The Dance of Marriage

image: mafleen~ Ephesians 5 ~

Is the dance of marriage more like this…

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…or is the dance of marriage more like this?

Within the dance of marriage, are

there key roles that a husband and wife should play

?

The Dance of Marriage

image: mafleen~ Ephesians 5 ~

1 Therefore be imitators of God, as

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beloved children.

“To all who did receive him, who

believed in his name, he gave the

right to become children of God….”

~ The Apostle John in the Gospel of John 1:12

2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us

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gave himself up for us, a fragrant offeringand sacrifice to God…. 8 Walk as childrenof light… 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord….

~ The Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:9

“We make it our AIM

to PLEASE him.”

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15 Look carefully then how you walk, notas unwise, but as wise, 16 making thethe best use of your time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will ofthe Lord is.

Husbands and wives are walking with God the Father

Assumption # 1

18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that

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is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, 20 giving thanks always for every-thing to God the Father in the name of theLord Jesus Christ….

Husbands and wives are being filled with the Holy Spirit

Assumption # 2

21 …submitting to one another out of

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reverence for Christ.

Husbands and wives are submitting themselves to Christ

Assumption # 3

Husbands and wives are…

The Context

1 …walking with God the Father

2 …being filled with the Spirit

3 …submitting themselves to Christ

22 Wives, submit to your own husbands,

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as to the Lord.

23 For the husband is the head of the

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wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Saviour.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth

and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that

moves on the earth.”

~ Genesis 1:26-28

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone;

I will make him a helper fit for him.…”

~ Genesis 2:18

“Male and female are ‘like opposite’ to one another. They are like two pieces of a puzzle that fit together because they

are not exactly alike nor randomly different, but they are differentiated such that together they can create a

complete whole. Each sex is gifted for different steps in the

same Great Dance.”

24 Now as the church submits to Christ,

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so also wives should submit in everythingto their husbands.

The wife is called to submit herself to Christ by submitting

herself to the servant-leadership of her own husband.

25 Husbands, love your wives….

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25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ

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loved the church and gave himself up for her…..

“And Jesus called them to him and said to them, ‘You know that those who are considered rulers

of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall

not be so among you….

~ Jesus of Nazareth in the Gospel of Mark 10:42-45

“‘…But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as

a ransom for many.’”

~ Jesus of Nazareth in the Gospel of Mark 10:42-45

~ Jesus of Nazareth in The Gospel of John 13:12ff.

“Do you understand what I have done for you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and

you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you

also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have

given you an example, that you should do just as I have done for you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master…”

26 …that he might sanctify her, having

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cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might pre-sent the church to himself in splendour,out spot or wrinkle. 28 In the same way,husbands should love their wives as theirown bodies. He who loves his wife loves

…himself. 29 For no one ever hated his

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own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it,just as Christ does the church, 30 be-cause we are members of his body.

The husband is called to submit himself to Christ by submitting

himself to lovingly serve his wife.

32 “Therefore a man shall leave his father

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and mother and hold fast to his wife, andthe two shall become one flesh.” 32 Thismystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.

33 However, let each one of you love his

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wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Husbands and wives are called to submit their roles to Christ

in their love and service to one another.

Homework

Wives: Ask your husband, “How can I help you?”

Homework

Wives: Ask your husband, “How can I help you?”

Husbands: Ask your wife, “How can I serve you?”

flickr images courtesy of:image credit: mafleen https://www.flickr.com/photos/mafleen/8472558582/https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/