True love

It was a last-minute wedding. An unforgettable event. Singing about true love. And walking through the unexpected. 

 The love song put me and my guitar there that day. In the old sanctuary with its stained glass windows and antique pews. 

The church secretary had called a few days before.

A young couple was engaged to be married. The young man had just received military orders and would be shipped out the following week. So they’d decided to get married that weekend. Would I sing? 

“The Greatest of These”

In college my friend LeeAnn taught me some guitar chords. And one of the songs I eventually figured out how to play was “The Greatest of These” by Bill and Linda Cates. Based on 1 Corinthians 13. 

That chapter cuts through false appearances to the core of true and perfect love. A daunting standard we can’t attain in our own power.

This kind of love is patient, kind, enduring, truth-filled, rejoicing, unconditional. It doesn’t keep a list of past wrongs. And doesn’t envy or boast or act improperly and selfishly.  

It’s the “always” love. “It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:7-8).  

The song pointed me to what my heart longed for. His true and enduring love. 

And it came in handy when friends started asking me to sing at weddings. 

Last-minute details

So it happened that I agreed to sing on short notice at this unexpected wedding. 

My roommate Joy was the church pianist. She would play for the wedding and I would present the special music.  

All was going according to plan as everyone pitched in to help and last-minute details came together. 

The unplanned

The afternoon of the ceremony, Joy began playing the prelude.  

I was seated in the choir loft and didn’t have a full view of the sanctuary. But I noticed when Joy began playing “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” again. 

 An unplanned extended version. 

I looked over and she raised her eyebrows, nodding her head toward the auditorium. Peeking over the piano, I saw the bride’s elderly grandfather had collapsed in the aisle.  

Medical assistance

Several people were rushing over to help him. The bride was in nursing school, so most of those attending were in the medical field.  

The strange thing was, only about half the congregation—those behind the collapsed grandfather—ever knew it happened. 

Several guests knelt in the aisle, checking his vitals and attending to his needs. All the others from that point back watched the scene unfold with interest and concern. 

Oblivious

The rest of the congregation–seated in front of the grandfather and his emergency staff–was oblivious. Totally focused toward the stage. They were listening to Joy’s delightful extended rendition of a classical song.  

Eventually, several helped the grandfather rise to his feet and guided him to the pew. They gave him some water to drink and made sure he was okay.  

The medical students all headed back to their seats. And Joy finished her piece with a flourish.

Emergency response

I carried my guitar over and adjusted the mic, then started singing “The Greatest of These.” 

As I came to the chorus, I heard the sound of sirens. This wasn’t unusual at our downtown church, so close to the UAB Medical Center.  

I continued singing. 

About midway through the second verse, the rear double doors flew open. Two paramedics came rushing into the sanctuary. Carrying equipment.  Someone had seen the collapse earlier and left immediately to find a phone and call 9-1-1. This was back in the day. Pre-cell-phones era. 

So here they were. Emergency response team with all that paraphernalia.

An usher led them down the aisle to the grandfather and they began to check his vitals. 

Half and half

Surreal moments. I was singing the song almost on autopilot now. The rest of my brain was taking in the scene unfolding before me. 

Again, only half the congregation knew this was happening and none of those people were looking at me. They were all turned toward the medical activity on the right side of the church. 

Everyone else? Totally unaware. Absorbed in this song about the greatest love of all.

The wedding continued

As I entered the final chorus, the paramedics took their leave, apparently satisfied that Grandpa was just fine. A little dehydrated on a hot summer day, but he would survive. 

By the time I sang the last words and played the final chord, everyone was once again looking toward me. Focused on the celebration at hand.

Joy again sat down at the piano and the wedding continued. 

The necessity of love

“The show must go on,” they say. “Keep calm and carry on.” 

So we do. 

There are people dropping in the aisles. Emergencies and drama and interruptions to the normal flow of life.  But we rush to help.

We assist the fallen. We keep the music going. We wait. We celebrate.

In the midst of it all, our song is about the necessity of love. And not the kind of love we can achieve in our own strength. Or even fully understand.

It’s the unconditional love of the Father. 

The sacrificial love of the Son. 

The fruitful love of the Holy Spirit. 

True love. Meeting us in the ebb and flow of life. Teaching us His loving way in the routine and the unexpected.

“For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, as I am fully known.
Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love–but the greatest of these is love.”
1 Corinthians 13:12-13

What about you?

Where have you seen His love meeting you, equipping you in the ebb and flow of life? Or maybe you’re smiling and remembering a wedding where things didn’t go as planned. Tell us about it.

related posts

Matters of the heart – Unexpected altar – Healing hurts and counting stars – Mystery revealed –