Ekhlas Mohammed is a new bride, but one without a honeymoon. Why? She and her new husband live in Dhuluiya, a town on Iraq's edge that has been literally torn apart—half joining the region's ISIS jihadists, and the other fighting them. That didn't stop Mohammed from braving the war zone to marry her husband, a tribal soldier on the other side of the line (battling ISIS).

The New York Times reported, "Ms. Mohammed put on a white dress and crossed the river, meeting Mr. Amer at a hair salon in Balad. They had pictures taken in a studio, and then took a boat home for a meal with his family. Most of her family did not attend because of the difficulty of crossing the battle lines, and there was no music because Mr. Amer was still grieving for his cousin, who had been buried near the house. Ms. Mohammed was still pleased. 'It was the most beautiful day of my life,' she said, 'and I'm very happy to have Ali beside me.'"

Possible Preaching Angle:

It's a powerful image that calls up pictures of the church—Christ's bride, torn between celebration of our great joy, and the reality that we still find ourselves in a war zone, a fallen and broken world. May peace and joy come to the new couple, as we know it will come to us.