Marriage Ceremony For Two Christians

Marriage Ceremony for

_______and _______

Who gives this woman to be married? Her mother and I.

Thank you can be seated.

Dearly beloved we are gathered here in the sight of God and the presence of this company, to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony. Marriage is an honorable estate, instituted by God, blessed by the Lord Jesus Christ and declared by the Apostle Paul to be honorable among all men. It is not therefore, to be entered into lightly but reverently, soberly, and in the fear of God.

Prayer - God our Father upon this two young people, Hunter and Kyla we pray your blessings. Grant that these moments may be so filled with sacred meaning that they will be able to look back on them through all the years ahead and know that without a doubt this was a good hour. Amen

I want to direct your attention to 1 Corinthians 13. It not only is a very beautiful passage of Scripture but it contains some great advice for those who are entering a marriage relationship. I am not going to mislead you a good marriage requires work.

“Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, 5 never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong. 6 It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever truth wins out. 7 If you love someone, you will be loyal to them no matter what the cost. You will always believe in them, always expect the best of them, and always stand your ground in defending them... true love never dies.”

(1 Cor 13:4-8 - Living Bible)

Although 1 Corinthians 13, is often called “The Love Chapter” - the love that is being described is not romantic love. The New Test-ament was written in Greek, a rich language that has four different words that describe four different types of love. The word used in 1 Corinthians 13 is the word “agape,” and is best described as “unconditional love.” The love of which Paul speaks is not just an emotion but rather a behavior we exercise even when we do not feel loving or lovable.

I want to examine just a few of the ideals that Paul presents concerning love.

First, he says, “Love is patient, love is kind.” Sometimes you will be stressed out. Some-times you will be frustrated. Sometimes you might want to give harsh criticism when your spouse does some-thing foolish or hurtful. But remember “Love is patient and kind.”

Second, Paul tells us that “Love is not jealous or boastful.” Sometimes we try to make our-selves look better than we really are. We may even criticize and put down our partner in an effort to make us feel better about our-selves. Such selfish behavior in a marriage will prove to be unproductive, even destructive.

May I suggest an alternative that is much more worth-while and enjoyable? Be proud of each other; never expect of each other the perfection that belongs to God alone. Learn to minimize each other’s weaknesses and praise and magnify each other’s strengths.

Paul’s next advice is to “avoid arrogance and rudeness.” Paul knows that sometimes we treat those we love with less courtesy even than a total stranger. We may take our spouses for granted. Occasionally we may be rude to them in private. Paul would urge that we strive to treat our spouse with reverence and respect just like we would want them to treat us.

Perhaps the hardest to practice of all the ideals that Paul holds up before us is, “Love does not insist upon its own way.” Now, _____ and ___, I’m going to assume there will be times in your relationship with each other, that one or both of you will insist on having your own way.

Such behavior is present in most relationships. But it is not helpful. Marriage is intended to be a journey in which “Me” and “My” are replaced by “Us” and “Ours.”

Paul then tells us that love “is not irritable or resentful.” Most of us struggle with this reality. Rather than being pleasant, we are sometimes easily irritated or angered. Rather than politely answering a simple question of a spouse, we may respond with by being sharp or defensive.

Paul sums up his beautiful description of love with these words, “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” In other words, love never gives up. It hangs in. It holds on. You can count on it. This is the type of love you are to have for one another - love that can be trusted.