Wedding Ceremony

Wedding Ceremony

Prelude/Light Candles/Seat Mothers/Processional

Presentation of the Bride/Welcome/Call to worship

We are here today with family and friends, in the presence of God, to participate in a most joyous occasion, to celebrate one of life’s greatest moments, by acknowledging the marriage of _________&_________.

Marriage was established by God, and endorsed by the Apostle Paul as an honorable state among men; and so not to be entered into casually or by chance, but entered into, in love and reverence of the Lord.

Giving of the Bride: Who presents this woman to be married to this man?

Congregation Seated

Declaration of Intent: __________, do you take __________ to be your lawful wedded wife, Do you promise to love, honor, and protect her? Share the good times and achievements as well as the hard times and disappointments? Keep her in sickness and in sorrow? To be faithful only to her, and live according to the commandment of God in holy marriage, forevermore?

________: I do

________, do you take________ to be your lawful wedded husband, Do you promise to love, honor, and protect him? Share the good times and achievements as well as the hard times and disappointments? Keep him in sickness and in sorrow? To be faithful only to him, and live according to the commandment of God in holy marriage, forevermore? __________: I do

Prayer-Thanking God for miracle of marriage that you established, for _________&__________, & their love & commitment to each other.

Ascend platform while Mark sings

Message: ___________&____________, this is one of those special moments in life, & we are all here, your family & friends to celebrate with you. Today I’d like to share a few thoughts with you about marriage, specifically a marriage centered on God-because I know that is what the two of you desire to have.

To really understand the meaning of marriage, we need to go back to the beginning, and look at Gen 2, where God established marriage “The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” …..So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman, ’ for she was taken out of man.” For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.”

3 things about marriage that I want to highlight from this passage.

It was not good for the man to be alone-this was the only time in the whole account of creation where we see God say that something was not good. We were not created to live in isolation, we were created to live in community-So God said he would make a “helper fit for him.” Couple of interesting things about that phrase. The word translated as helper there implies that it would be someone who would assist and encourage him. Someone who provides support for what is lacking in the one who needs help. And then the second part of that phrase “fit for him.” completes the idea that this is not just anyone who could help, but it is someone specifically created to be his counterpart, his companion, the one who completes him.

Eve was created from Adam, not dust-When God provides the one to be Adams counterpart, it is a special moment of creation, instead of taking the dust as He had done with the animals, He took a piece of the man and used it to create a companion for him. And immediately Adam knew that only with her would he be complete.

Finally vs. 24 says that the man will “be united w/ his wife” carries the idea of committed faithfulness, whatever comes we will face it together. The word translated “united” is a person directed word & as such the Faithfulness it implies involves a positive commitment from both of you to the freedom, maturity & growth of the other.

All three of these things are illustrated very well in a poem that you shared with me during the process of planning this ceremony, called “The Art of Marriage”. It says:

The little things are the big things. It is never being to old to hold hands. It is remembering to say “I love you” at least once a day. It is never going to sleep angry. It is at no time taking the other for granted; and courtship should not end with the honeymoon, it should continue through all the years. It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives. It is standing together facing the world. It is forming a circle of love that gathers the whole family. It is doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice, but in the spirit of joy. It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways. It is not expecting the husband to wear a halo or the wife to have wings of an angel. It is not looking for perfection in each other. It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding and a sense of humor. It is having the capacity to forgive and forget. It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow. It is finding room for the things of the spirit. It is a common search for the good and the beautiful. It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal, dependence is mutual and the obligation is reciprocal. It is not only marrying the right partner, it is being the right partner.