Long ago kings and queens would secure private messages by pressing their signet ring into a pool of melted sealing wax. The cooling wax would harden and seal the folded edges of the document to keep the words inside from prying eyes - tender mysteries reserved for the intended recipient alone.

The signet ring's carved design would transfer as it was pressed down in the still pliable wax. That mirror image peering up from the wax seal would let the receiver know that the words in their hands were truly from the king or queen.

"Set me as a seal upon your heart, a seal upon your arm," the author of the Song of Solomon wrote. It was as though he had said, "Keep your heart for me alone. Tell the world that I am with you even when we are apart. Tell them that the image of me you hold in your heart should be regarded as my person present before them, and as close to you as your own limbs."

Marriage is a loving union of a man and a woman. A Christian wedding is even more. The love we proclaim in marriage is larger than the couple- it includes a whole community who promises to support them- and is capped by remembering a covenant extended by God.

Today is just the wedding. Tomorrow the dresses and tuxedos will be put away and the flowers will start to fade. Soon the honeymoon will be over and then the real work of the vocation of marriage starts. As the psalmist said, "Unless the Lord builds the house, their labor is in vain…" It will be important to remember what really counts- those foundational things that endure, the marks of true meaning.

In a Christian wedding we bless the rings, seeing them as a seal intended to remind the couple that they are made in the image of God, and to proclaim to the world that their union is blessed by God's presence - if the couple will make room for it. For God is not a second story burglar who breaks and enters, but a Savior who waits to be invited and longs to be embraced.

The stained glass window in our narthex is a helpful reminder. This window looked down on the bride and her bridesmaids as they rung the bell to start this ceremony. The image in that window is of a door with no handle on the outside. Jesus stands outside, with one hand raised to knock. Whoever is inside the dwelling must desire to see God and be willing to open the door. Then Christ enters, not like a thief in the night, but like a king whose seal we will recognize when we look into His face.

Life is full of things that pass away- jobs, houses, clothes, flowers, prestige, status and fame. None of these are strong enough stuff on which to build a life, must less a marriage. Economies waver, health comes and goes, even affection waxes and wanes. This is why brides and grooms do not say "I do" but "I will".

Love is an intention - a conscious decision - not simply an emotion. When the winds of change blow or the waters of trying times rise, a house that is resting on the sand of worldly things- those things that glitter but shift in an instant- will fall. But a home, a marriage, built on the kind of love that God offers to us, can stand fast.

When the wind rises, and it will from time to time -remember who stands at your door waiting to be invited to come in. Surely the One who gave himself to save the whole world, and has his eye on the sparrow, will lend his strength to you.

Grace is a wedding gift from God to you. For your parts take the reading from Colossians to heart. When the tux and the wedding dress are put away, "clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience." Wear your rings on your fingers as a sign to the world and your hearts on your sleeves like a seal. Let the word of Christ dwell richly in you as you make a household together, and "the peace which passes all understanding will be yours".

Today you are surrounded by your family and friends. My prayer is that they will remember the promise of support they made today, and show up in those inevitable future days all couples experience in which you wonder why you stood up in front of God and everyone and made such impossible promises.

Under our own steam alone, the things we promise are impossible. But with God nothing is impossible. With love many things can be overcome. Do the work you'll need to do and discover the joys that come from love that lasts.

Know that our support, good wishes and affection are with you. But even more important know that God wants the best for both of you and wants to lead you there. So Christ will stand by the door, not only in stained glass on the day of your wedding but as a living presence, all the days of your life. AMEN.