Over the course of 46 years of ministry I've performed hundreds of weddings (pictured above - me with Kira & Walter Wilson).  When asking each couple, "Why do you want to get married?" they inevitably say, "Because we love each other."  Quite frankly, I think this is an honest and sincere response.  However, if I talk to these couples some years later they usually will tell me that, through their life together,  they have grown in their understanding of the meaning of love.  Perhaps, in some ways, they will have grown to understand what Paul meant when he said, "Let love be sincere" (Rom. 12:9-12)...

Ash Wednesday falls on February 14 this year which, of course, is also Valentine's Day.  My clergy friend, Larry Jacobson, shared in a FB post that since 1900, Valentine's day has fallen on Ash Wednesday only 4 times:  1923, 1934, 1945, and 2018.  So this Ash Wednesday will be special in many ways.  In response to my friend's post I pointed out that in the old Methodist Book of Worship, the "Service of Marriage," falls right in between the "Service for the Celebration of the Dead," and the "Service of Holy Communion."  I have, for years, felt that that placement was symbolic of the fact that for a marriage to thrive, there must be a "dying to ourselves" and a consistent communion and fellowship with our Lord (hopefully on that part of both spouses).  Perhaps the uniting of Ash Wednesday and Valentine's day is symbolic for us as well...