I have officiated at weddings by rivers and lakes, in parks and gardens, at the beach and in backyards, in homes and hospitals. I was asked to marry an inmate and his beloved in a prison but we could not work out the details. I have not been asked to jump put of a plane to “tie the knot” but have heard of that being done. Talk about a leap of faith!

However, the overwhelming number of weddings has been in a church. Why most want to be married in the church is no great mystery. It is the culturally accepted place. I base this conclusion upon the answer to my question of the couple, “Why do you want to be married in this church?”

The answer is a variation that goes something like this, “I have always wanted a church wedding.” I have asked that of Christians and non-Christians, believers in a God and those who expressed questions about a deity. I have asked of folks who are regular in their appearance at church events and those who don’t darken the door.

It is as if I am asking why one would want to park a car in a garage. Cars are parked in a garage and weddings are held in a church.

Now don’t misunderstand me, I am more than willing to talk to a couple about holding the wedding in the church. And I get the traditional site thing. One church I served held over a half dozen non-member weddings a year.

A convenient location, long aisle, pipe organ and, no doubt, charming and/or agreeable pastor were the main reasons. I saw it as an opportunity to get to know a couple who might need a church family and a pastor as they began their lives as one.

Part of my logic was found in the migration pattern of young adults. Statistics tell us that about the time of the freedom of a driver’s license, teens began to drift away from church activities. This distancing often increases through young adult life. Often the wedding is the beginning to some movement back to the church, which is often increased when the couple begins to start a family.

If the couple was beginning to circle the church pond, looking for a place to land, I wanted to offer a welcome. After all, where they had been was not as important as where they were going.

Part of what we discussed in preparation for the wedding was the difference in a wedding ceremony and a worship service. A wedding ceremony could be held anywhere by anyone appointed by the state legally authorized to ask the questions and sign the papers.

However, a worship service was different. As a representative of the church, approved by the state, my place in the moment was as a worship leader. My role in the wedding service was to help us worship God in the joining together two people into one. I am more of a surgical assistant while this dangerous operation takes place. The congregation of witnesses and worshippers are present to be a part of this miracle.

Imagine how awestruck you might be if you were to witness a Great Physician performing such a delicate and dangerous operation. Why, it would want to make us all go celebrate! Our presence in that moment and the moments before and after will aid or deter the knitting together of two lives into one.

And the newly joined couple would, no doubt, need to visit the Doctor and the hospital to get checkups. After all, it doesn’t make much sense to invite God to a wedding and not in a marriage. That would be like visiting a garage expecting to become a car.