"Suffer it to be so, for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness."

Re: The Sacred Marriage Ceremony in Washington, D. C.

FATHER DIVINE's Sermon given at the Holy Communion Table, Circle Mission Church, Home and Training School Inc.,
764-772 S. Broad Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Monday, August 5th, 1946 A.D.F.D. Time : 5:40 A.M.



FATHER and MOTHER DIVINE

FATHER and MOTHER DIVINE at the Banquet Table.

Directly after Reverend Shadd's remarks, FATHER DIVINE arose to further explain the mystery, speaking as follows:

Peace, Everyone: In the District of Columbia, Washington, D.C., you are required to apply for your marriage licence five days before; isn't that right? (FATHER inquires this of one of the secretaries, who smiles and nods in assent.)

In the District of Columbia, what may appear to be races are eliminated; therefore, it is legally permissible for interracial marriages, according to what they term races. It is legally permissible for international marriages, according to what they term nationalities.

The legalisticness of this sacred and only-such-an-unfoldment was consummated legally and in keeping with the law from A to Z, as far as those things are concerned; although it was understood that you would be obliged to give the name of the minister who is supposed to perform the ceremony. And when the license was applied for lastly, when they had gone to get them, it was required to put the name on the record. And they looked it up. Of course, they would call Dr. Shadd a So-and-so minister; but they have it on record as one that has been more highly legally authorized than the majority of them, because he was authorized by the Supreme Court of the United States.

Then I say, it was a privilege! Yet I had not met Dr. Shadd! He had not met ME Personally! He knew nothing of ME Personally more than hearsay; but when he called ME up and said he wanted to see ME and he was coming to Philadelphia, I said, "Well, I am on MY way or will be going to Newark and New York. I will be in New York." He said, "Well, I am coming there." He came ahead, not knowing anything about it and on Sunday met ME. He did not even know definitely who it was- and when I told him, he seemed to shrink as John did in the days of old in the Jordan. He said, "Am I worthy?" Or words to that effect, and seemed as though he felt as if though he was not worthy. And I said as I did in the Sonship Degree,

'Suffer it to be so, for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness.'


The time and the season had fully come that such a ceremony was to be performed, and so it was, after which we returned home. It was finished. The Work is done.

For lo these many years you, MY fellow citizens, hearers and friends, and especially MY following have been having a preview of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb daily. And it has been fulfilled in your very midst, but not in the conscious recognition of it as it is until now. But the beauty part of it is, the universalization of it.

The universality of the Truth as universalized, as you behold such Glory and such Honor as though it was the only one of the FATHER, you vision such Honor, and

'we beheld his glory as that of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and of truth.'


But what cometh next?

'And of all of his fullness have we all received, grace for grace.'

Do you have a good camera? Do you have a good snapshot? Focus it on the Perfect Picture. Reproduce it, if you are the camera or if you are the snapshot, and reproduce the same of what you have visioned. It is reproducible. It is develop-le. It is and can be developed. It is your privilege to improve on it. Exaggerate it in the Positive instead of the negative, if possible. I thank you.

 

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