Billions of words and images have spilled upon us about The Wedding, and this is not a bad thing. We live in a world where horrific images and words of pure evil now inundate us daily. It is time to hear some old, but perhaps unfamiliar words, as we will tomorrow morning. This from Paul's letter to the Romans, which will be read aloud at the wedding:
I APPEAL to you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God - what is good and acceptable and perfect. Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honour. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
Romans 12: 1-2, 9-18
Is there any living soul of any goodwill at all who could disgree with these thoughts? And yet, OS fears many will sneer, others denounce, and many more ignore these simple words. What if, instead, we heeded them and followed them in our lives, our businesses, our institutions, our marriages?
OS feels sure his few words will never reach the eyes of William and Catherine, but for the record, he wishes to say a few anyway. Everyone else has, might as well join in.
Dear young people, so in love, with such bright days ahead:
OS remembers another Royal Wedding, and watched with delight and joy as William's father married William's mother. The phrase 'storybook wedding' echoed again and again and again. Everything looked so perfectly wonderful, and the unravelling of the fairy tale is one of the modern tragedies of our time. OS cannot imagine the pain you, William, must have endured throughout, especially to lose your mother so horribly and publicly. To lose a mother is hard enough on a lad, much less to have to endure the public glare as you grieved and moved on.
You begin your marriage, inevitably, under the shadow of that debacle, the inexplicable failure of both your parents to embrace the simple verities and charity required to build and sustain any marriage. But, let this grizzled Old Southerner, with children your age (and a failed marriage to boot) in his life, remind you of One Simple Truth: Those were their failures, not yours. You are not obligated to repeat any of them, at any time. God's grace changes everything, if we but call upon it.
Hold fast to Christ (knowing that He holds you in his hand already), and hold fast one to the other. Seek one another's greatest good. Begin each day by telling your spouse just how wonderful he/she is, and that you are the most blessed man/woman on the planet to wake up next to him/her. Actively work to make each day a happy memory by day's end, and watch the happy memories pile up and strengthen your marriage. Go to bed, with 'I love you' on your lips as you drop off to sleep. Get up in the morning and do it again, and again. Time flies, so make each day count.
You don't need that many friends, but you need a few good ones, who know you as William and Kate, not as royalty. Choose wisely, and don't hesitate to insist that your friends be discreet. The biographers and publishers can have their day in the year 2111 or so. Until then...indiscreet friends aren't friends.
You have a huge task ahead of you, as you will one take the throne of a great nation that has suffered terrible losses in both war and peace. It falls to you to lead the rebuilding. As the love between you grows and deepens, your marriage itself will play a huge role in that work.
The printed program, with its selections of music and readings, is a great ray of hope for all of us. You have avoided the temptation to bow your marriage in the direction of the popular culture, and for this you will be criticized bitterly. Let your detractors whine themselves to death, and never apologize for being right.
God bless you, young people. You have my prayers always.
OS
Cranmer has posted the text of the full service, with all music selections, here.
The PDF of the official program can be downloaded here.
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