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I took the wedding of two friends of mine today. It was held at the Sutherland Estate Winery in Dixon’s Creek Victoria. The setting was simply beautiful, the bride and groom both looked stunning and the afternoon was as perfect as you could hope for.

Here’s the wedding sermon that I shared during the ceremony.

From the words in scripture we know that Jesus loved going to weddings. In John’s gospel, we read of a wedding reception that Jesus and his friends and family have been invited too, and in the midst of the celebrations the unthinkable happens – the wine runs out. Jesus’ mum Mary comes up to him and asks if he would do something about it, but Jesus seems to be having such a good time dancing and eating that he doesn’t really think it’s time for him to do anything about it.

With a bit more urging from his mother, Jesus then decides to perform a miracle. Asking some servants to fill some large clay jars with water, Jesus transforms it into the best wine any of the guests have tasted. And the celebrations continue long into the night.

Reading that story again this week confirmed for me that today, Jesus is celebrating with the two of you. Jesus is celebrating the love that you share for each other. Jesus is celebrating the promises you are about to make to each other. And Jesus is celebrating, because having a wedding at a winery means that there is no chance that the wine is going to run out.

You have chosen a wonderful setting for your wedding. The scenery is a beautiful, the air is clean, and the miracle that Jesus performed at the wedding 2000 years ago continues every day. Even as we stand here, the rain that has fallen on the land is being drawn into the vines, converted into grapes which will eventually transform into fine wine. As the two of you embark on the next part of your journey together, I want you to think about the things that good wine and a good marriage have in common.

I realize that it is a bit of a cliché, but everybody knows that good wine gets better with age. As it sits in the cellar all sorts of process take place that turn a five dollar bottle of juice into a one hundred dollar bottle of wine. Today marks a milestone in your relationship and together we celebrate your union. But this is not the pinnacle of your relationship. There are far more discoveries that will surprise you, more experiences that will excite you, more life for you to savour and you will do them all together. You’ve put a lot of work into today and we all enjoying the benefits of that. But never forget that a wedding is just one day. A marriage is for a life-time. Keep working at making your relationship something special so year by year, your marriage, like good wine, becomes better and better.

I’ve always been a bit puzzled by some wine collectors who spend hundreds, perhaps thousands of dollars on building their cellar, only to leave their collection in the dark never being able to really enjoy it. I can’t claim to be an expert, but to me it seems that good wine is surely more enjoyable if you actually take it down off the shelf, open it and drink it. The same thing applies to a marriage – it is easy to let marriage just happen and to keep on going through the motions of everyday life without really enjoying it. Let me encourage you to live your marriage. Make it a priority in life to experience new things together, to take holidays to places you’ve never been, to make time out together a regular event, to go on a ride together, to take a walk, to watch a movie, to swim in the river – whatever. Live married life to the full.

Finally, good wine is always at its best when it is shared. One bottle and two glasses is how it is meant to be. Lots of things will come your way as you move on from here. Some things will be full of great joy and celebration. Others will be difficult, tinged with sadness. But in a good marriage all of these things are shared. First and foremost, continue to share you inner-most selves with each other, talking, laughing and crying together. Learn to appreciate each other on deeper levels sharing the realities of life as well as all your hopes and dreams. And equally as important, never forget to share your journey together with Jesus, letting his Spirit guide you, shape you and reveal to you little glimpses of what lays ahead.

To finish, I have something I want you to do. Whenever you have a romantic dinner together and open a bottle of wine, I want you to look back over the previous few months and recognize how your marriage is becoming better with time. Look forward to the next few months and make some plans to take some time out and do something you really enjoy together. And then I want you to do something a little bit different. I want you to get a third glass out and put in on the table. This glass is for Jesus, to remind you that regardless of whatever is happening at the time and whatever lies ahead, he wants to share the journey with you.

Lydia and Ollie, may God bless you both.