How can I keep from singing?

Posted on November 5, 2024 by admin

Morning after update:


Thank you, Rev. Jennifer, for your pastoral words.

Singing, like friendship, is a potent form of resistance. This is not a time for despair, but a call to begin the work anew. As the country, the world, and not least the evangelical church in America all descend deeper into darkness and chaos, we hope and work all the more.

When ‘church’ becomes a lordless power
And so it seems that all is lost
There still remains in this dark hour
The mystery of our Saviour’s cross.

The way of suffering love is open
There for any one to take
To stand in love with those who suffer
Suffer with them for his sake
Better that our church be powerless
Better that it cast away
All its claims to pomp and glory
Learn instead to fast and pray
Learn instead to fast and pray

While watching early election returns, feeling like I’m watching Biff’s success in Back to the Future Part II, I’ll practice resistance through singing…

My life flows on in endless song

above earth’s lamentation:

I catch the sweet, though far off, hymn

that hails a new creation.
Through all the tumult and the strife,

I hear that music ringing.

It finds an echo in my soul —

how can I keep from singing?

What though my joys and comforts die?

The Lord, my Savior, liveth.

What though the darkness round me close?

Songs in the night he giveth.
No storm can shake my inmost calm

while to that Rock I’m clinging,

Since Love is Lord of heaven and earth,

how can I keep from singing?

I lift my eyes; the cloud grows thin;
I see the blue above it;
And day by day this pathway smooths,
Since first I learned to love it,
The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart,

a fountain ever springing.

All things are mine since I am his!

How can I keep from singing?

How Can I Keep from Singing

This hymn concluded the “Music of the Spheres” section of my display for the Painters-Prophets-Poets conference last month.

Music of the Spheres section of PPP display
Music of the Spheres section of the Painters-Prophets-Poets display

PPP tour
Tour for the Painters-Prophets-Poets conference last month

  • I support Harris and recommend The Bulwark, whose work will be all the more important in coming years. Whether Harris squeaks out a narrow win or not (as now looks likely), our job will be to hope and not despair, to resist and not become demoralized, to seek truth and reconciliation rather than give in to fear and hate.
  • As an example of the Music of the Spheres tradition and how it can fortify us for the times ahead, consider Sam Gamgee, the hero (as Ralph Wood argues) of The Lord of the Rings: “Far above the Ephel Dúath in the West the night sky was still dim and pale. There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a bright star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach. His song in the Tower had been defiance rather than hope; for then he was thinking of himself. Now, for a moment, his own fate, and even his master’s, ceased to trouble him. He crawled back into the brambles and laid himself by Frodo’s side, and putting away all fear he cast himself into a deep untroubled sleep.”
  • Dorothy L. Sayers, during World War II, on suffering: The life of God is a pattern of suffering, and so all history shares in it. Something like this — a robust attitude toward our calling to suffer in unity with the sins of our fellow humans, citizens, and communities — may paradoxically become welcome news in dark times. It is good news for those who suffer that by doing so we are sharing in the very life of God. In this way lies hope. More…
  • “How Can I Keep from Singing” at Wikipedia.
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Heaven and Nature Sing

Posted on November 3, 2024 by admin

From my teen years, whenever my home-town church would have a hymn sing — even in July — I remember calling out from one of the back rows the request to sing Joy to the World (hymnary.org):

Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let all their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heav’n and nature sing,
And heav’n and nature sing,
And heav’n, and heav’n, and nature sing.

One of the joys of the Painters-Prophets-Poets conference in Oklahoma City this year was meeting Hannah Anderson. She was one of the conference organizers along with Travis Lowe, and a most able facilitator and an articulate, sympathetic interviewer. I then began to read her books of nature writing, from Humble Roots to Turning of the Days; her beautifully-illustrated children’s book The World God Made; and her Bible study Life Under the Sun (sometimesalight.com). Across all these genres, Hannah writes as an attentive observer, a deep listener to the voices of those around her — including the voices of nature. She gives voice to creation’s praise and grief, far as the curse is found, hearing all their songs resound. Through her writing, we have the privilege of seeing through her eyes and hearing with her, as did the Psalmist, the music of the spheres, a harmony of the book of God’s works and the book of God’s Living Word.

