In National Lampoon’s movie Vacation, Clark Griswold (played by Chevy Chase) dreams of the perfect family vacation with his wife, son, and daughter. He plans in great detail every stop of the cross-country trip, particularly the final stop at Walley World Amusement Park. The road trip is actually one disappointment after another. But Clark holds out hope that once they get to Walley World, all the bad will be forgotten. When they finally arrive, they park the Family Truckster and run to the entrance only to be greeted by an animatronics moose that says, “Sorry, folks, we’re closed for two weeks to clean and repair America’s family fun park. Sorry.” Clark punches the moose in total frustration.
If you took a trip to “Marriage Ministry World,” chances are your search would be one disappointment after another, ultimately discovering that, for many churches, Marriage Ministry World doesn’t really exist. You may have even wished for a moose to punch.
The great news is there is a Marriage Ministry World being built here at Imagine Church. Imagine Church is dedicated to helping couples find fulfillment and meaning in their marriages. We believe that marriage is the church’s business because marriage is a spiritual issue. Children need intact homes, and marriage also reflects the relationship between Jesus and the church. We also know that when marriage isn’t working, it robs us of our best relationship with God.
Imagine a morning in which you and your spouse argue over one of those issues that seems so big at the time, but is so dumb upon reflection. You know the type: leaving a towel on the floor, misplacing a credit card receipt, or saying (with a little “tone”), “Why can’t you take care of that?” Now imagine that small issue sparks enough emotion to provide ammunition for a big fight. And after that big fight, picture yourself heading off somewhere to have quiet time with God. How do you envision that working out for you?
Right. If you’re a normal human being, you’ll most likely find it difficult to connect with God when you’re at odds with the person you’re “one flesh” with. Why? Easy answer — it’s because marriage really is a spiritual issue.
Imagine Church has made it a priority to actively support marriages because marriage reflects the relationship between Jesus and his church.
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” -Ephesians 5:25-27, NIV
We’re willing to bet that most couples don’t think of marriage as a mirror-like image of the relationship Christ has with his church, but the apostle Paul says it is. If Jesus is doing everything he can to build up the church that bears his name (and he is), then it stands to reason that the church ought to be doing everything it can to ensure that marriages are strong. Strong, healthy marriages in the church benefit the couples involved as well as present an attractive example to outsiders, some of whom have never seen a truly healthy and godly marriage close up. They also underscore that a fundamental purpose of marriage is actually the same as that of the church. It’s to make us more like Jesus.
