Sermon: October 3rd, 1998, Big Hill (via Marulan) at the wedding of Carl and Samantha
[and on Feb 15th 2000 I heard news of the birth of Jacob Hedley Hulm
a few weeks before. The news came from Jacob's great grandmother.]
"When you have found that balance
— what is meant to be.
Heaven and Earth,
the Sun and the Moon."
We are the stuff of the stars.
The atoms in us were formed in the stars.
But, we are born of the earth.
from the dust of the ground.
And we lift our heads to the stars.
And here we are
in an old church
in a paddock,
beside the trees;
next door — a cemetery,
Across the road, cows and growing calves.
Parrots in the trees,
Rabbits underneath them.
Back at the farm
goats still kidding.
Here we are,
surrounded by life
with our feet firmly planted
in the ground,
Daring to lift our faces
to the sky and ask
god’s blessing on this marriage.
Daring to pray.
Carl and Samantha, you are
daring to make a choice,
to take the risk;
daring to be real and true
Daring to know life in its
laughter and its tears;
in the reality that love brings with it.
And we are here
in a church
in a paddock,
asking god’s blessing.
Because somehow,
it is in the most real things
in life that god is involved.
In the laughter and the tears
In the grief and in the joy.
We know life and we find god.
Samantha and Carl, be real to one another
know your own truth and tell it and
hear it from each other.
And above all, as Kerrie read:
"Above all,
clothe yourselves with love
which binds everything together
in harmony."
Let god in
Be real
Be alive
and be in love.
THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD
Colossians 3:12 - 17
Corinthians 13: 1-13
1John 3: 18-24
Poem:
When you find the one who is always there for you,
the one who will complement your very existence,
When you find the one with a commitment that is as strong as yours
and the one who can reflect that very special part of you.
When you find the one whose love will endure the test of time,
someone you can have and you can hold.
One you know is yours and you will always be theirs.
When you’ve found that balance you’ll find what is meant to be.
Heaven and Earth,
the Sun and the Moon.
Mrs Hickey: give your children good roots that they might grow;
and wings that they might fly.
May the wind
be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm
upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields
and,
Until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His
hand.
from A Common Prayer
by Leunig
God give us strength. Strength to hold on
and strength to let go.
Amen.
God help us to change. To change ourselves
and to change our world. To know the need for it. To deal with the pain
of it. To feel the joy of it. To undertake the journey without understanding
the destination. The art of gentle revolution.
Amen.
Love one another
but make not a bond of love
Let it rather be
a moving sea
between the shores
of your souls.
Kahlil Gibran