Life In Pastor’s House: Thanksgiving and Weddings
One of the downsides of being married to the Pastor is that we don’t get to go out of own for holidays. In some ways, this is an upside as well. Not being able takes some of the stress out of traveling. We never have to make the decision about where to spend Christmas.
Thanksgiving is a bit of an exception. Since Thanksgiving always falls on a Thursday, and we have church on Thursday morning, last year we decided for Dakotapastor to get a sub for Sunday and we spent Thanksgiving weekend in a cabin in Minnesota. It was delightful. We did not plan as well as we should have so we had our least traditional Thanksgiving meal ever. . .turkey lunchmeat on white bread. But the time spent together was priceless.
This year was different. This year our brand new congregation celebrated our very first wedding in our new building. A Saturday night wedding keeps pastor’s family home for the weekend. I would not have traded a weekend away for the joy of watching our two friends make their vows. The church looked beautiful, the bride was stunning. I cried. I always cry. I cry at baptisms. I cry at funerals. I cry during hymns. I cry at weddings.
Weddings are a lot of work for the families in the wedding party, but let me let you in on a secret. They are a lot of work for pastor’s family too. For months before the wedding he counsels the couple and works out planning details. He prepares a sermon, helps iron out logistical details, directs the rehearsal, shows up early at the church the day of the wedding to keep things running smoothly, and is the last one to leave after the ceremony is over. He usually also offers the dinner prayer at the reception. Then he gets up on Sunday morning and does all of his Sunday things. Weddings take up an entire pastor weekend.
And yet, it is truly a labor of love. We know that God sets the lonely in families. We know that marriage is God’s wonderful design for man and woman.
It was a joy for me to welcome the family and friends of the bride and groom into our church, to join with them in wishing the couple well in their life together. Weddings are very special days in the life of a congregation, and I joyfully pitch in and help when I can.
Yes, life is pastor’s house is never quite normal, but it is always blessed!
