I haven't read the book, and probably won't, but the title alone: This Momentary Marriage - A Parable of Permanence, sums up beautifully and succinctly the joy and temporality of marriage.
I have at times felt a little uneasy about the way we in the church endorse marriage. (Make no mistake, I think it should be supported strongly. Yet...) It sometimes comes across (probably due to my own insecurities), as an end in itself.
Piper, I think balances the tension well, when he addresses his wife in his acknowledgements at the end of the book. He says:
Noël, if we live another twenty years (till I am eighty-two and you are eighty), the marriage will be sixty years old. And judging from what I see in the Bible and my memory, it will have been a momentary marriage. But it has been so much more than momentary. It is a parable of permanence written from eternity about the greatest story that ever was. The parable is about Christ and his church. It has been a great honor to take this stage with you. What exalted roles we have been given to play! Someday I will take your hand, and stand on this stage, and make one last bow. The parable will be over, and the everlasting Reality will begin.
No comments:
Post a Comment