Monday, May 21, 2007

The Minister





Nearly 30 minutes late, with hundreds of guests already waiting, the judge was no where to be found. The wedding party was on the verge of panic, wondering how the ceremony would proceed without an officiant. At that point, I raised my and meekly said, "I can marry them."

Everyone stopped and just stared at me for a moment, when my aunt broke the silence, "Are you an ordained minister?"

"Yes."

No one waited for an explanation. They simply breathed a collective sigh of relief and refocused their energy into getting the bridesmaids lined up.

I went ahead and told the groom where to stand. He looked back at me nervously and said, "Where's the judge?"

"He's not here," I said, "I'll be performing the ceremony."

He got a momentary look of panic and said nervously, "Have you done this before?"

"Don't worry," I said, "I've done this a few times."

At that point, the bridesmaids and the groomsmen appeared at the top of the stairs and began their march toward the front of the stage. There was no more time for questions or objections.

I arrived a guest, and by the end of the ceremony, I had performed a public ministerial act in the presence of hundreds of witnesses. I hadn't wanted to go public with my ordination, but now half of Wellpinit knows. I'm just waiting for people to start asking how I became a minister. That's a story for another day.

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