Pastors are often the last to know.  Everyone is so convinced we are ‘in the know.’ But more times than not we are out of the loop.  I always appreciate those who call, email, or text to say, “I don’t know if you heard, but…”   Because being out of the loop sometimes places pastors in awkward and unprepared positions.  I have occasionally found that I was officiating a funeral from the obituary in the newspaper.  But even more common is late notification that I am solemnizing a wedding.

Many a prospective couple will negotiate their wedding date with the venue, the florist, and the photographer, put down deposits and order invitations all before collaborating with the pastor.  And unfortunately, I have had to warn more than one couple that until we begin the process of premarital counseling, it is not a certainty I will be able to officiate.  

My mantra in the first session is “spend more time preparing for the marriage than for the wedding.” This is the failure of many couples.   They spend months of their lives and thousands of dollars preparing to be bride and groom, but virtually no time, prayer, or counsel preparing to be husband and wife.  The process of two becoming one demands much more than simply declaring it to be true.   As much planning as a wedding requires to be successful, it is a drop in the bucket compared to the preparation required for a successful marriage.  

In Exodus 19, the Lord begins to prepare his people for life together with him.  The awesome ‘storm theophany’ that takes place as the Lord reveals himself to Israel as her husband is not just a magical moment in the relationship of God with his people.   But it is meant to prepare them to live in union and fellowship with Him.   Three times in this chapter alone, Moses ascends Sinai to receive instructions so that the people will be prepared to live as God’s people.

The Exodus was not just a plan to free slaves.  The Lord to is creating a people who are His “treasured possession among all peoples.”  The goal of the Exodus was Sinai, not Canaan.   It was there at the base of Sinai that the Lord transforms Israel from a mass migration of refugees to a “kingdom of priests.”   It is critical for them and for us to understand this.  There God instructs them on what life with him will be like.   He has already saved them.  Wed them.  Now he prepares them for married life.  

How prepared are you to live out the reality of your salvation?   Paul tells us in Colossians, “as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, so walk in him.”   How is your walk?  How intentional are you to “work out your salvation?”  Are you living as a wife or only as a bride of the Lord Jesus Christ?   The bride focuses on the day she will become a man’s wife, but a wife focuses on day-to-day life together with her beloved.  Join us as we examine Exodus 19 and consider how God prepares his people, Israel, and us to live as a redeemed people who are his “treasured possession among all peoples.”

We meet on the square in Pottsville, right next to historic Potts’ Inn at 10:30 am for worship.  Get directions here or contact us for more info.  Or join us on Facebook Live @PottsvilleARP or YouTube.