Romans 12:9-12
Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
On June 21, 1975, Pastor Robert Lange preached our wedding sermon based on Romans 12, focusing on the verses I’ve included above. His theme was, “Rejoicing Along the Way.” He emphasized the need for hope, prayer, and love as we walk with Jesus, along the Way. The Way was first used to describe the earliest followers of Jesus, and he encouraged us to remain true and faithful to Jesus throughout our lives.
We’ve had our fits and starts Along the Way, but Jesus has been our constant, and he has never failed us. We arrive at our 50th wedding anniversary deeply thankful for each other, committed to each other, and ever more thankful for his commitment to us and his perfect faithfulness to us.
To that end a prayer and a verse…
Dear Heavenly Father we join today in giving you thanks and praise for your great love and faithfulness toward us through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. By his faithfulness we have weathered some difficult times, faced some great challenges, and overcome some hard obstacles. But our overwhelming praise to you is for the years and years of blessing, love, and joy we have experienced together as husband and wife. I would never even have made it through seminary without Diane. And Diane might list blessings she has experienced from me. But we both rejoice in the four sons you have given us, their wives, and children: ten grandchildren and one great grandson! And the people you have sent into our lives over the years! Church members we have grown to love, church staff we have bonded with, friends all over the world – such a gift, blessing and joy! As we celebrate today we give you the honor, praise, and glory even as we rejoice in our mutual love for each other. Thank you for all these gifts, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
In Christ Alone – with apologies to Keith Getty and Stuart Townend
In Christ alone our way is made;
He is our hope, our strength, each day.
Our lives are his, his joy is ours –
He gives us grace and staying power.
His love sustains, his mercy binds,
Our boundaries drawn with pleasant lines.
We praise him for gifts from his hand;
Here in his grace and love we stand.
In Christ alone our future’s sure.
We walk with him – safe and secure –
Not in our strength or in our might;
We need his grace to walk in light.
His grace and strength to carry on,
Forgive each one the other’s wrong,
Give us true hope and confidence;
We thank him for our love and bliss.
So here and now, we celebrate
Christ’s love and ours on this gold date.
For fifty years we’ve sung this song,
Loving each other kind and strong.
What joy is ours, what grace divine!
Dear God above let your love shine
Into our hearts and lives so we
May sing together eternally!
– David Bahn
June 20, 2025
David Bahn - Reflections 
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