Beauty
I don't know why, but I've been thinking about my wedding quite a bit lately. A major part of it, one of the parts that I helped plan, was the music. During the prelude, I sang a song that enchanted my bride called I Said My Pajamas. Here's a sample of the lyrics:
I climbed up the door and opened the stairs
I said my pajamas and put on my prayers
I turned off the bed and crawled into the light
And all because you kissed me good night.
<…it goes on like this for two verses…>
I lifted the preacher and called up the phone
I spoke to the dog and I threw your ma bone
'Twas midnight and yet the sun was shining bright
And all because you kissed me good night.
It was a horribly silly song, completely inappropriate for a solemn occasion. But our wedding was the happiest occasion ever, so it fit (though there are some who would disagree). There were several other songs in the prelude performed by my friend Matt, my favorite singer in the world. He let me sing an a capella duet version of It Is Well With My Soul with him (yes, it's traditionally sung at funerals, but it's Mrs. Happy's favorite hymn so it was in our wedding). The prelude also included No One Has Ever Loved Me (from the musical Passion by Stephen Sondheim), Not a Day Goes By (the happy version from Merrily We Roll Along, also by Sondheim), She Touched Me (from Drat! The Cat! by Milton Shafer), and a wonderful rendition of Abide With Me (another funeral hymn that we just happen to love) woven into Pachelbel's Canon.
The centerpiece musical number, however, occurred during the ceremony itself. Matt sang How Beautiful, by Twila Paris. At the time, I thought it was a gorgeous song of worship that also spoke to the beauty of marriage. Now that I've grown a little more as a husband and as a child of God, I see it differently. I see now why God chose the metaphor of marriage to describe Christ's relationship with the church, how He loves the church with every iota of His being, and how He sees only beauty and always forgives. The song draws deep parallels between Jesus' ministry on earth and the church's ministry today, and how the church functions as His body.
I could analyze this song line by line, but I think that would ruin it for me. I just know that I think my wife is the most beautiful thing God has ever created, and that my love for her is only a fraction of what God feels for the church. I know that the Bible commands a husband and wife to become one flesh and that the church, as Christ's bride, is also referred to as His body, and it is beautiful. I know that there are mysteries yet to be revealed in my relationships with both God and my wife, and that this song captures that beautifully.
How Beautiful the hands that served
The Wine and the Bread and the sons of the earth
How beautiful the feet that walked
The long dusty road and the hill to the cross
How Beautiful, how beautiful, how beautiful is the body of Christ
How Beautiful the heart that bled
That took all my sins and bore it instead
How beautiful the tender eyes
That choose to forgive and never despise
How beautiful, how beautiful, how beautiful is the body of Christ
And as He lay down His life
We offer this sacrifice
That we will live just as He died
Willing to pay the price
Willing to pay the price
How Beautiful the radiant bride
Who waits for her Groom with His light in her eyes
How Beautiful when humble hearts give
The fruit of pure love so that others may live
How beautiful, how beautiful, how beautiful is the body of Christ
How beautiful the feet that bring
The sound of good news and the love of the King
How Beautiful the hands that serve
The wine and the bread and the sons of the Earth
How Beautiful, how beautiful, how beautiful is the body of Christ
