Wedding Ceremony

WEDDING CEREMONY

September 20, 2008

PRELIMINARIES

Prelude

Lighting of Candles

PROCESSIONAL

Principal Sponsor

Officiating Ministers

Parents of the Groom

Best Man

Bridesmaids/ Groomsmen

Ring Bearer

Bible Bearer

Coin Bearer

Maid of Honor

Flower Girls

Bride with the father (Congregational please stand)

PASTOR’S INTRODUCTION

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here together in the sight of God, and before these witnesses, to join together PETER AND MARIE in holy matrimony.

A wedding is an occasion when a man and a woman publicly proclaim their love and declare their commitment to one another.

PETER AND MARIE are both pleased and honored that you have responded to their invitation to share these happy sacred moments with them. And they are praying that the blessing of the Lord, our God will be upon us all as we assemble here.

INVOCATION

We thank You Father for the gift of life, for family and friends, and for the love that exists between PETER AND MARIE

As we gather here, we are mindful of the presence of the Holy Spirit who has brought us to this event.

We turn to You in faith, asking that You will enhance the lives of this couple in their union. We now commit this sacred moments , and ask Your blessing upon it, through Christ our Lord. Amen

(Motion to the congregation to be seated)

GIVING OF THE BRIDE:

Minister: Who gives this woman to be married to this man?

Father of the Bride: “I, her father.”

SCRIPTURE READING: 1 Cor 13 CPT Ricky Evans

CHARGE TO THE COUPLE:

The letter of apostle Paul to the Ephesians believers 5:22-28 said,

22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.

23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.

24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her

26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,

27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.

PETER AND MARIE, in just a few minutes you will publicly express your love, & vows to each other for the rest of your life in the sacred covenant of marriage.

You guys shared to me how and when both of you first met, and the situations involved. I am sure since those days both of you have learned to love & to appreciate each other.

There have been acts of thoughtfulness & words of encouragement. You have gained a respect for each other’s qualities, strength of resolve, trustworthiness, & kindness.

I feel confident that during this time you have grown & matured in your relationship with each other.

And if you remain faithful to the vows you are about to make, your life together will be a blessing to both of you & to those around you.

Let me explain this to you, what this passage is telling us about marriage. It’s talks about submission. What does submission means?

Submitting to another person is frequently misunderstood concept.

It does not mean becoming a doormat or slaves. Submission means the willingness to obey.

In marriage relationship, both husband and wife are called to submit.

For the wife, it means . . . willingly . . . following her husband’s leadership in Christ.

For the husband, it means putting aside his own interest in order to take care of his wife.

Submission is rarely a problem in a home where both husband and wife have a strong relationship with Jesus Christ.

And I believe that both of you have that strong relationship with Christ as your own personal Savior and Lord.

PETER AND MARIE, each of you will brings unique contribution to your marriage life because both of you are equal.

And it is also important to remember not to take each other for granted - and to remember to take time for each other.

CHARGE TO THE PRINCIPAL SPONSORS:

(Minister asks the Principal Sponsors to please stand)

In affirmation of the desire to declare publicly their mutual commitment to marriage, PETER AND MARIE have Invited you to become their godparents- Ninong and Ninang.

By your presence here, you have committed yourselves to be more than just observers.

You are in fact accepting responsibility for supporting this couple in the new relationship into which they are about to enter.

God established marriage as the foundation of a healthy society. As a part of the society in which this couple shall live, you are called upon to be thankful when they experience happiness, to be understanding when they fall, to assist them in times of difficulties and to be prayerful at all times for their well-being.