Wedding Invites
I can still remember my wedding day like it was yesterday. Steve and I have always had big hearts for making people feel included—so naturally, we decided to invite everyone we possibly could. And by everyone, I mean everyone.
First, we went on a hunt to find the least expensive invitation deal we could find and were over the moon excited when we found a tuxedo place in Sarasota, FL that was giving away free invitations if all of your wedding party tuxedos were rented from them. SCORE! We immediately rented our tuxedos and placed our order for more than 1,000 wedding invitations.
They have since discontinued that promotion…..probably because of the “Browning wedding”.
The day of our wedding I walked the aisle in front of more than 800 people who had poured into my life as a pastor’s daughter, served as friends and family members supporting Steve and I over the years, and even a few random people we met at grocery stores, book stores, and wedding planning locations. We were madly in love and wanted the whole world to be there to watch the day we married one another.
As we crafted our wedding, Steve and I were laser-focused on one thing: the ceremony. We knew we had hundreds of people coming, many of which may not know the Lord, so we poured our hearts into planning a wedding that would be a reflection of the greatest love story of all—God’s love for us. My parents, bless them, essentially handled the entire reception while we obsessed over every detail of the service. I’ll never forget our rehearsal dinner when Steve’s groomsmen pinned us down and told us that we could not leave until we had picked a song for our first dance the next day. It honestly hadn’t even crossed our minds to think through those kinds of details because in our minds the reception was just an afterthought. The real moment was the ceremony itself.
The day of our wedding, we positioned a massive cross at the place we would light a unity candle with hopes that the eyes of our guests would trickle off of us and to the cross as the music played. We showed a video where Steve and I shared about the love we had for each other and the even greater love that God had for us. We carefully chose songs to be sung that carried the message forward of how God pursues us, and even our vows were dripping with the message of love that God has for us, and our desire of wanting to carry his example of sacrificial, unending love into our own marriage.
Our deep prayer was that it would be impossible for anyone that came to our wedding to leave without knowing that God loved them so much that he gave his only Son for them.
Eighteen years later, Steve and I are still madly in love (thank you, Jesus), and while I’m no longer handing out wedding invitations like a game show host, I do wish I had that same level of urgency when it came to sharing about the love of Jesus. Back then, I was so determined to make sure everyone knew about our wedding that I probably would have invited the mailman and the lady at the gas station if they’d stood still long enough. And yet, when it comes to the greatest invitation of all—the one that actually changes lives forever—I can find myself hesitating, distracted, or just plain tired.
Isn’t that the problem we all face sometimes? Life gets busy. We get comfortable. We assume people won’t be interested, we’ll say the wrong thing, or we just decide in our hearts that we will invite them "next time."
When I think back to my wedding day, I remember why I wanted everyone there in the first place. It wasn’t just because I wanted a big party (though let’s be honest, I did). It was because I was overflowing with love and wanted to share it with as many people as possible.
God didn’t just send out elegant invitations with gold foil and calligraphy--- He did something far greater. He handcrafted the ultimate invitation, one that’s open to everyone, regardless of our past, our status, or mistakes we have made. He didn’t invite us with words on a page, He proved His love through the ultimate sacrifice: giving His own Son so that we could have a place at His table. What is especially exciting about this invitation is that it isn’t exclusive or reserved for a select few, it’s for anyone willing to receive it. But like any invitation, it requires a response. And for many, God is still patiently waiting for their RSVP.
You can read his invite in John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." That’s not just a beautiful verse—it’s an open invitation with no guest limit.
So here’s the challenge for today: What if we lived with the same kind of passion and urgency that we had for the biggest days of our lives? What if we saw every interaction—at work, at the grocery store, in the car line—as an opportunity to share God’s love? What if we saw Valentine’s Day as a way to showcase the greatest love of all with everyone we encountered.
This week, let’s commit to deliver one intentional invitation. Maybe that’s inviting a friend to church, sending an encouraging text with a verse, or just taking time to pray for someone who needs Jesus.
God has already sent the invitation. Let’s help deliver it.