A Wedding Meditation

We are gathered here today on this most joyous to join this man and this woman in the holy estate of matrimony. Who gives this woman to be married to this man?

Family member will answer:

Her family and I.

OR SOMETHING APPROPRIATE FOR THE SITUATION

Seat the guests.

Marriage is an institution of God. All of our thinking on the subject matter comes from the Holy Scriptures. God himself originated marriage when he said, “A man shall leave his mother and his father and shall cling to his waif and the two shall become one flesh.” Further more, it is not without significance that Jesus began his public ministry of miracles, by turning water into wine at a wedding celebration much like this one. Like wise I do not think that it is out of order that Saint Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit chose the symbol of husband and wife to represent the relationship that exists between Christ and the church.

Given that God places such a high value on marriage, it must not be entered into lightly or without thought. But with careful consideration knowing that God is the ordainer of this blessed matrimony.

Have the couple turn and face each other and if necessary, have the bride giver her flowers to the maid/matron of honor.

Say to the groom:

GROOM will you have BRIDE to be your lawfully wedded wife to live together after God’s ordinances in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love her, comfort her respect, and keep her in sickness and health, forsaking all other for as long as you both shall live?

The groom shall answer:

I will.

Say to the bride:

BRIDE will you have GROOM to be your lawfully wedded husband to live together after God’s ordinances in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love him, comfort him respect, and keep him in sickness and health, forsaking all other for as long as you both shall live?

The bride shall answer:

I will.

Say to the groom repeat after me:

I GROOM take you BRIDE to be my wedded wife to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till God by death, dose separates us.

Say to the bride repeat after me:

I BRIDE take you GROOM to be my wedded husband to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till God by death, dose separates us.

The minister shall ask:

What token do you offer to fulfill the vows you have made?

The minister shall take the ring and hold it up for the congregations to see it, and then he shall say:

The ring is made of a metal that dose not tarnish and is most enduring. It is in the form of a circle which is unbroken, having no beginning and no ending. It symbolizes the relationship that is to exist between the two of you.

As Adam and Eve came from the same flesh, the two of you are to be one and help each other. One is not take charge of the other, but as a couple you are to work together as you tackle life’s challenges.

The relationship of husband and wife is most scarred when it is made up of the union of two lives, of two natures and of two hearts that beat as one.

Turn to the groom and say:

Place the ring on your brides finger and say, “With this ring I thee wed.”

Turn to the bride and say:

Place the ring on your brides finger and say, “With this ring I thee wed.”

The minister shall then say:

For this afternoon’s scripture reading we will be looking at 1st Corinthians chapter 13, found in the New Testament, known as the love chapter.

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.