God of love, thank you for marriage
and the way love’s face
changes with time.
Thank you for love’s beginning;
the tidal pull that draws together
as sure as sea and shore,
the beauty of that meeting,
its strength and intense fragility,
sweet as an apple blossom
pale in the moonlight.
Thank you for love’s deepening;
the confidence that grows
with a thousand leavings and greetings,
the hardiness of belonging,
its ability to survive storm and drought,
resilient as supple branches
swaying in the wind.
Thank you for love’s maturing;
the companionship that develops slowly,
forged in the hot and cold of everyday life,
the power of lives intertwining,
its quality of sturdy faithfulness,
delicious as a ripe red apple
after a day’s long hunger.
I am a Mennonite pastor currently teaching theology at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo, Ontario. I’ve served congregations in Ontario and most recently, Alberta.