoming one flesh, hence '2-in-2-1.' There is something special and unique about marriage that we are going to be looking at today. As the words of the marriage service say:
'Marriage is a gift of God in creation and a means of his grace;
it is given that a husband and wife may comfort and help each other,
living faithfully together in times of need as well as in plenty,
in sadness and in joy, in sickness and in health;
it is given that with delight and tenderness
they may know each other in love.
It is given as the foundation of family life
in which children may be born and nurtured
in accordance with God's will, to his praise and glory.
In marriage a couple belong together and live life in the community;
it is a way of life created and hallowed by God, that all should honour.'
living faithfully together in times of need as well as in plenty,
in sadness and in joy, in sickness and in health;
it is given that with delight and tenderness
they may know each other in love.
It is given as the foundation of family life
in which children may be born and nurtured
in accordance with God's will, to his praise and glory.
In marriage a couple belong together and live life in the community;
it is a way of life created and hallowed by God, that all should honour.'
