In giving Moses instructions for the high priest's vestments, God said, "As a jeweler engraves a signet, you shall engrave the two stones..." These were to be a memorial. (Exodus 28:11-12)
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This is a picture of our "ring exchange", a custom prevalent 44 years ago, in the small-town area where I lived (in Ecuador), to "announce" an engagement...to "be a sign among you", so to speak.
The engaged couple would buy the wedding bands, then wear them on the right hand. (They were taken off before the wedding ceremony, during which they were placed, as usual, on the left hand.)
As in Exodus, we had the jeweler engrave our initials and the date for our wedding, inside each ring. (His initials on my ring, and mine on his.) We also decided we wanted to have our little "ritual" in church, with the congregation as witness (and the news would spread via grapevine to those who hadn't attended that day - and hence to the whole town!) and, even more importantly, with a special prayer of blessing. (It was explained to the congregation that this was NOT a wedding! Just in case...)
This was the first of three ceremonies. They were pretty close together. We met in early July, had our ring exchange August 5, our civil (legal) wedding (at the civil registry) September 19, and the religious wedding September 22. Whew!!
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Imagine life without these memorials...special celebrations. Weddings, birthdays, engagements, anniversaries, graduations...even funerals! They all make life more interesting, to be sure, but they also enrich us, make these occasions stand out in our memories, help us organize our inner "timeline" and, in some cases, hold us to promises made.
Did you catch that first item? They enrich us. God knew what He was about when He instituted the feasts and celebrations for the Israelites. They were a great tool for making important things stand out, for emphasizing essential truths about God, for helping them keep their hearts and minds oriented toward the One Who loved them and led them, and for reminding them to Whom they needed to keep their promises.
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Most feasts and celebrations were joyful...just like our weddings and birthday parties and anniversaries today! And they serve a further purpose: to fill our hearts with gratitude to God for his blessings! We are thankful year-round, but on those special days, we take the time to honor, to reminisce, to evaluate...
And so, today, as we think back to when my husband and I began our journey together, I thank God for what He started in our lives 44 years ago. We have gone through ups and downs, tough times and delightful days...and we are grateful!
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"The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts Him, and He helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise Him." (Psalm 28:7)
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