The wedding ceremony today was a truly special one with friends and family from several different nations joining to celebrate. Paul is from England and Allison is from Canada, but they had friends and family from several different nations who were there for the wedding.
Going into the day I was nervous all over again. It wasn't about the cake, but out of a desire to be a blessing to a young couple who serve so many people. One of the last times I saw the bride was on a muddy motorbike she used to travel out to a village through rain and floods to serve at-risk middle school students in Cambodia.
When you officiate weddings it is a bit nerve wracking because it is one of the most important days of peoples lives. You want it to be a pleasant memory for people. Nobody really remembers if the pastor does a great job on their wedding day, because of course, pastors are not the point, it is the bride and groom, but everybody does remember if the pastor does a bad job. As with the delivery of the cake, everything went off without a hitch.
As I looked out over the crowd at the wedding during the ceremony, I realized I was looking out over a group of heros and heroines. There were missionaries who had given 35+ years of their lives in Thailand, China and Cambodia, the Executive Director and team of Freedom Stones who have given so much to help restore the lives of victims of trafficking, there were teachers who are giving their lives to serve missionary families in difficult places, a new friend I've made who is now leaving for the Phillipines to help provide clean water to the victims of the typhoon there. There were businessmen who have made the decision to do business in an ethical way and to dream up new ways of doing business that empower and employ marginalized communities and not exploit them, and moms and dads who've decided to raise their kids in just a bit of different way, by teaching their kids to honor and serve people of all nations and especially those who are disadvantages. One of my favorite conversations was with a gentleman in healthcare management, who wanted to talk about different ways he could give back to his employees, envision them in their work, and help relieve those in burnout.
You might be asking "What does this have to do with the cake and the wedding?" Well, if you remember, the cake wasn't really about the cake in the first place. The cake was simply a symbol of living lives who serve those who have been marginalized and exploited. The cake was really about making simple basic choices that helped and not hurt others.
It was during the wedding ceremony that I realized I had only spent 20 hours carrying "the cake", but I was looking out over a group of people who carry "the cake" every day, with the greatest of love and care. It has inspired me to see if I can find ways to keep carrying "the cake".
Finally, at the end of a beautiful day the bride and the groom cut the cake. The cake tasted amazing, but doesn't something always taste better when you know it was made with love and bought with hard work.
Thank you Paul and Allison for inspiring us all to carry "the cake".
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