Cross Your Heart?
I recently sat with a couple who are getting married at Holy Spirit next week to talk through our Prayer Book service. When we think of weddings, we often think about vows, rings, and giving the church’s blessing. Whether they know it or not, most are pretty familiar with our BCP vows as they are the basis for most of what you will see in shows and movies with some version of “to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death.” The Declaration of Consent near the beginning of the service may also be familiar, “Will you love him/her, comfort him/her, honor and keep him/her, in sickness and in health…”
If you notice, the only phrase in both places is “in sickness and in health.” I name this not only because our bodies in this life do not last forever and support of each other in this reality is an important part of our commitment, but also because I had an epiphany this week. Raising children extends this promise beyond our commitment to each other. A stomach bug is going around the school and both kids have taken turns bringing this terrible affliction into our home. Sarah and I have had to figure out how to juggle everything to be able to care for them in sickness as well as muster our own strength in dealing with the outcomes of said stomach bug.
I just finished Bill Bryson’s most recent book, The Body: A Guide for Occupants. You may know Bryson from volumes like A Walk in the Woods and A Short History of Nearly Everything. He has a wonderful way of explaining things and The Body is no exception. In this he shares what Nobel laureate Peter Medawar once said, “A virus is a piece of bad news wrapped up in a protein.” We have all come to know the impact a virus can have as we are finally emerging from a global pandemic almost two years after it first appeared. On a more personal note, I can also share the havoc a stomach virus can have on little bodies. Through it all, I believe the bonds we form in covenantal relationships can carry us through. Whether it be the covenant of marriage, the baptismal covenant we said this past Sunday, or the ultimate New Covenant bestowed upon us through Jesus, we intrinsically know that our care and love for each other is at the heart of all that we are and all we truly need.
May we give thanks (even when we don’t feel well) that we are not alone, but surrounded by the love of others and the promise of God’s redeeming grace.
We love you and God loves you,
Josh Condon+