Life of the Party
I thought about our scripture for this Sunday when I read this story from the April 6, 2011 issue of the British newspaper, the Telegraph, as shared by Ted Weis, on preachingtoday.com...
Every marriage has its share of trials and troubles. But imagine going off on your honeymoon and getting victimized by six natural disasters! That's what happened to newlyweds Stefan and Erika Svanstrom when they left Stockholm, Sweden, for their four-month honeymoon in December 2010.
First, they were stranded in Munich, Germany, when Europe was hit by one of its worst snowstorms. Then the couple went to Australia. In the city of Cairns, they were struck by one of the most ferocious cyclones in Australia's history. They headed south to Brisbane but discovered that the city had experienced massive flooding. So they traveled across the country to Perth. There, they narrowly escaped raging bush fires.
Next, the couple flew to Christchurch, New Zealand. Unfortunately, they arrived just after the city was devastated by a magnitude 6.3 earthquake. Later on, the couple went to Japan. But a few days after their arrival, Tokyo was rocked by Japan's largest earthquake on record. The family returned to Stockholm on March 29, 2011, after a much calmer visit to their last destination, China.
Looking back on the trip, Mrs. Svanstrom said: "To say we were unlucky with the weather doesn't really cover it! It's so absurd that now we can only laugh." But Mr. Svanstrom noted that the marriage was still going strong. He said, "We've certainly experienced more than our fair share of catastrophes, but the most important thing is that we're together and happy."
Wow. It might be nice if this couple would send out plenty of advance warning before they travel. Perhaps we could tell where the next disaster is going to strike based on their itinerary.
In this Sunday’s scripture we get to hear about a disaster that happens at a wedding instead of a honeymoon. While it’s not life threatening, it is an emergency--one that could result in dishonor for the host family.
But what makes this story so great is the way that Jesus uses this near catastrophe to teach us all a lesson about the grace of God. I’m looking forward to sharing with you another story about our God, who gives good things to us all.