A couple celebrates 70 years of marriage, seven decades after their church wedding
A couple in Malvern, England, have celebrated their platinum wedding anniversary, marking 70 years since they married at Christ Church in 1956. It is a milestone few couples ever reach: a lifetime of staying together through everything the decades bring.
"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."
The Preacher of Ecclesiastes, who spent his whole book on how fleeting everything is, pauses to praise something that lasts: two who hold together. Seventy years is almost unimaginable now, a marriage older than most of what we call permanent. His wisdom is quiet but deep: two are stronger than one, and a cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Generations of believers have read that third strand as the Lord woven through a marriage, the One who holds a couple when their own grip tires. Seven decades is not the triumph of two strong people. It is the strength of the cord.
Father, thank You for love that lasts and for the faithfulness that holds two people together across a lifetime. Be the third strand in every marriage, the strength when ours runs out. Teach us to keep our promises as You keep Yours. Amen.