Cranford Day
Matt was a groomsmen at the wedding of two wonderful friends today. I spent the morning on my own as Matt got ready, watching the end of the Cranford miniseries to while away the time. I teared up a little as the story drew to a close. It's such a beautiful story. I love the way it ends with such a tight knit community coming together to celebrate weddings and betrothals and the return of friends from distant countries.
As I got ready for today's wedding I realized that today was my own little version of Cranford. I've been looking forward to June 29 for a long time. Admittedly, two friends were moving to America which was not really a cause for celebration, but there were two weddings planned. Two pairs of great friends I've known for a long time, including two people I've known since I was thirteen, were getting married (they weren't marrying each other, though). To add to the joy, my wonderful and beloved friend Fiona was coming home after being in Cambodia for half a year. It was my friend Richard's birthday. And, to add even more joy, I found out yesterday that two other great friends had just got engaged. So many things to celebrate on just one day!
The two weddings were amazing collections of nearly all the little communities I belong to, outside of my family. I wish I could have cloned myself so that I could have been at both. At Dan and Mel's wedding, where I couldn't be, my church family were joined by some old uni friends from the evangelical union and friends from high school. At Mick and Kat's wedding I got to watch Matt as a groomsman escorting one of my best friends as a bridesmaid. I celebrated with other evangelical union friends, as well as newer friends from college, and all the old friendly faces from Narwee Baptist Church - those girls who loved me and included me when I turned up to their youth group sporadically all those years ago. To think that so many of my dear friends from so many places were gathering to celebrate these weddings across Sydney filled my heart with so much joy! And then to think that Fiona was home, being reunited with her family! It really was just like the end of Cranford. I praise God for all these friends, many of them brothers and sisters in Christ. I love that we don't only get these moments now, we'll get to keep celebrating into all of eternity with the Lord, the true bridegroom.
On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine,
of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.
And he will swallow up on this mountain
the covering that is cast over all peoples
He will swallow up death forever;
and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces,
and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the LORD has spoken.
It will be said on that day,
"Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us.
This is the LORD; we have waited for him;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation."
Isaiah 25:6-9
As I got ready for today's wedding I realized that today was my own little version of Cranford. I've been looking forward to June 29 for a long time. Admittedly, two friends were moving to America which was not really a cause for celebration, but there were two weddings planned. Two pairs of great friends I've known for a long time, including two people I've known since I was thirteen, were getting married (they weren't marrying each other, though). To add to the joy, my wonderful and beloved friend Fiona was coming home after being in Cambodia for half a year. It was my friend Richard's birthday. And, to add even more joy, I found out yesterday that two other great friends had just got engaged. So many things to celebrate on just one day!
The two weddings were amazing collections of nearly all the little communities I belong to, outside of my family. I wish I could have cloned myself so that I could have been at both. At Dan and Mel's wedding, where I couldn't be, my church family were joined by some old uni friends from the evangelical union and friends from high school. At Mick and Kat's wedding I got to watch Matt as a groomsman escorting one of my best friends as a bridesmaid. I celebrated with other evangelical union friends, as well as newer friends from college, and all the old friendly faces from Narwee Baptist Church - those girls who loved me and included me when I turned up to their youth group sporadically all those years ago. To think that so many of my dear friends from so many places were gathering to celebrate these weddings across Sydney filled my heart with so much joy! And then to think that Fiona was home, being reunited with her family! It really was just like the end of Cranford. I praise God for all these friends, many of them brothers and sisters in Christ. I love that we don't only get these moments now, we'll get to keep celebrating into all of eternity with the Lord, the true bridegroom.
On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine,
of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.
And he will swallow up on this mountain
the covering that is cast over all peoples
He will swallow up death forever;
and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces,
and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the LORD has spoken.
It will be said on that day,
"Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us.
This is the LORD; we have waited for him;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation."
Isaiah 25:6-9
