Anyone who’s been to more than five weddings has probably heard all the wedding sermons you will hear. Most pastors give a fairly common sermon: husbands love your wives, wives submit to your husbands (Ephesians 5), limitless devotion (Ruth 1), forgiveness and love (Colossians 3), and leaving and cleaving (Genesis 2). But here’s another one (possibly).

Imagine standing in front of the bride and groom to be. As you start your wedding homily, you bypass the traditional love messages, and head straight for Genesis 6. What is Genesis 6? It’s the beginning of the story of Noah and the Ark. You know that story right? The lovely childhood story in which God decides to kill all humanity. Definitely not “G” rated.

And what does the death of mankind have to do with marriage? Read carefully Genesis 6:5, “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually (ESV).” So mankind is wicked, but what does that wickedness look like? The only explicit example given comes back in verse 2: “the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose,” (ESV). Now, we can debate exactly who were the “sons of God,” but what is important to understand is, whoever they were, they were taking multiple wives. They violated the sanctity of marriage.

So you explain to the bride and groom to be God values the marriage relationship so much, that when it’s violated, God has destroyed the human race. You look out to the crowd and warn them, if this couple doesn’t stay together, then everyone’s at risk for trouble. Think that will motive the attendees to encourage this young couple in their marriage? If we forsake marriage, we better start practicing holding our breath.

Or maybe you just leave this amusing anecdote for pre-marital counseling…?