The Old Testament reading for the first Sunday in Advent, series A, always causes me to go down memory lane. Especially Isaiah 2:5 O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the LORD as it was our wedding verse.
As we started to get things together for the special day, I went to a Bible bookstore to research bulletin covers. There I found what I was looking for. A bulletin with a lit candle with a single pink rose at its base with the script “Walk in the light of God” and I knew that was the one for us.
To accentuate the chancel my future sister-in-law and grandmother developed a banner to “reflect” the theme. I wished to have the two free standing candelabras as the only light, but Mom vetoed that saying, “No one will be able to see anything with just those.” So we compromised. Once Dad and I had walked down the aisle, the sanctuary lights were turned off with only the chancel area lit. So Disneyesque. Our pastor-friend David, preached that now we will walk in the light of God as one, in faith and in love for Him and each other. Though only invitations went out to family and a few friends, the church was packed. Following the service we hosted a cake and coffee time for those who came out to see the local-girl-makes-good by marrying the young pastor. Quite rom-com-ish. The invited guests made their way to our local community hall for a late supper and speeches.
My brother and sister-in-law served as witnesses and dutifully tended to us. They helped serve cake and coffee in the church basement, and then escorted us to the hall. After the formal festivities, Dad invited everyone back to their house 4 miles out of town, but John and I declined since we had a honeymoon suite booked at the Fort Garry in Winnipeg. Again my brother and his fiancée stepped up to the plate and offered to run home to make the house welcome as guests made their way out to the farm. We said our final thank yous to the last set of guests, and we were the last to close the door on the community hall. This is when we realized we had no car but it was too late to get a ride. This was the days of no cellphones or Ubers so we needed to walk back to the parsonage where our packed car was waiting for us. Though a small town, the parsonage and the hall happened to be at opposite ends of town. It had lightly snowed earlier in the day and as we walked out of the hall more gentle flakes fell. Very Hallmark movie-like. We probably looked like quite the pair – arms linked, more for self-preservation than a young couple in love, me in my wedding dress and heels, and John in his tailored suit and dress shoes. By the time my brother figured out we had been marooned, got a set of keys to an accessible car, and drove back to town, we were a half a small-town-block from the parsonage.
We literally started our married life walking in the light of God and our small town street lights. That was day one and we have seen God’s light and His faithfulness over these past 15,010days. Our prayer is that those around us see His light of love.
Walking in the light of His Love Patricia Lach Kreutzwieser
Serving in His Strength” is a blog
published by the Member Development Committee of
Lutheran Women’s Missionary League–Canada, Inc.
Lutheranwomen.ca
2025