About 3:15 this afternoon the phone rang. On the other end of the phone I heard these words, "Where are you???"
It was one of the ladies in our church. I told her I was at home, planning to get ready for a wedding at 6 this evening.
She replied, "The wedding was at 3! So where are you?"
In case you haven't figured it out yet I was supposed to do the wedding.
I have never done this before nor heard of another pastor doing such a thing, being late for a wedding that is. I've heard of brides being late, grooms being late, but never the pastor!
So off I run, unshaven and unprepared to a wedding 30 miles away!
I'm late, I'm late for a very important date!
Finally, at 4:15 I arrive to the applause of 200 people. I don't think I've ever been so embarrassed! I'm sure the bride was wondering if her day had been ruined, but fortunately it all worked out and they extended me amazing grace. The wedding went well and the couple is married with a wedding they will never forget!
This is a pastor's worse nightmare and now it's my reality! I'm sure it's all rather funny, but I haven't discovered the funny part yet, I'll think about that later.
Best wishes Bill and Debbie. I hope you have a wonderful life together, in spite of beginning your marriage an hour late!
5 comments:
Mike...when Diane and I got married, the wedding started ~ 1 1/2 hours late.
The lady who made to bridesmaid's dressed drove by my wife's hour when the wedding was supposed to start and left the 1/2 finished dresses on the porch. They got the dresses patched up and pinned on, but left 800 people waiting in the church on the hottest day EVER ;-)
That was over 30 years ago.
It just shows you are human. They asked you to perform the wedding and had forgiveness for you because you matter to them. Now forgive yourself.
Well Mike God has it all under control.
I love how you are a real person just like your flock!
I feel your pain Mike! Years ago in Haiti we got a phone call one Thursday from a guesthouse in Port-au-Prince that said, "Your team is here and waiting for you to pick them up! Where are you?" Somehow we'd totally missed the fact that they were flying in a day earlier than the standard Friday arrival. Thank the Lord that there were a couple of experienced team members on the team who remembered the name of a guesthouse they'd stayed at in the past. They were able to corral a taxi driver who knew of that guesthouse. They got everyone and their luggage there safely by themselves. And thank the Lord that the guesthouse had room for them for meals and overnight until Dan could get there to pick them up the next day. Most of all, thank the Lord that the team was cool about being left to fend for themselves in Port-au-Prince, Haiti! Let's just say that we made sure it never happened again!!
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