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Good morning. Although Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are hardly novices when it comes to the media spotlight, even they could be excused a little anxiety today. The cameras are there to catch every move of their wedding, and will delight in anything unexpected. The account of the first miracle of Jesus was the result of an incident at a wedding. The wine ran out. I doubt this will happen at Windsor but at Cana in Galilee Jesus remedied the deficiency. And how. According to John鈥檚 Gospel as much as 180 gallons of water became wine. It must have been quite a party. The story confounds some people鈥檚 expectations. The Christian religion isn鈥檛 sombre. It鈥檚 about delight and not just duty. A crisis of hospitality was avoided. The guests didn鈥檛 even know. They thought the best wine had been kept until last. Nothing was to spoil the joy of a marriage. A royal wedding has dimensions of pageantry and splendour all its own, but many people will identify with what鈥檚 happening today. Perhaps it鈥檚 because the couple are so evidently in love. That makes the world seems a more hopeful place. St John says 鈥渢hose who live in love live in God, and God lives in them鈥. Marriage matches love with promises. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will promise to be faithful, constant and reliable with each other. When married couples are like that with each other they are more likely to be like that with everyone else. After today鈥檚 marriage the bride and groom will gain a set of in-laws. It鈥檚 a pity we give law the credit when it鈥檚 love that does it. But it鈥檚 all a reminder that a new network of relationships is being formed. And pressures too, as the experience of Meghan鈥檚 father has shown this week. Every couple getting married take on each other鈥檚 history. We are who we are because of what鈥檚 happened in our lives. But human beings also develop and change. A marriage will only deepen and grow if a couple realise there鈥檚 always more to discover about each other. Certainly there鈥檚 always more to forgive. None of us can be married happily for very long without mastering the art of saying sorry. In the gospels the Kingdom of God is frequently pictured as a marriage banquet, an eternal feast of love. I pray today that the best wine of God鈥檚 blessing may bring joy to Harry and Meghan for the rest of their lives.
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