A perfect 10?
I once read that Ozzy Osbourne told his wife she was a perfect 10 and admit to a passing tinge of envy...well OK I was jealous! Confession time over!
One of the perks of my job is the uniform. A cassock covers a multitude of weight-watcher 'sins' and is a great cover-up for those of us with more 'Dibley-esque' proportions and whose chocolate consumption makes such a perfection rating highly unlikely.
But today (along with lots of other ministers, no doubt) I'm basking in the glory of achieving 5.3 because news has broken that 53% of you like your local Vicar so much that you rate him or her of equal importance to the photographic location when it comes to choosing your wedding venue.
More important still is that 60% said the church had a particular meaning for them. But the 'icing on the cake' is that 75% chose church because they said they wanted a 'proper wedding'. That phrase can mean all sorts of things, of course, but I like to think they are referring to God's presence.
Obviously churches don't have the monopoly on God's diary and He is just as likely to be in attendance at a civil wedding. The only thing is that no-one is meant to acknowledge His presence in any way.
One of my friends recently got married for the second time and felt she couldn't have a church wedding - though in many churches it's perfectly possible to do that and I personally believe in a 'God of second chances'. Anyway, my friend's young daughter had painstakingly practiced a flute piece to play her mum and stepdad out of the chapel, but she was told she couldn't play because the music was religious. The offending piece was 'Lord of the Dance'.
Fortunately 49% of you do approve of Christian music and churchbells, and almost as many like the way in which a Church wedding ceremony can be personalised.
And for the minority of you who come just to please your parents (less than one in three I'm glad to report) - my prayer is that the God of surprises will bless you and touch your own hearts in a very personal way, and make your day a perfect 10.
- Jan Harney's blog
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Comments
Perfect 10?
Can we not think of the 'perfect 10' as being '10 out of 10' - as for many of us that's much easier to aim for?!
As for the Church v Civil wedding - couples should be being encouraged to think of their new start as being given another chance. Local resistance in churches might drive couples to using the restricted civil proceedings. We want to say ‘rejoice’. We've been given another chance - lets' make the most of it!
perfect 10?
--You're so right - thank you for this :-)
We may occasionally achieve full marks for something but none of us will ever be perfect - not this side of heaven anyway!
I do sympathise with Ministers who are hesitant about allowing remarriage in the church. As part of the vows we promise to be together until death parts us, and nobody wants to think that these things are said lightly. Obviously there are many people who would have happily been faithful to that vow but were denied the opportunity.
Back to the Perfect 10 again -sadly none of us can achieve it, and the Church recognises that fact. And yes, finding hope and happiness again is something to celebrate.That's why our Liturgy includes a Service of Blessing after a Civil Marriage so we can join in the rejoicing.
So if your request for a second time wedding didn't meet with an encouraging response, then do ask for a blessing - which can take place in any location. We do love to say 'Yes'.