I find there is never time enough between Thanksgiving and Epiphany to reflect adequately upon the mystery of the Incarnation. This is why I make a point every year to make room for silence in which to read and re-read the books that help me more fully enter in to the mystery. Some I read every year, like Brother Benny’s volume on the nativity in his Jesus of Nazareth trilogy and Wintersong by Madeleine L’Engle and Luci Shaw. Other classics rotate through the years, like Bonhoeffer, God in the Manger; Malcolm Guite, Waiting on the Word; and Tolkien, Letters from Father Christmas. These reappear on a regular basis alongside something new. Last year’s something new included Amy Orr-Ewing, Mary’s Voice; Emily Hunter McGowin, Christmas; and Fleming Rutledge, Epiphany.

Hannah Anderson, Heaven and Nature Sing

This year the something new is Hannah’s 2022 volume Heaven and Nature Sing: 25 Advent Reflections to Bring Joy to the World. So far I’ve only read the introduction and two chapters, but I am loving it. Candace and I decided to make it a read-aloud this year.

In these brief reflections, Hannah tells the story of the nativity “through the lens of the natural world,” to “consider how not just we, but all of creation, waits for our Creator King.” As she scours the natural world around her for the particular ways we experience nature in the winter holiday season, she wonders “if we’re really scouring for hope… like the earth itself, we’re waiting, holding our breath in anticipation, longing to believe that something more is happening, that something more is coming.” For Hannah, nature is our “partner in hope,” an “unexpected ally in the work of hope.” She explains:

“I want to invite you into this story afresh. To consider the Christmas narrative from a slightly different perspective — to think of all the ways Jesus’ coming changed and will change the world. To truly believe that in response to the Savior’s reign, ‘fields and floods/Rocks, hills and plains/Repeat the sounding joy.'”

Did the Incarnation change the world? In my early teens, whether staying up into the wee hours on Christmas Eve to decorate our living room or singing my favorite carol in the summertime, even then I knew this same mystery was calling me. It is a joy to follow with Hannah on that continuing journey.

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Happy Golden Days

Posted on November 1, 2024 by admin

The Arcadian Wild’s new recording, Happy Golden Days, is out!

While traveling on I-35 today, I listened to it on loop for several hours. What an incredible selection of songs, so joyously expressed in an uplifting Arcadian Wild mode. It succeeds, as they hoped, in highlighting “some Christmas tunes that, while still timeless and beautiful, don’t often make it on everyone’s playlist each year.” Here’s what I wrote on their Facebook page when I made a brief stop for gas:

Comment on Arcadian Wild's Golden Days album

Every song on the album is now already a favorite of mine, starting with the opener “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus” (lyrics), followed by Christina Rosetti’s “In the Bleak Midwinter” (lyrics; which reminds of me of our family’s a cappella rendition).

They make the verses of “O Come All Ye Faithful” (lyrics) joyful and triumphant!

“Nations That Long In Darkness Walked,” written c. 1752 by John Barnard (hymnary.org), features Jill Phillips and Andy Gullahorn in a captivating arrangement (lyrics). Although new to me, this carol — whose lyrics call to mind Handel’s Messiah — is now instantly one of my favorites! I just absolutely love this song.

The moving ballad of “Good King Wenceslas” (lyrics) helps me imagine following in the footsteps of Christ, especially in his care for the poor. It also awakens fond memories from several weeks in the Czech Republic some time ago.

With “Up on the Housetop” I feel invited to imagine Lincoln, Isaac, and Bailey are jamming in our living room, with extended friends and family all around.

Finally, they close with the wistful war-time “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” which I once regarded as smarmy and sentimental, but in 2020 came to appreciate as a serious call for hope in hard times, a “daring proclamation of hope in the midst of World War II before the end of the war was in sight..”

What an incredible album, a timely gift to an anxious world on All Saints Day in 2024!

(Cf. Welcome, my previous Arcadian Wild post.)

