We believe that October 10, 2014 is a representation of something bigger than just husband and wife. We believe that the covenant we will be stepping into points to something significant behind us and something significant ahead of us. It points backwards to Genesis when God created Adam and then formed Eve from his rib to symbolize complete harmony, a life together serving side by side as one flesh, and a covenant that binds two into one to fulfill God’s calling for both lives together in His name.
“Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone.’”
When God created Adam, it was the first creation that was spoken over as "not good." "Good" in this context meant functioning in complete order, harmony, and the way it was intended. Adam was incomplete until Eve. We believe that from creation, we were all made in His image. And just as the trinity is functioning in relationships, so were we created for relationships. We were created to be radically towards the other. The first implication of this text is towards each other in community. And there is no more intense and intimate picture of this than the picture of marriage.
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“So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.”
Woman is the first creation to come from a living being. The rib symbolizes a side-by-side partnership. Woman is taking from man's side to be by his side. This ensures that she is equal in substance, value, and worth. We believe this is a beautiful picture of marriage which is side-by-side in purpose, side-by-side in calling, side-by-side in mission, and side-by-side in faith.
“Then the man said, ‘This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.’”
When Adam wakes up and sees his bride, he breaks out into vows. It's not just poetry, it's covenantal language. We believe this is the first wedding ceremony that shapes all future wedding ceremonies to come. Adam and Eve are vowing to one another, promising to one another. Adam vows to Eve the second he sees her, "I pledge myself to you."
“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is profound, and I am saying it refers to Christ and the church.”
If you're familiar with the creation story, you know that soon after the heavenly bliss of the first wedding ceremony came sin and destruction that entered into the world and brought disarray to the perfect order that God created. Sin seeped into all areas of human existence and marriage was included. Fast forward to New Testament, and we see a Savior who comes to redeem all of that. Jesus came to set everything back right through his sacrificial death on the cross, and now he's teaching us how to walk in this redemption.
Here in Ephesians, Paul is quoting the first marriage ceremony in Genesis and explains that when you step into marriage, something deep and spiritual happens. When you see a husband and wife, they are standing side-by-side as a copy of something bigger than themselves. Marriage is a copy of an original, a metaphor that teaches a greater reality, a parable that communicates a greater truth. And we believe that this greater truth refers to Christ and the church.
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When man leaves his father and mother to become one with his wife, we believe this is a picture of how Jesus left the Father in heaven, and became cemented together with his church by redeeming us, and now we have become united with him as one. We are one in marriage as we are one with Jesus, and because of these connections, we now have a paradigm of how marriage is intended to function and we have a graceful Jesus who equips us and a lively Holy Spirt who empowers us throughout the day-to-day of stewarding this life together as one flesh.
“And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. We will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’”
And lastly, we believe that marriage points forward to the day when Jesus will return for his bride and restore the earth back to the way it was intended to perfection.
Now that you have an idea of what we believe is taking place on October 10, 2014, we hope that you come that night prepared to celebrate this next big step in our lives. After we share dinner together as a community, Mattie and Luke will then exchange vows and step into covenant with one another as husband and wife. We are overwhelmed with gratitude at the thought of our friends and family who were such a big part of preparing us for this commitment getting to witness this next step on October 10, 2014, and walking alongside us after as we navigate through this life as The Zitos.
This is only a small summary of what we believe covenant marriage was created for. If you would like to understand more, please see the resources below that we referenced in edition to the text quoted above.
Sermons:
Imago Dei: Marriage (Genesis 1:25-27, 2:18-25) given by Dave Lomas at Reality San Francisco.
The Story of Sex: Essence (Exodus 20:14) given by Dave Lomas at Reality San Francisco.
The Story of Sex: Ethics (Exodus 20:14) given by Dave Lomas at Reality San Francisco.
Holy Matrimony: A Copy of the Original given by Josh Causey at The Ring Community Church.
Holy Matrimony: How Jesus Loves His Bride given by Josh Causey at The Ring Community Church.
Holy Matrimony: Imperishable Beauty given by Josh Causey at The Ring Community Church.
The Spirituality of Sexuality given by Dave Lomas at Reality San Francisco.
The Personality of Sexuality given by Dave Lomas at Reality San Francisco.