My Second Christian-Muslim Wedding

Monday Ministerial Musings

By Rev. Mark William Ennis

2024 Blog #47

November 18, 2024

My Second Christian-Muslim Wedding

Last evening I had the honor of officiating at a wedding of the sister of one of my sons-in-law. She married a Muslim man. This was the second Christian-Muslim wedding that I have officiated over. The first was for a young man who grew up at the church I served in Bergenfield. He married a Muslim woman whom he had met in grammar school and the two had been good friends for years.

Every time I preside at any wedding, I rejoice, but I also worry. Divorce rates are high in our nation.  It saddens me that people with such good intentions often have difficulties living up to the marriage vows that they took, with all sincerity. It is not easy to be married and to sustain a marriage.

Intercultural marriages are even more difficult. When two people are raised in such different cultures, their expectations of gender roles, and household rules and customs are often very different, and sometimes in conflict. The potential clash of cultures adds one more layer of difficulty in honoring marriage vows.

I wish that I could say that every couple that I have married stayed married forever. I wish that I could make the claim that every couple I married lived happily ever after. Sadly, to say, I would be lying if I made such claims. My performing the ceremony certainly comes with no guarantee of a life-long marriage or even a happy one.

I hope and pray that this couple with have a happy and successful marriage. I pray that they will be loving and good to one another for 100 years, at least. Yet, these things are out of my control. I keep hearing a part of “Sunrise, Sunset,” from Fiddler on the Roof.

What words of wisdom can we give them? How can we help to ease their way? Now they must learn from one another, day by day.

Let us pray for this couple as they begin their lives together. Marriage is difficult. But we want the best for them. Those of us who attended their wedding must now be there to support them during their marriage. Let us do that job well.

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