We are the tellers of promise and defenders of hope (a Wake Forest wedding)

– looking at the rehearsal through a Japanese Maple

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. – 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

I have already mentioned that the Wake Forest wedding this past weekend was special. Of course the same was true last month when we traveled to Virginia for our nephew Reed’s marriage to Annette (see Virginia Beach Wedding Weekend). Weddings are, as I wrote then:

“a lot like the testimony of the morning sun as it crests the horizon and literally washes over the darkness. ‘We declare love,‘ the participants say, ‘We declare victory over despair and disappointment and unbelief. We are not just saying that love wins, we are going to live the truth of it!”’

– my friend Scott Krussow
(a.k.a. Sharp-Dressed Man)

Well the truth of it was spilling out all over the place at the Krussow-Welch celebration.

The setting – The Sutherland in Wake Forest – was spectacular. The ancient house, the manicured gardens, the elegant pavilion. Our good friends Scott and Leslie went out of their way to make sure that Anna and Billy enjoyed a remarkable and memorable day and the result was a smash-hit home-run.

Additionally, after the rehearsal Friday afternoon, Billy’s parents (really great people) put on a sumptuous dinner at an event venue that’s new to me, The Corner of Wake Forest.

– Rebekah about to pronounce the happy couple

Spirit of love and celebration:

Best of all was the spirit of love and belief and genuine celebration, running through every moment like a warm embrace. Rebekah captured this in her message during the ceremony; and everyone, even those who maybe think little or nothing of personal faith, felt the truth of it – the goodness, the light, the grace and the mercy – and were touched in no small way by the Spirit.

This is God’s way. In the Presbyterian Church we call it The Exhibition of the Kingdom of God, and it is the idea of living the good news out loud to the extent that God’s way resonates with joy and with truth and with authenticity. This is what happens after a great wedding – one where the good news story is told with genuine belief and with joy – seeds are sown that then have the opportunity to grow.

This is my prayer. That the beauty, the love, the commitment and the invitation to live it all in the context of a life of faith will take root and grow and flourish in this family through all the years to come.

Take that, darkness! Leave it at the door, cynicism! Get out of here, discouragement! We are the tellers of promise and the defenders of hope! – DEREK