WEDDING 1
yesterday, Julie and I went to a wedding. The lucky couple was Julie's step sister and some guy. They make a great pair, and they are both really cool. Over the past year I have spent some time with Jen and Matt, and I have really enjoyed it. They are smart, fun, humorous, and easy to get along with. Their wedding was really nice too. It was a back yard wedding, but this was no ordinary back yard. Most of you will probably on see houses like this either in pictures, or as you are driving by. The back yard featured an awesome covered patio as well as more brick, back porch/patio area that added up to probably 5 times the amount of space in my apartment. There was a 3 tier waterfall that emptied into a small lake where about 5 swans live. That's right, swans! Anyways, with the weather being around 70 and the sun shining, you couldn't have asked for a nicer day to have a wedding.

The minister who performed the marriage was a woman who ministers in an Episcopal church. She is also a lesbian. Despite all my initial reactions/assumptions about the whole setup, she did a great job. I really liked what she had to say about the couple and how she did the whole service. I met her afterwards, and she was very warm and pleasing. She mentioned during the ceremony about how Jen and Matt had to meet with her for marriage counseling (although she didn't call it that). I thought that was really cool. The whole thing was just a plesant experience, and I don't have anything negative to say about it. But I am sure many would.

The legal system (at least in Missouri) states that homosexual people can't be legally married. This also somehow means that a marriage performed by a lesbian minister isn't legal either (I think). So, Matt and Jen were probably married a few days previous in a court house. It kind of stinks for them, because that wasn't their original plan.

I guess I was a little shocked when I found out that their minister was a lesbian. At first I was judgemental and unsupportive but I decided that supporting the couple and their marriage was most important. I still don't quite understand the whole thing, but it shows a bit of a shift in thinking for a lot of people. I'm not saying that we need to start accepting homosexuality as a normal thing...I still believe it is sinful. What I am saying is that maybe it's time to start asking how we can respond to such a situation with grace and love as well as truth and conviction. What are your thoughts?

I have another wedding next Saturday. My cousin Jason is getting married. Bring on the tux!