And let's not leave out the gentlemen. This one Partridge over here is as proud as a peacock. Speaking of birds, I'd pit the groom against the finest-looking penguin any day of the week. Nice tux.

But we're not here to talk about clothes, now, are we?

Actually, in a way, we are. Weddings are occasions when we bring out our best, and some of us will wear only once what we're wearing today. The guests have dressed for success this afternoon, and I'm sure folks here have given-and gotten-all manner of advice on what would be appropriate attire for a mid-Autumn wedding on a day that feels more like summer. Just this morning, in fact, when my chalice-bearer called and asked about the dress code, I told her to wear something nice enough for a wedding, but sturdy enough to survive a wine stain.

There's one fashion tip in particular that I want to draw special attention to this afternoon, however; for in Colossians, chapter three, St. Paul, a man not usually associated with sartorial elegance, writes: "As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony."

Jamie and Denise, after tux and wedding dress are replaced by the ordinary suits and skirts of everyday life, and the clothes you wear today are enshrined in the photo album, I want you two, and everyone here, to remember that this afternoon you bought a whole new wardrobe to replace the finery you now wear, a wardrobe of compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, and above all, love, "which binds everything together in perfect harmony."

Not that everything will be in perfect harmony all the time. You know each other too well already to kid yourselves on that score. But you chose the readings today, and particularly the one from Colossians, because you know that to accessorize this wardrobe properly, you will need to "bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other." Forgiveness will be the shoes on your feet that keep you walking toward each other, rather than running from each other when times get tough. Thus, when you clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, you will have a complete outfit, and you will indeed be dressed for success, that is, for love that lasts a lifetime. When you clothe yourselves with love, you will be putting on the same godly love that Denise's mother and step-father have clothed themselves in, which has empowered them in turn to feed, clothe, and care for eight adopted children. You will be clothing yourselves in the same love that has sustained Mary and Birdie through forty-eight years of marriage and helped them survive the hassle of three rambunctious kids.

So, yes, today is all about the clothes…but not the ones we have on our backs right now. Yet, when we wear the clothes of Colossians well, they will be just as visible to each other and to the world as your wedding dress and your tuxedo.

Today, then, is but a visit to the Tailor's Shop, that master haberdasher and divine dressmaker who takes our true measurements and provides us with clothes that fit to a "T." May you never get so fattened on the junk food of selfishness that you outgrow these clothes; may you take such good care of them that they never wear out, never grow old; for these clothes, worn well, are always in style. They are classics. Compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, and love-that is your wardrobe. Wear these clothes in all kinds of weather, and in every season of your life together may they protect and warm your bodies, bring comfort to your souls, and, God willing, provide the patterns you use to fashion clothes for your children. Amen.