I remember as a young minister, the old joke was: “You need to make sure to wear a suit when you’re marryin’, burryin’, and askin’ for money.” Of course, we all know ‘clothes don’t make the man’, and yet the idea here is that there are going to be significant moments where in order for you and your message to be taken seriously or perhaps for people to feel respected and cared for, you simply dress for the occasion. You don’t want to be a distraction to the over-arching import of the occasion – you want your greater purpose and/or message to receive all the attention.

Well, thankfully I’m not in a spot where I’m looking for a loan or a special offering at this point. There will be no monetary appeal nor link to a gofundme at the end of this post. But I will be getting some good use out of the ole suit this weekend. You see, one of the unique privileges of a pastor is to walk alongside people through both the mountaintops and the valleys of life, and this coming Saturday (June 7, 2025) just happens to be one of the rare days where I get to do both within a single day – a burial in the morning and a wedding in the evening.

This particular weekend also happens to be one of those rare occasions in our world where those immediately involved are Christians – both the dearly departed and the newly betrothed. Which means, quite frankly, I don’t have to lie! I neither have to pretend that the deceased brother was something he wasn’t, nor do I have to pretend that the engaged couple is pursuing something they aren’t. They all knew/know themselves to be sinners in the sight of a holy God, receiving and resting upon Jesus alone as he is freely offered in the Gospel.

Now, in all likelihood there WILL be those present at both ceremonies who are not Christians, but that just means there is also a great opportunity for the Gospel to be presented and received in these moments of great joy or great sorrow. And yet, it’s also a reminder for the Christian that whether we are on top of the world or feel like the weight of the world is on our shoulders – God does not abandon his children. He holds ALL of our days in his loving, sovereign hand.

The truth is it’s often during momentous life events that we tend to be most aware of something of greater significance – the wedding of a husband & bride, the birth of a child, the transition to college or a new career, the death of a loved one. These are those times where, whether we realize it or not, we are all – Christian and non-Christian alike – wrestling with the fact that God has written eternity in our hearts. A longing for hope, purpose, joy, and life itself that lasts beyond this brief, vain existence under the sun.

And the wise thing for us to do would be to ponder these things and let them inspire to pursue this transcendent God-given meaning not only on the ‘big’ moments of life, but in the everyday “little” moments where God is also with us, minute by minute. Indeed, He breathes significance into the mundane moments and the ordinary occasions – the sharing of a Tuesday dinner, the changing of a newborn’s diaper, the presentation of a company report, the conversation with a next door neighbor, the washing of the dishes, the weekly gathering of Christians in corporate worship.

So thanks be to God the Good News of the Gospel is for every season in this fallen world. Through all of the ups and downs, ins and outs, twists and turns of life Christ is in the business of redemption. He is our solid rock and firm foundation, and he has made everything beautiful in its time.