Okay, here is in part what I shared during the ceremony for Corrie and Zack:
It says in Gen. 1:27, “So God created humankind in his image . . . male and female God created them.” And then skipping to chapter 2: 22-24, “And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called Woman, for out of the Man this one was taken. Therefore a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh.”
This, of course, is out of the creation story when Creator God formed and animated man and woman in the idyllic Garden of Eden. It’s an amazing, beautiful, and to those who study Scripture, surprisingly complex story that has served as the basis of marriage for thousands of years now. There’s so much I can say about it, but today, I want to focus on this whole “becoming one” idea that the text makes reference to. What does it mean to be or to become one?
Well, first of all, just by coming from the same source, the two are already and fundamentally one at the core, as male and female, it says, both bear brand “image of God,” if you will; both don the label, “Made in heaven.” And that makes them essentially one in source from the get-go.
Now the story goes that the man was created first; but because the man seemed incomplete—and we should hear there: lonely and lost, a little disoriented, moping around the garden, being grumpy with the animals, and so on—because of these things, woman was created, it says. I like how The Message version of the Bible paraphrases this. It says, “God . . . used the rib that he had taken from the Man to make Woman and presented her to the Man. [And] the Man said, “Yes! Bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh!”
I read this like the prayer of a man who has been looking for Mrs. Right for years, so I hear it as, “Finally, Lord, thank you for bringing someone into my life, divinely made as I am and who fulfills the needs of my innermost being. Thank you.”
And . . . hopefully the woman can pray the same about the man.
The story continues: “Therefore a man [and a woman] leave [their parents] and cling to [each other], and they become one flesh.” I do wonder if we’ve heard this description of marriage enough that we’ve taken it for granted, that we no longer see two people becoming One as the miracle that it is. Think about it: two unique people becoming one unity.
Of course while not losing their individuality, these two people become so united in marriage that the text describes them as “one flesh”—one in their love for God and for each other; one in life direction; one in their spiritual, emotional, physical, and economical lives; one in their mission to love their neighbor as themselves. Folks, there is some deep oneness going on here. And I want to remind us today of the miracle that that is—admittedly, a hard miracle to live into sometimes, but a miracle nevertheless.
[I proceeded to share here some unique qualities of the bride and groom]
I’ve described these two unique people today in the context of the creation story, because I want to emphasize the miraculous nature of becoming one that occurs in marriage. I wanted to simply remind us that today we are witnessing nothing less than a miracle—the miracle of two very unique people becoming One in every way—first, in their commitment to Jesus, the source and center of their lives; second, in their life together as husband and wife growing in unity on all levels of life; and third, in their service to humanity, especially the most vulnerable in society.
So, family and friends, let’s celebrate the miracle of this man and this woman today, as “they leave their fathers and mothers, and cling to each other to become one flesh,” to the glory of the God who created them. Amen.
Husbands and wives, may you experience renewed oneness today with one another! Singles, may you experience wholeness in Christ today, even as some of you may hope to experience oneness in marriage in the future. And let us all grow as One in love and mission.
Al Tizon
August 2016
