Posts tagged marriage

Anytime you get to talk about nagging wives and passive husbands, it’s going to be fun.  We’re in the second week of studying various couples in the Bible.  This week we looked at the story of Ahab (the passive husband) and Jezebel (the controlling wife).  Someone came up to me after yesterday’s experience and said, “I know, without a doubt, if I would’ve heard this message and lived it out 30 years ago, I’d still be married today.”  What I love so much about God’s economy is this idea of mutual submission.  The Message puts it beautifully,

Out of respect for Christ, be courteously reverent to one another. Wives, understand and support your husbands in ways that show your support for Christ. The husband provides leadership to his wife the way Christ does to his church, not by domineering but by cherishing. So just as the church submits to Christ as he exercises such leadership, wives should likewise submit to their husbands. Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church—a love marked by giving, not getting. Christ’s love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant with holiness. And that is how husbands ought to love their wives. They’re really doing themselves a favor—since they’re already “one” in marriage. No one abuses his own body, does he? No, he feeds and pampers it. That’s how Christ treats us, the church, since we are part of his body. And this is why a man leaves father and mother and cherishes his wife. No longer two, they become “one flesh.” This is a huge mystery, and I don’t pretend to understand it all. What is clearest to me is the way Christ treats the church. And this provides a good picture of how each husband is to treat his wife, loving himself in loving her, and how each wife is to honor her husband. (Ephesians 5:21-33)

Tomorrow night I have a meeting with the State Street launch team.  I’m going to put up some notes on here on Wednesday about what was discussed.  There is a ton of things that God is doing in our community and I’m looking forward to seeing how we respond as a church.  More to come on that later…

I’m also going to instigate an arm wrestling match between Neal Loucks and Greg Clark.  If that happens, you’ll surely get some video footage.  My money is on Clark, though.  He’s scrappy.