Ron & Fran’s Wedding

A wedding is a sacred moment for a bride and groom.

Remembering Weddings

I remember my wedding. (I didn’t officiate it). I remember conducting my sister’s wedding, my brother’s wedding, and I sure remember officiating my daughter’s wedding.

But there was a first wedding, for there is a first time for everything.

Ron and Fran

The bride and groom were members of my church. I was a very young minister and they were my very first wedding, I was so nervous. Just before the ceremony I was throwing up in the men’s room. Yep.

As the ceremony progressed, and unbeknown to me, I started mispronouncing their names. Instead of Ron and Fran I said, “Ran and Fron.” As in,

                                           “Do you Ran take Fron to be your…”

Here’s What Happened

By the time the vows were finished, Ran and Fron had the giggles. And I had no idea why they were laughing. They tried mightily to contain themselves, but failed, resulting in shaking shoulders and slurred words. All solemnity was lost. Not until the reception did I find out what happened.  

Not Ran and Fron’s Wedding 

Ron and Fran

They forgave me, they felt sorry for me. But I felt like I had let them down and ruined their wedding. I obsessed over it for weeks. But there would be other weddings. As of this blog, I’ve conducted 212 weddings in the last 39 years. 

Some Food For Thought

In spite of my mispronunciations, they were in fact united in marriage. Their vows were heart felt, their love was evident, and their license was signed. Prayers of divine blessing were heard by the Father. My mistakes didn’t alter the sanctity of their union, it only provided a modicum of unintended comedy.

I’m still making mistakes. Sometimes I misquote scripture, or use incorrect grammar, and use words that aren’t words. And sometimes I’m just wrong. And I make other mistakes.

But my mistakes don’t nullify the blessings and promises of God. In fact, the entire Christian message is rooted in the center of our imperfections. It’s because of our imperfections that Christianity exists.

To Close

Today, I’ll strive to do well, to be awesome, to keep the bar high and to do good work. And while I strive for all of that, I’ll also be grateful that my salvation isn’t dependent on my living a perfect life.

Just ask Ran and Fron.

Shalom!