wedding bells

I attended a wedding today.

(not this one)

After the bride and groom said their vows, the minister turned to the congregation and said:

Families, friends and all those gathered here with [the bride and groom], will you support and care for them, sustain and pray for them in times of trouble, give thanks with them in times of joy, honor the bonds of their covenant, and affirm the love of God reflected in their life together?

{We will}

I love this part of weddings. 

I recognize it may often be just-another-part-of -the-wedding-ritual

but

I love what it represents and 

I take it seriously.

It is hard to do sometimes.

To let people into the good and the not-so-good parts of one's marriage.

Those parts are sometimes difficult to manage within the confines of a relationship, 

let alone to offer others a view.

 

But when I respond

{I will}

I say it with conviction and inevitably inquire later.

Because you asked me to make a vow - 

to be an active, communal participant in upholding your covenant. 

{I will}