I am not here, however, to deliver a eulogy. Time enough there will be to celebrate Peggy's life. No, this afternoon I am here to celebrate the life that Peggy brought into the world: Leslie, and to inaugurate the new life that Leslie and Tom are celebrating here in their wedding vows. I knew after I hung up the phone this morning that I could alter my homily to be more serious and somber, but this is a party, after all, and one of the great things about parties is that people dress up in all sorts of finery and come out looking their best. And this wedding party is no exception. You all look marvelous!

Yes, after long deliberation, I've decided to preach about clothing. You see, my own bride, Anne, had a terrible time deciding between periwinkle and garnet for her bridesmaids' dresses, and when we finally settled on the latter, the shoes she ordered to match came out looking more like an over-ripe watermelon than a precious jewel. For my part, I had to have my 1917 William Wanamaker tuxedo taken out in the waist, and Anne and I went on a wild goose chase for the right suspenders and shoes to go with it.

In short, one of the biggest hassles about our own wedding was getting the clothes right. I hope you guys had better luck, but I suspect you can sympathize.

We go through a lot of trouble over clothing that most folks wear only once. Bridal magazines are full of beauty and fashion tips, and everywhere we turn, we can find all manner of advice over appropriate attire for a wedding, depending on the season, the colors, the theme…you name it. So many fashion tips, and all for clothes we may never wear again.

But there's one fashion tip in particular that I want to draw special attention to this afternoon. 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."

Tom and Leslie, after tux and wedding dress are replaced by the jeans and t-shirts 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 your parents showed each other, from the moment they each said "I do" to the moment they were parted by death. When you clothe yourselves with love, you clothe yourselves with the Spirit of love that death cannot overcome.

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. They will be just as visible to each other and to the world as your love for each other and your family.

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, if it is God's will, provide the patterns you use to fashion clothes for your children. Amen.