"This merry-making is subordinate to the marriage; because it is in honour of the marriage. People came there to be married and not to be merry; and they are merry because they did." — G.K. Chesterton, G.K.'s Weekly (1925)
Those who forget why they are gathered fall into frivolity, but those who remember the reason for the gathering get caught up in the festivities that follow. The fun is the result of the formation. The party bows to the privilege and the dancing takes a back seat to the doctrine. But it always follows. The doctrine demands it. The privilege provides it. The fun follows the formalities. But only if the formalities are acknowledge on the front end as the true meaning of what is being done.
Snobs who forget the formalities in principle throw large celebrations, but have no fun for they have forgotten what they are celebrating. They have large societal weddings with all the who-who's attending, but they have nothing to celebrate. It is all fuss and no fun. It is pomp and circumstance and no faith or substance. They participate in grand renditions of long held traditions for the sake of nostalgia, not as an apologia.
"Modernity is largely the story of human beings attempting to find significance apart from God." — Ryan Whitaker Smith, Winter Fire
The modern world is all wedding reception and no ceremony. They have the ceremony to get to the reception as opposed to the Christian who has a reception because of the ceremony. That is the difference in its highest contrast.
No comments:
Post a Comment