Marriage: A Three Legged Race

Presented to Blaine and April Erikson on the occasion of their wedding, 24 January 2011, and at the public celebration of their wedding, 03 Sept. 2011
by Captain Michael Ramsay

The Marriage covenant, which you are entering into today with God, is like a three-legged race. The three-legged race is always fun to watch at a fair or another event. Some people seem to run it with ease while others fall down and trip all over each other. I’ve seen dads tied to their children who’ve simply picked them up and run with them without breaking the tie that binds. It is a lot of fun. The secret to the three-legged race is that the winning couple is the pair who moves in sync with each other so that with every stride each matches their partner. Two independently minded people determined to do their own thing have no chance!

It is like that with the marriage covenant that you are entering into today. Did you know that the most commonly translated word for covenant in the Hebrew Bible refers to being bound, tied or even shackled together? It is like the expression ‘the old ball and chain’ or, more positively phrased, like the three-legged race.

In a marriage, we are a covenanted people. We are tied together with each other and the Lord through our marriage covenant vows. Our covenant is dear to us who are married in the Church. It can certainly be one of our glorious sources of strength. General Clifton of The Salvation Army wrote in his third pastoral letter that our covenants are one of the main ways in which the Lord chooses to provide opportunities for us to join Him in His work for the salvation of the world. A marriage covenant is more than a promise; it is more than a legal contract. It is a sacred covenant through which the Lord binds you together now as husband and wife and even more than that as he binds you two together, now and forever, or at least until death do you part. He also binds himself to you both and to your immediate family as it grows in Him. Covenants are important.

Commissioner William Francis wrote in the Canadian Salvationist in June 2008: ‘The key to upholding our sacred covenant is staying close to God, keeping faith with Him.’ This is significant and this relates very closely to the three-legged race of your marriage covenant.

Any of us who have ever been in such a race with our children – or years ago with our brothers and sisters or parents – will remember the challenges that the race represents. When one partner tries to move at a different pace than the other partner, neither goes anywhere very quickly. I am sure I am not the only person who has fallen on the ground laughing, as my partner has started heading in the wrong direction. It’s difficult to move, let alone win the race, when the one you’re yoked together with is going in the opposite direction.

          It’s the same with our marriage covenants. If we tie ourselves our spouse and to God in a sacred vow and we do not walk step-in-step with our partner, following God closely; it’s impossible to even finish, let alone win the race and experience the full blessing of our marriage and that final victory with Christ. Once we’ve committed to the marriage race, we need to press on towards the goal and not give up. The race will be challenging but as we persevere we will enjoy the race and experience the victory but if we try to go our own way, our marriage covenant will be of little or no use to us, our spouse, or to our Heavenly Father.

               If you do move in step with each other though, bound together through Christ, with your arm around your partner, relying on the Lord’s strength, even as life’s obstacle course becomes very difficult, the race in the end will be easy and then as you are bound together in Christ, Jesus can move you even more efficiently than if you were running just on your own power.

               As you remain faithful to your covenant and as you allow our Heavenly Father to partner with you and to put His arm around the both of you as you run through this life, you will find it much easier to walk in step with our Lord. At times, often when things are most challenging, you will notice as well that God is actually carrying both of you towards the finish line where you will indeed celebrate victory in Jesus.The Lord is faithful to his covenants and I pray and I challenge you both today to be faithful to each other, to be faithful to the Lord and to be faithful to your marriage covenant until death do you part. As you do this, I promise that indeed you will find that you experience all the joys of the marriage covenant and also will experience that ultimate victory with Christ for now and evermore. Amen.
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Based on a chapter from
Ramsay, Captain Michael. 'Praise The Lord For Covenants: Old Testament wisdom for our world today'. Vancouver, BC: Credo Press, 2010. (c) The Salvation Army. For more info: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Praise-The-Lord-For-Covenants/155941614427110?v=info
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