Greatest Ever Meet Cute

I recently had the honor of officiating my friends Jeff and Faye’s wedding. As is often the case with opportunities to serve others, I received more than I gave, because it created space for me to reflect and write the homily below on marriage, a topic that is deeply meaningful to me and to many dads who care as much about trying to be a great husband as a great dad.

The podcast version of this article also provides a preview for where The Dad Bod is going. I hope you give it a listen and would be grateful if you can share and follow on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.

The book of Genesis tells us that after God created day and night; the sky and the seas; dry land and plant life; the sun, moon, and stars; the birds, sea creatures, and land animals, God then created Adam and put him to work in the garden of Eden to take care of things. But within a short amount of time, it was clear that something was missing.

“It is not good,” God said, “for the man to be alone.” So he took one of Adam’s ribs and from that rib, he made Eve and brought her to Adam who, upon laying eyes on Eve, breaks into spontaneous verse, the first poem in the Bible, “Bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh,” or as we say today, “You complete me.”

It’s the greatest ever “meet cute” but the Bible calls it marriage. “That is why,” Genesis 2:24 says, “a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.”

“This is a great mystery,” Paul writes of marriage in his letter to the Ephesians, “but I am talking about Jesus and the Church.” In other words, to understand the mystery of a man uniting with his wife, look to the even greater mystery that you already know to be true for strength, comfort, inspiration, and redemption: the gospel of Jesus, upon which you stake your entire being. That is what Paul meant when he wrote, “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

As followers of Jesus, you have a Spirit-filled ability to put each other’s needs ahead of your own. Remember always that the strength to do this comes from God’s love for you.

Finally, be guided by an understanding of love as an action rather than a mere feeling. Prioritize, care for, and cleanse each other; marvel when you catch sight of the other person’s future glory; give and receive forgiveness, and repent often. It is the gospel re-enacted over and over again. That is the great and beautiful mystery of marriage.