the love amazing

 There was a wedding - a young couple from our church. Many who were not going to the reception still attended the wedding mass itself. Everyone must have felt as uplifted as I did by the end; God was definitely the main character. 

They met in college, and both impressed the chaplain with their faith, self-discipline and sense of community. Three visiting priests concelebrated with our own pastor. 

The recessional hymn was O God, Beyond All Praising; it was a fantastic thing to sing after such an event:

O God, beyond all praising,
We worship you today
And sing the love amazing 
That songs cannot repay;
For we can only wonder
At ev'ry gift you send,
At blessings without number
And mercies without end:
We lift our hearts before you
And wait upon your word,
We honor and adore you,
Our great and mighty Lord.

Then hear, O gracious Savior,
Accept the love we bring,
That we who know your favor
May serve you as our King;
And whether our tomorrows
Be filled with good or ill,
We'll triumph through our sorrows
And rise to bless you still:
To marvel at your beauty
And glory in your ways,
And make a joyful duty
Our sacrifice of praise.

I do love this hymn and have posted it here more than twice, I'll bet. But it's another thing entirely, after a marriage takes place, to all be singing these words together. Especially from "and whether our tomorrows," to "and rise to bless you still", because who knows what path life will take when two people pledge to be faithful to each other? I wish them very well, such nice kids.