A wedding is a happy event, especially when it is a Christian wedding, and children like to join in the happiness as well. I would like to tell you of a wedding in India.
The bride had been the teacher in the mission school. She was just eighteen, and her name was Shanti, which means Peace. She was a bright Christian girl and Shanti was the name given her when she became a Christian. She taught the girls in the school and sought to interest them most of all in the Bible and in the Lord Jesus whom she loved as her Saviour. She was going to marry a young Christian man by the name of Indriyas, which means Andrew. They were going to live in the great city of Lahore so that the children of the mission school were both sorry and happy about the wedding.
The great question in their minds now was, What could they do for the bride? They could not give her costly gifts of silver and linen and silk and beautiful embroidery, for they were very poor, and yet they wanted to give her something of their very own. She was their teacher. She had taught them verses from the Bible. They loved her, for she had been kind and sweet and through her many had come to love the Lord Jesus.
So one day they talked it all over and this is what they planned to do. Each of the girls planned to give her a handkerchief, on which was to be pinned a piece of paper with a bible verse on it. Now what verses would you girls think of that would be suitable for a bride on her wedding day? These are some of the verses the children chose.
“My joy I give unto you.”
“The kingdom of heaven is like into a certain king which made a marriage for his son.”
“Lo, I am with you always.”
“Jesus was called and His disciples to the marriage.”
“God is Love.”
“God is Light.”
“Now Jesus loved Mary and her sister and Lazarus.”
“My peace I give unto you.”
“A new commandment give I unto you, that ye love one another.”
I wonder if we could do as well as these Indian children did? I think they knew their Bibles very well, don’t you? And if you will look closely you will see that most of these verses are from the Gospels.
After all, what could be better as a wedding gift than a beautiful verse from the Gospels? For the Bible is such a wonderful Book, isn’t it? It fits into everything. It has something to say to little children, to boys and girls, to old men and women, to husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, parents and children, bridegrooms and brides. It brings life, joy and peace into our hearts and lives when we believe its message, for it tells us of God’s love in sending His dear Son into the world that we might live through Him.
ML 02/26/1967