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Turn the page

Posted on October 31, 2024 by admin

Kamala Harris has earned my deep admiration and respect. I’m so happy and proud to be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. She is my favorite presidential candidate since Bush 41 in 1988. I’m delighted to vote for Tim as well (just wish I had thought to dress up as Walz for Halloween!).

This speech is only 30 mins. 75,000 people gathered to hear it in person; more than twice as many as gathered January 6, 2020.

For any of my friends who are still wondering what they should do, I would say just watch this speech, then watch her conversation on Oct 21 with Sarah Longwell and Liz Cheney (two remarkable former Republicans). If you’re still in doubt, read Liz Cheney’s Oath and Honor, and follow The Bulwark. For me, having been “never Trump” all the way, this is an easy call.

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The Genius of George MacDonald Conference

Posted on October 31, 2024 by admin

2024 is the 200th anniversary of George MacDonald’s birth (1824-1905). Sponsored by Drexel University and the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, the “Genius of George MacDonald” conference will close the bicentennial year which has been celebrated in numerous events throughout the year.

  1. May 29-31, 2024: Wheaton College. “George MacDonald and the Prophetic Imagination.”
  2. October 10-12, 2024: Covenant College. “Growing Younger: Literature and Childlike Faith.”
  3. November 8-9, 2024: St. Andrews University. “Borderlands: George MacDonald Between Worlds.”
  4. December 13-14, 2024: Yale University. “Genius of George MacDonald.” (Schedule)

The May conference at Wheaton was one of the most meaningful events I’ve ever attended. I’m thankful to be presenting the following paper at Yale this December.

“George MacDonald and the Scientific Imagination”

MacDonald’s embrace of the imagination as an instrument for apprehending reality heals a deep-seated cultural split between science and wonder. That split is characterized by two opposing kinds of realism: on one hand, a positivist realism which reduces reality to nothing but what is evident to sensory perception, and, on the other hand, an integrated realism which apprehends the as-yet unseen, unknown, and unfinished in-depth realities which lie beyond and beneath the surface appearances of things. With special attention to the Wingfold trilogy and to 19th-century geology, this paper explores how MacDonald’s holistic integration of reality, given the perceptive and creative role of the imagination, applies to the natural sciences as well as to literature and the fine arts. The imagination is then given legitimate scope to play as the source not only of wonder but also of creative discovery within the very fabric of natural science. Without imagination, the sciences perish.

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Welcome

Posted on October 19, 2024 by admin

One of our top favorite musical groups is The Arcadian Wild (their official “about” page; my previous post). They’re “newgrass,” neither bluegrass nor pop nor country. We heard them in OKC a couple years ago, and went again a week ago at Beer City Music Hall for their OKC stop this year.

A few years ago we drove to a Bruce Cockburn concert in Des Moines. We were among the youngest folk there, and everyone had chairs. This time, we were among the oldest folk there, and almost no one had a chair. But just as with the Cockburn concert, the music was incredible and practically everyone could sing along.

—-

They opened with Welcome, a theme song to make every day of the year Thanksgiving (lyrics; cf. “Grateful“).

Welcome, friend
I’m so glad you came
It wouldn’t be the same without you here
Step inside
Sit down for a while
Drink in all the smiles and the tears

Help yourself
It’s all on the house
Pass your plate around and don’t be shy
Have your fill
There’s plenty here to share
Everything prepared with us in mind

Every night we wonder “Who..?”
How we hoped it would be you

Whatever you brought here tonight
We will feast and find the light
Draining every cup of joy and grief
Only God knows why we all
Stumbled in this dining hall
Searching for the food that we all need
Let us gather round the table
Come and eat

…

The photo on the cover is so wonderful. Not only is this a perfect song to open a concert, or to play before a thanksgiving meal (on any day of the year), but the allusion to the “host” in the last verse also suggests that it’s a song about Jesus welcoming us to his table. “Welcome” portrays the true nature of the church, loving and welcoming others just as Christ welcomes us.

—–

Their playlist included Shoulders, a song Lincoln Mick, the lead singer, wrote about his Dad (lyrics). Many people were singing along; probably not a dry eye in the house. I was thinking of my Dad throughout. I saw a vision of Ethan (born last Christmas Eve) riding on the shoulders of his papa, Stephen, and thought of Ethan singing this song for Stephen a few decades hence.

