A Conscious Walk To The Altar

What does it mean for one to wed in the church? Why should anyone even want to do that, especially knowing that the constitutions of many lands do not even recognize the so-called church wedding? Why do you have to seek to wed in church when you can easily obtain a legal marriage document from the court? What is the basis of church weddings? Is it for glamor and prestige? Is it to satisfy your parents, pastor, or friends? Is it just for the record and pictures? What does it mean to you?

One of the key problems with many Christians today is that everything has become more or less ceremonial to them. There's little or no meaning attached to the ceremonies, and various Christian practices they are involved in. Many just do it because it is the way it has always been done. In Fact, many have no idea why they even go to church or the significance of Christian fellowship to their walk with God. This situation has even led many to completely quit many significant Christian practices including the idea of weddings in a church since they see no relevance to these. But what exactly is the relevance?

To understand the significance of wedding in a church, one has to first understand the significance of the church, and the significance of marriage. Paul wrote about the church saying, 'but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.' (1 Timothy 3:15) So many people ignorantly talk down on the church, but the church is the greatest institution Jesus established. The church is not in your heart, it is a real church Paul was talking about. The church was referred to as the house of the living God, the pillar, and the foundation of truth. This is very profound, and if it doesn't elicit a higher view of the church, I don't know what will.

The Bible in a number of places presented Christ's relationship with the church as analogous to man's relationship with his wife. In the beginning, God established marriage as the first human institution, and in the revelation of the end, the church is described as the bride of Christ. The Bible actually made it clear that the spiritual status of children can be influenced by the marriage that brought them (1 Corinthians 7:14). That shows how significant marriage is before God and the importance of aligning such a journey with the church. The world is fast secularizing marriage as a temporal social contract governed by civil laws, but we the people of God cannot conform to this trend. For a Christian, getting married is not solely a public demonstration of love, but a lifelong commitment, a covenant made before God, and an important journey of life directed and guaranteed by God.

Don't walk into that building thinking about pictures, ceremonies, and people. Don't spend the whole time you're there hoping for the 'real' ceremony to start. That is not the purpose. The purpose is to establish the foundation of your marriage before God and start the important journey of marriage right from the house of God. When the church said prayers to me during my wedding, I was greatly elated and happy to receive those prayers. It meant more to me than any other event of that day. I knew it was going to be a great journey. I knew the pronunciation of the man of God was more profound than any other form of wedding or certification. It was not a ceremony for me, it was a conscious walk to a glorious family. I knew stepping into a church is very different and more profound than stepping into any other building or location however beautiful or constitutionally recognized the place might be.

Don't be carnal! Be conscious of the meaning and significance of the things you do in the house of God. Be involved in it with all your being. Don't do it for the sake of being recognized as someone who wedded in a church. Whether with ceremonies, or no ceremonies, whether you're putting on a special dress or not, whether with a large or small congregation, be conscious of its spiritual relevance. Let it communicate to you that Christ will become the centerpiece of the new home and that both of you have resolved to become more like Christ and develop a strong, vibrant Christian home. For me, there is no better or more appropriate place to make that marriage vow, and commitment than in the church - before God, and his people. Believe me, it is important to begin a marriage in a meaningful, godly, and spiritual way, and to do it consciously.