The following was a wedding homily, which I’ve adapted here for written and public format.

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Believe it or not, your wedding day is not about you.

Now, of course, in one sense today is about you. Friends and family have traveled from near and far to witness and celebrate your marriage.

But at a deeper level, your wedding—your marriage—is not ultimately about you. Rather, marriage exists for Christ. So too, the marriage you are about to enter into exists for Christ. It exists to display the preeminence of Christ.

Christ’s preeminence (Colossians 1:15–20)

Colossians 1:15–20 has two main parts. First, in vv.15–17, Paul extols Christ’s preeminence over creation. Then in verses 18–20, he praises Christ’s preeminence over redemption, or we might say, the new creation—and specifically the church.

This is so that, as Paul says in v.18, Christ might have preeminence in everything. By preeminence, Paul means that Christ holds first place, supreme rank, absolute priority. Or as some translations say, “that in everything he might have the supremacy” (NIV) or “that he might come to have first place in everything” (NRSVue, CSB, NASB, cf. NET, NLT). In other words, Christ is not one important figure among many; he is the singular, ultimate reality toward which all of creation moves.

Let’s briefly survey what Paul says.

Over creation (Col 1:15–17)

Christ “is the image of the invisible God” (v.15). Christ perfectly reveals what God is like. What God is, Christ is. The fullness of deity dwells in him (v.19). The invisible God has made himself visible in Christ.

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