[Chorus]
I’m standing on your shoulders
You turned my green to golden
It still comes as a surprise
Whenever I look in your eyes
Without fail, I always find the man I want to be
I’m standing on your shoulders

[Verse 3]
I watched you bear that cross upon your back
All along an ancient path, ah
You showed me how to find my way back home
And I have never walked alone, ah

[Bridge]
I cannot count the times you’ve caught me from the fall
I hear your voice when my back’s up against a wall
When the darkness makes
me feel I’m far away from you
You gently remind me that this never was nor will be true

With never a hint of disappointment, Stephen has caught Ethan from a fall going on 1,000 times, and my Dad has done the same for me my entire life.

—–

As an encore, they unplugged, came down from the stage, and sang right in front of us. No one between us and their incredible harmonies. We were glad there had been no chairs for us after all. As we limped to our parking spot, we rejoiced at having been gifted such a beautiful, lovely, encouraging evening.

Thank you, Lincoln, Isaac, and Bailey.

Update: A new Christmas album will be coming in November! What an autumnal treat!

November 1: Happy Golden Days is out! I’ve made a separate post about it.

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Midweek Manna

Posted on October 9, 2024 by admin

Midweek Manna at Westminster Presbyterian

I’m grateful to Westminster Presbyterian in Oklahoma City for inviting me to come talk with an adult study class about the Bizzell Bible Collection on Oct 9 and 16 to close out a 6-week series as part of their Midweek Manna program. Here’s the handout, and slides with prepared notes (although I ad-libbed quite a bit).

“Bibles remind us that God … enters our joys and sorrows. Bibles are echoes of the Word made flesh. These two facts — that Christians worship a God with wounds, and that they gladly worship him in the same language as their songs and stories — make Christianity unique among the religions of the world. That is what a Bible collection means to me. What will it mean to you? Come and see.”

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Evangelical Confession of Conviction

Posted on September 15, 2024 by admin

“And the Church must be forever building,

and always decaying,

and always being restored…” (T. S. Eliot, “Chorus from the Rock”)

  1. We give our allegiance to Jesus Christ alone.
  2. We will lead with love not fear.
  3. We submit to the truth of Scripture.
  4. We believe the Gospel heals every worldly division.
  5. We are committed to the prophetic mission of the Church.
  6. We value every person as created in God’s image.
  7. We recognize godly leaders by their character.

I signed the Confession of Evangelical Conviction tonight. Upon first reading, it reminded me of the Barmen Confession, which Karl Barth drafted to call the German church to take a stand against the cultural idolatries and politics of fear in his time. It is so good in this time to see 300 prominent evangelicals create this statement against Christian nationalism, against a politics of hate, in favor of trust in Jesus alone and acting in love rather than fear. To be clear, this is a statement of conviction in the present moment, not a statement of faith or a creed per se. So many names of people I admire are listed among the initial signers, and now additional people are speaking out in support as well (e.g., Francis Collins, at the Trinity Forum last Friday). Hallelujah. Skye Jethani, one of the Holy Post anchors, initiated the project. Skye and several other signers appear in the “Press Conference” video, an explanatory video with Q&A, which is well worth watching. There are substantial resources on the website, including a National Prayer, a link to a superb five-part Bible study series (“God’s Good News About Politics,” free from InterVarsity), resources for worship (including an album already available at Apple Music and Spotify), and two videos for kids by Phil Vischer. Thank you to Skye and all the organizers and signatories for this gift to the church. May God renew his people in this country and around the world, to bring his peace, for the life of the world. Shalom.

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Francis Collins on the Road to Wisdom

Posted on September 15, 2024 by admin

Francis Collins, The Road to WisdomIt’s almost here: the new book by Francis Collins, The Road to Wisdom: On Truth, Science, Faith, and Trust, ships this Tuesday and I can’t wait to read my pre-ordered copy. While waiting, I’ve enjoyed these previews:

What is wisdom? How do we find it? What are the roles of the four pillars mentioned in the subtitle? What does a search for truth look like? How do we need both science and faith today? How do we know who to trust?

