A low class, white trash wedding. Big deal!

What’s more important is if they can both still do this in 20, 40 or even 60 years (given that they may have to be wheeled joyfully into their 60th anniversary celebration.) We just celebrated the 60th anniversary of one of the oldest couples in our church. Two people couldn’t have more opposite personalities than these two, but they made a commitment to each other and have prevailed in God’s love all these years. If a couple like this can go into their marriage with such a commitment to each other in the name of Christ, I’ll get up and dance with them.

I do not believe that all dancing down the aisles would be self-glorifying. However, from what we can see from this clip, this dancing certainly was self-glorifying. It distracted from the commencment of a covenant union between man and woman, and it distracted from God who unifies.

Neither do I believe that a traditional service or ceremony is per se more God-glorifying. As long as the focus is on recognizing God as sovereign, I don’t care how it is done. For example, in my church we often sing the song “And Can It Be That I Should Gain”. Sometimes we sing the contemporary version. Other times we sing the hymn to Campbell’s music from 1825. I will gladly sing it either way. The words of praise are the same either way and that, I believe, is what glorifies God.

I am not advocating for one form over the other. I am simply advocating that in the times that we worship, that we worship God as he directs. I do not believe that our worship should be by rote or individual preference, but in accordance with God’s standards. The foundation for any worship is that it must focus our attention on God and not on us.

Steven

PS – A coat and tie will cover the sins more effectively than khakis alone!

It seems that posting of the video of the joyfulness of this initial act has spawned an imitative trend and now a parody. So much for this being merely a simple celebration of joy. It has been stripped away from the original community in which it was offered, posted online, gone viral, featured on news shows, and now once more the tragedy of divorce is now merely one more thing to take less seriously.

I’m not totally blaming the original posting of this video by the couple. I’m just saying that the cynical culture in which we live once more functions by the law of unintended consequences.

So dancing down the aisles automatically makes it a self-glorifying entrance? They had fun & enjoyed the occasion – as they should. Nothing in scripture dictates a wedding ceremony should be sombre. I think at the heart of this discussion is an underlying assumption that God’s glory is at stake when something traditionally more solemn is transformed into something more transparently joyful.

I really would like to know what about the “traditional” ceremony entrance is more inherently God-glorifying. Forgive me if I get carried away, I attended a seminary with a dress code. Our running joke at the time was to make t-shirts that read: “Khakis: Covering a multitude of sins!”

I agree that we cannot KNOW what the rest of the wedding was like. However, it seems slightly disinginuous to think that after a self-exalting and self-glorifying entrance, that the bride and goom and the wedding party would have in mind a Christ exalting ceremony.

It does not seem that one could make such a drastic jump.

2. I appreciate that a woman officiated.

3. Some may not get 1 or 2 and may think such is not for them, but be careful in judging what you do not know.

All the video showed was the way they walked down the aisle. Nothing else. I fail to see how you jump to the conclusion that the rest of the ceremony failed to glorify God.

Now, some might object and say that we do not know what these people were thinking when they did this performance at their wedding and thus we have a double standard. However, I submit that there are not very many comments of people saying “Boy, those folks really glorified God in Christ through their wedding ceremony.” Quite the opposite. It is clear from watching the video that they were trying to put the spotligt on all of the choreography and planned escapades; not on exalting God through the ceremony.

Finally, I must agree with Barclay. Our heart is appropriately judged by our actions. Dr. Mohler once rightfully wrote “If you want to know what a people really believe about God, don’t spend time reading their theologians, watch them worship. Listen to what they sing. Listen to what they say. Listen to how they pray. Then you will know what they believe about this God whom they worship.” Who were these folks worshiping?