Joy and Sorrow and Joy

The reality of life is that sorrow and joy flow together in the events of life. That was born out clearly this weekend at Limbe CCAP in the lives of two families of the congregation.

Saturday saw a great celebration when the Kandawire twins were married. The first wedding was at 7 a.m. at the Living Waters Church for the first of the twins, Amana, and her new husband Pachalo Matandara. Then the congregation and the bridal parties proceeded directly to Limbe, where Modie, the second of the twins, was married to Fredrick Maliro. It was the second wedding that I assisted in officiating, with the senior pastor, Rev. Bona. Preceding Modie’s bridal party dressed in purple was Amana’s dressed in green. They stood as witnesses to their friend’s wedding. The twins had their own weddings, but shared the event fully with their sister and family. There were cheers and great joy at such a large event. The parents, in neutral colors, but boasting flowers from each daughter, stood proudly watching their twin’s union. Outside the church, cars decorated in both colors waited to carry the parties to the joint reception after a gala of photos in all combinations of parents and attendants and clergy.

Immediately after the service and the photos, I prepared for a totally different kind of service – a tomb unveiling. Limbe has a cemetery adjacent to the church where many of our members’ families are buried. Two of our older members, Mr. and Mrs. Chisani, had planned to commemorate their son’s death of a year ago by dedicating the tombstone they had erected in his memory. This involved prayers and a meditation from the pastor and then proceeding to the gravesite, where the tombstone was wrapped in plastic. After opening words, the plastic was removed, wreaths were laid on the new tombstone and then the pastor offered a prayer of dedication, followed by closing remarks by the church family. This was a sad time of remembering the death of a loved one. It is especially hard when it is the parents who have buried a son, not the other way around. After tears and words of comfort, the family left to have a time of remembering at home. The afternoon included time with the Chisani family in remembering and a gala wedding reception for two couples – a contrast of emotions and events, the joys and sorrows of life.

But the flowing of such events did not stop there. Sunday we had only one service at Limbe instead of the usual two since the church was hosting a 50^th wedding celebration of a renewal of wedding vows and then a reception to follow. This had been planned by one of the zones (geographic areas of the congregation) as a fundraiser for the church. The couple celebrating 50 years of marriage was none other than Mr. and Mrs. Chisani. They had agreed to this to help the church and to celebrate God’s faithfulness to them in all the events of life. So Saturday they remembered their late son with his tomb unveiling and Sunday they celebrated 50 years of marriage – the sorrows and joys of life. Saturday’s event had been small and private, family only. Sunday’s was overflowing. The wedding came immediately after the benediction of the church service, so the congregation was already gathered. Most everyone stayed. The bridal party processed in, just as the previous day, only this time instead of two parties, there was one mature one. The groom entered regally on a cane, walking with great dignity. The bride, in full dress, was preceded by ladies from the zone serving as her attendants. The congregation cheered as the bride joined the groom at the front of the church. Chairs were provided for them to sit for all but the renewal of the vows. After the renewal of their vows and the exchanging of rings, I had the responsibility of giving them counsel, a mini sermon. It would have been more appropriate for them to have given all of us advice, since they are the ones who know how to stay faithful for 50 years in the midst of all the events of life. They have done it. But we followed protocol and I offered words of encouragement to continue in what they have been doing. They are a witness to all in the congregation of faithfulness to God and God’s faithfulness to his people in all the events of life. That was the message of the entire weekend. In all the events of life, the joys and the sorrows, God is present and God is faithful to his people.