I expect the book to develop in greater depth the themes and arguments Collins made in his superb lecture, “With All Your Mind: Finding Truth and Love in the Midst of a Pandemic,” given at the BioLogos Faith and Science Conference back in 2022.

As background for the book, I also highly recommend his recent conversation with Kizzmekia Corbett-Helaire, at the BioLogos Faith and Science 2024 conference, released on the Language of God podcast, April 25, 2024.

This new book is dedicated to Tim Keller, with whom he had a long-term friendship. I’m looking forward to a chapter in which Collins explores the paradox of why so many Christians have been vulnerable to misinformation and conspiracy thinking, when the Christian faith is grounded in principles of objective truth and ongoing cognitive repentance, the very tools needed to address the triumph of partisanship over the search for truth in our culture today. (And thank you, Francis, for your support of the recent Confession of Evangelical Conviction.)

Collins entered medical school an atheist and left as a Christian. A self-confessed evangelical, he has told the story of his conversion many times — including in his 2006 book, The Language of God, which remains one of the most helpful sources for any Christian exploring the compatibility of faith and evolution. He founded BioLogos, an indispensable resource for Christians engaged in the natural sciences and in science and faith questions. Any Christian unfamiliar with him will appreciate watching the full ceremony when he received the Templeton Prize in 2000, with tributes from N.T. Wright, Deborah Haarsma, Jane Goodall, Renée Fleming, and others (here’s another from Philip Yancey).

By any measure, Francis Collins is one of the most consequential scientists of the last 50 years. He first came to widespread recognition for his early work on Cystic Fibrosis, a fearsome, incurable childhood disease. In 1993 he succeeded James Watson (co-discoverer of DNA) as director of the Human Genome Project, an audacious “big science” project which critics at the time regarded as a mission impossible. Yet astonishingly, only ten years later, an initial map of the full human genome was completed, unlocking the potential for untold numbers of medical applications. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2007, and was elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences. Collins and his scientific collaborators successfully identified the specific genes responsible for Cystic Fibrosis, Huntington’s disease, neurofibromatosis, multiple endocrine neoplasia, and progeria (premature aging). In 2009, Collins became director of the National Institutes of Health, the country’s premier organization for medical research and public health. He served as NIH director under three presidents, and provided exemplary leadership throughout the Covid 19 pandemic. The mRNA platform made possible the amazing timeframe for the Covid vaccines — what would ordinarily take 5 years, at a minimum, was accomplished in less than 100 days, in one of the greatest marvels in the history of medicine. The same mRNA platform is now accelerating cancer therapeutics. He has tirelessly advocated for the healthcare needs of minorities and the global south (e.g., volunteering as a physician in a rural missionary hospital in Nigeria). He led genetic privacy initiatives which resulted in the Genetic Nondiscrimination Act prohibiting health insurance company discrimination on the basis of genetic information. In his current research, Collins is exploring cures for premature aging, and he is spearheading an initiative to eliminate Hepatitis C, a devastating disease which can now be cured. We can all thank God for his transparency about his prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment, in an effort to encourage many men to undergo PSA screening, and we pray for his full recovery. His article at Wikipedia only begins to summarize his story. (More posts here.)

The new book will be a gift to the public, to the church at large, and particularly to Christians working in or with the sciences. I thank God for you, Francis Collins, and for your faithfulness in the work. Hallelujah. Now… just waiting for the book to appear on my doorstep…

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Chad and Mary

Posted on August 31, 2024 by admin

I’m so glad that I was asked to officiate the wedding of Chad and Mary on August 31, 2024, at beautiful Klondike Park in west St. Charles County. Here’s the script (PDF). Prayers and blessings for Chad and Mary!

Procession

Who presents this woman in marriage?
Answer (MB): “Her mother and I do.”
[Then MB sits down.]

Invocation

Dear friends who have traveled from far and near to be here today, we are gathered in the loving fellowship of each other, and in the joyful presence of God, to celebrate with Chad and Mary this dawn of their new life together, their union as husband and wife.

