This weekend I spent Sunday in beautiful Wilton CT, along with some other Redeemer friends, to attend the wedding of Susan, a passionate woman who worked with me here for 2 years. She was a terrific and committed intern, conscientious and caring, who loved her leaders, visiting groups, and helping young Christians grow.

Last spring, it became clear that God was calling her back to seminary outside Philadelphia to finish her degree in Biblical counseling. As she was making plans to do this, God unexpectedly opened a new door,.  He asked her to make a radical move, to Texas! She is a New Yorker born and bred, and had never even visited Texas.  But since Westminster seminary had a satellite site in Dallas, which had just become its own separate institution, it made sense to move there, to live and study in the same place, rather than try to commute to Glenside, PA from New York.   She was able to transfer all of her credits as well, so just before Labor Day, she sublet her apartment here and headed south.  In early November, we met at a conference, and she was loving her classwork, but understandably still adjusting to the Texan way of life. 

The week after the conference, she met a man, a relationship between them developed quickly and deeply, and we all got to celebrate in their joy yesterday as they made a covenant to love and serve each other for the rest of their lives. 

The ceremony was the most evangelical wedding I’ve ever been to.  Their love for Christ was evident throughout. It was their first vow and they also included a footwashing (a first!), a visible demonstration of Christ’s love for his people. There was also a declaration of faith from both the bride and groom (another first!) as they explained why they had picked Eph 5:22-33 and 1 Cor 13: 4- 8 to read to each other.   And for the third first, it was the only wedding I’ve attended where the couple had their very first kiss (ever) in public, before our very eyes! 

What a beautiful story of when God closes one door, it’s because he has something far better in mind!  And what a joy it was to share in the first few hours of Susan and Sean’s new life together.