Mawwiage

"Mawage. Mawage is wot bwings us togeder tooday."

I was at the wedding of one of the Wolverhampton CU members today, which was lovely. Pastor Steve Uppal of All Nations spoke better than the above. One thing he said caught my attention: "At marriage we give up our right to behave as individuals." Now that must be good advice at a wedding. But it got me thinking: surely the right to behave as individuals is one we don't really have? In the church, we belong to each other as we belong together in Christ. Western individualism and individualistic rights are not only surrendered when joining to another by choice in marriage, but are surrended when joined as the Bride of Christ. We join God's people. We're in God's family. Unlike in most Western marriages, we don't choose those with whom we're joining: but we behave with them not on individual rights but on serving as Christ served. On Philippians 2.