Marriage: The Final Frontier

May 10, 2023

This last week we had a meeting for our upcoming Marriage retreat in September. Meeting with people and talking about what they would like to have at this retreat was fun. As I went through the process and plan for the weekend, someone brought up the many different family structures and how important it was that we didn’t alienate or leave someone out in our messaging. As we talked, we addressed the idea that parenting should look more like leaning into “the next generation” so that way we weren’t only talking about biological parents.

This quickly morphed into a conversation about the theme. As the creative brains started working and questions were asked, the theme that came to the forefront was Star Trek. Right, Star Trek, for a Marriage Retreat theme. At first, I was hesitant; how do we merge Star Trek and marriage to create a meaningful event that people will want to attend that will change their lives and strengthen their marriages? Many of you might already know this, but I am not creative. I couldn’t figure out where to take this for the life of me. So, my wife and I talked.

This conversation helped immensely, as her thoughts had been flowing. She came up with the greatest theme for a marriage conference. Marriage, The final frontier. I loved it; not only did I love it, I could immediately see the value in the thought process. What I wanted to teach was John 15:1-17, “

 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes^[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. ³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴ Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing. ⁶ If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. ⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

⁹ “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. ¹² My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command. ¹⁵ I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. ¹⁷ This is my command: Love each other

The idea of the Marriage conference was going to be about remaining or making it final. So often, marriages are tossed out as couples get tired, get stressed, or even get stretched beyond their capacity. What if we can use this crazy Star Trek idea to help people see the finality of marriage as not a hindrance but instead adding a sense of wonder as we grow together? Just a thought.