Everyone cheered as the young couple did their first dance and the groom lifted his new bride high in the air! It only seemed like yesterday when they first met each other at the café. So much had changed and they had worked so hard to get to this day. As the festivities ended, they ran through a human tunnel with beaming faces. Their joy was shared by the whole room as they departed on their new life together – the start of a new beginning.
This was a wedding that we had been heavily involved in, not only on the day but also in the months and weeks beforehand, journeying with the young couple through pre-engagement and pre-marriage material. The scene above reminded me of our own journey towards missions, waiting for that “big day” when we will fly off to another land.
Just like preparing for a Christian marriage, preparing for a life of missions means discerning God’s will together with our wider community, getting practical things in order, and welcoming others to be part of our journey. It involves letting go of some things in order to step into new things, and once the big day arrives, the work will only just be getting started!
