Rev. Paul J Cain
2 Corinthians 12:9
Sufficient
30th Wedding Anniversary Sermon for Larry and Geraldine Roberts
Monday of Lent III, 08 March 2010 A. D.
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Wyoming
In the Name of Jesus. Amen
I really like it when people think, especially when they are thinking about God’s Word. The three of us thought long and hard about an appropriate Word of the Lord for the sermon for this special day. And this Word stood out: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” These are words of strength and comfort for a husband and wife, especially Geraldine and Larry celebrating 30 years together as husband and wife. And yes, each one has told the other lately, “I love you.”
Those three simple words mean the world to people. Love that endures is heart-felt, but rekindled over the days, weeks, months, years, and decades living in holy matrimony. Commitment love endures when romantic love fades and serves, as the estate of marriage so often does, to reignite the earlier passion of romantic love. Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, “It is not your love which sustains the marriage, but from now on the marriage that sustains your love.”
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Yes, this is Paul’s famous passage from 2 Corinthians 12 that mentions a “thorn in the flesh.” No, I’m not making any accusations about either the bride or the groom this evening, though they did give me permission to poke a little fun in their direction. All joking aside, God’s grace has been sufficient to get the two of them over every hurdle and every challenge in their marriage thus far. God’s grace is sufficient—it is enough—that they are still ready to ride the river with one another as long as the Lord gives them breath.
In the end, St. Paul, like the couple standing before us, points to Christ and Christ alone. Forgiving as Christ has already forgiven them, they boast of their weaknesses to the glory of Christ.
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
The river may be rough. The weather may seem unbearable. We face tragedies, trials, temptations, and storms in life, but the Lord is there beside you. He only seems the most distant when we’re the ones running from Him. He is not an enemy, but a friend, riding that river right alongside you, giving you the grace, the strength, the patience, the endurance, the hope, and the faith to last until life everlasting.
He says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Amen.
In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