Mary, I’m so glad to have known you since you were a little girl with the curiosity and wonder of Kendra, who just carried in the flowers. You were and remain an utter delight to everyone who knows you. For all these years, your friendship, along with your sister and brothers, has meant so much to my family. Chad, I remember you said that finding Mary was like “meeting a best friend who I didn’t know, yet it felt so natural, I could be myself.” You’ve already taken me for a short spin in your wilderness-seeking Jeep. I can’t wait to hear of all the great times you two will have camping and traveling together as you journey on from this day.

Words on Marriage

For those who enter into it, the gift of marriage is a relationship like no other.

Chad and Mary: God is saying to you today, Surprise! See how much I love you. I have never forgotten you, I know you, I see you. You are not alone. From this day forward, whenever you look at each other, know that you are looking at a precious gift of God. You are looking at a beloved child of God, the beautiful one whom God has chosen as your companion on this journey of life. Today, God and all the holy angels are rejoicing, celebrating your love for each other.

The Triune God — Father, Son, and Spirit — are by their very nature an eternal communion of love. That is why Jesus honored marriage at the wedding feast in Cana. There, at the beginning of his ministry, Jesus changed water into wine. At the wedding party, Jesus brought the wine! And He is still doing so today. Drinking the wine signals that marriage, for all time, is a sacred and joyous celebration, an image of a future Day when He shall come for His beloved, His bride. All our earthly joys and longings dimly testify of that future Day.

For Love is forever. 1 Corinthians, chapter 13, says:
“Love is patient and kind. It is never jealous or envious, boastful or proud. It is never haughty, selfish, or rude. Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

Your love for each other will awaken you to a life of love and a love of life. In the Song of Solomon we read:
“Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is strong as death. Love burns like a blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away.”

When you truly love someone, you want them to live forever. To bring us life and love forever is why Jesus came, so that we too might participate in that eternal divine communion. Be confident that love never ends. Your journey here together is a beautiful beginning of everlasting love.

Chad and Mary, your love will wake something up within you. By entering into marriage, you will love more deeply than you ever thought it possible to love before. Your love for each other, and God’s love for you, will sustain you through unfathomed depths of sorrow and through unexpected heights of joy. In marriage, you are moving “further up and further in” to the everlasting mystery of love in the cosmos.

Declaration of Intent

Chad, do you take Mary to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, in good times and bad, for richer or poorer, for as long as you both shall live?

[Chad: I do.]

Mary, do you take Chad to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, in good times and bad, for richer or poorer, for as long as you both shall live?

[Mary: I do.]

Vows Exchange

Join your right hands and give heed to the vows you shall make to each other: [Give microphone to Chad]

[Chad’s vows] [Give mic to Mary]

[Mary’s vows] [Replace mic in stand]

With this exchange of vows you are entering into communion with each other and with God. Though your way will not always be easy, the Lord in His grace will sustain your marriage. He will renew your love for one another, for He is the “giver of all good and perfect gifts.” A “threefold cord” is not easily broken.

Rings Exchange

As God pointed to the rainbow as a sign of his promise to Noah, have you a sign of your promise to each other?

[Chad and Mary:]
“We have these rings.”
[Chad and Mary take rings from their company, prepare to give to each other.]

Chad and Mary, the ring is a symbol of the unconditional love you have for each other. Its unending circle represents the eternal quality of love, and the gold represents its purifying fire. As a ceaseless reminder of this hour, and as a seal of the vows you have taken, now give and receive your rings.

[Chad (prompted by Kerry):]
I give you my name
and this ring
to wear with joy
as a sign of my love and
vows before the Lord.

[Mary (prompted by Kerry)]
I receive your name
and give you this ring
to wear with joy
as a sign of my love and
vows before the Lord.

Pronouncement

Chad and Mary, it is not a minister standing before you that makes your marriage real, because marriage is the gift of God. Your relationship is part of the eternal YES spoken to you by the God who is the source of love. So in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and with the authority vested in me by the State of Missouri, we all here and now acknowledge that you are indeed husband and wife!

Chad and Mary, you may kiss your beloved!

[Kerry moves off to the side so photo may be taken]

[Presentation]
May I present Mr. and Mrs. Chad and Mary _______!

[Photos]

Recession

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