Sisters & brothers, grace to you & peace from the God who invites, the Christ who calls, and the Spirit who lures. Amen.

Sitting at a wedding banquet in the Courtyard Marriott last evening, I looked around the room to see all the guests of Julie and Craig. There were all the usual suspects at a wedding banquet. There was the wedding party bedecked in their festive garb: bride beautiful Julie (beloved soprano in our choir, she’s not here this morning), Craig the groom whose buttons were busting with pride in his bride, the beaming attendants, the loving parents of the couple, Julie’s father — a retired Lutheran pastor — now confined to a wheelchair but able at long last to accompany his buoyant and elegant daughter down this aisle earlier in the evening. There were coworkers and childhood friends. The entire St. Paul’s Choir was there, having kissed these rafters with their prayerful anthem during the marriage liturgy. There was the DJ who seemed to swallow his microphone and sounded more like Charlie Brown’s teacher. Guests galore. Some dancing, twisting and shouting, out on the dance floor. This morning it feels like I might have twisted the wrong way.

(more…)