Wedding Ceremony

WEDDING CEREMONY

Parents Seated:

Vocal Solo: Surely The Presence

Greeting:

Friends we are gathered here today in the sight of God, and in the presence of these witnesses, to join this man and this woman in Holy Matrimony; which is an honorable estate, instituted of God, and signifying unto us the mystical union which exists between Christ and His church; which holy estate Christ adorned and beautified with His presence in Cana of Galilee. It is therefore not to be entered into unadvisedly, but reverently, discreetly, and in the fear of God. Into this Holy Estate these two persons come to be joined.

Who Gives This Woman in Marriage?

Prayer

Message to Couple:

Reading from The Message—Ephesians 5:22-33

Wives, understand and support your husbands in ways that show your support for Christ. The husband provides leadership to his wife the way Christ does his church, not by domineering but by cherishing. So, just as the church submits to Christ as he exercises leadership, wives should likewise submit to their husbands.

Husbands go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church—a love marked by giving, not getting. Christ’s love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of here, dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant with holiness. And that is how husbands ought to love their wives.

That’s how Christ treats us, the church, since we are a part of his body. And this is why a man leaves his father and mother and cherishes his wife. No longer two, they become one flesh. This is a huge mystery, and I don’t pretend to understand it at all. What is clearest to me is the way Christ treats the church. And this provides a good picture of how each husband is to treat his wife, loving himself in loving her, and how each wife is to honor her husband.

To think that Paul compares the relationship you are now entering to the relationship of Christ and His church gives understanding as to why marriage is such a sacred thing.

The covenants that you are about to make to each other are sacred and holy. This afternoon I would like to suggest three foundational stones on which to build your marriage.

The first foundational stone is:

1. CONSECRATION: “Christ is the head of the church”, and as the head of the church so also the Lord of our lives; the chief cornerstone. As you stand here today you are making a vow to God. A vow to keep him as the center of your home. If your marriage is to achieve the level of intimacy and success that you desire it will because of your deep consecration to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in your life.

2. COMMITMENT: For anything to be accomplished there has to be those who are committed to the task. Nothing worthwhile ever comes easy. True love is a commitment. , welfare: her mental, emotional, spiritual, physical, and material are all yours to care for. Make her see that she is the most important person in your life. Provide for her that sense of peace and security that she will free her to be the wife that she wants to be for you.

____ , acknowledge _____ as the head of your home, as the one who wants nothing more than to make your joy complete.

I was reminded of this level of commitment just this week. Most of us have no problem in the commitment to the part of our vows that say, “For better”. It is the “for worse” part that gives us some trouble.

Many of us, if asked to define the picture of love would point to a day such as today. Two people dressed in their finest standing in front of friends committing to a lifetime of loving each other.

This week, while visiting in the hospital, I seen a wife feed her husband of many years, every bite of his meal because he was too weak to feed himself. Wipe his face gently with the napkin. Sit by his bed and just hold his hand.

That’s the picture of love. That kind of love comes from commitment—not jut a feeling.

3. COMMUNICATION: Tell each other that you love each other. Never take it for granted. Discover what means the most to each other and use that to say, perhaps without a spoken work, “I love you.”

Often it is not what is said—but how it is said that is important.

Sounds easy. Consecration, commitment, communication, but it will require hard work. If followed you will have many years of great joy.

Vocal Solo: There is Love

Promissory Vows:

Vows are important in God’s sight. Will you join hands and face each other and repeat after me your vows to each other.