Wedding

Let us all remain standing as we pray:

Father God, our most gracious heavenly father, we thank You for making us in your image. For when you made us in your image you also gave us the very essence of who you are – love.

This afternoon we shout praises to the you our LORD. On this special occasion we are joyful and come in to worship you LORD who placed these two special people together. We declare today that you are our Lord oh God. We belong to you and we are your people. God you are good and we know that your love and faithfulness will last forever. Bless this day Oh lord for today we bring you Derek and Solange for you to join together in marriage.

Amen

Congregation may be seated

Who gives this bride in marriage?

Response from father/person giving the bride: I do

Well (HIS NAME) and (HER NAME) I know you have been waiting a long time to be here and we are finally here.

ADAM AND EVE

Now most ministers would start the wedding message by taking a look at the institution of marriage. When God united Adam and Eve…. I am going to do the same but only because it means I can tell a quick joke….Adam and Eve had an ideal marriage. He didn’t have to hear about all the men she could have married, and she didn’t have to hear about the way his mother cooked.

I thought I’d begin with “The Top Ten Lines” that may have been used by Adam when he courted Eve.

10. You know you’re the only one for me.

9. Do you come here often?

8. Trust me, this was meant to be! (I tried this one out on Beth when we were dating – it didn’t work real well!)

7. Look around, baby. All the other guys are animals!

6. I already feel like you’re a part of me!

5. Honey, you were made for me!

4. You’re the girl of my dreams! (See Genesis 2:21)

3. I like a woman who doesn’t mind being ribbed!

2. You’re the apple of my eye!

1. Why don’t you come over to my place and we can name the animals?

Well the moment has finally arrived. I know (his name) and (her name), you have been almost panting towards this day for a long while now.

DESPITE FRIENDS AND FAMILY – STAND APART FROM ALL BEINGS - CIRCLE

Well now you are surrounded by your family and friends and they have all come to share this special day with you.

But despite them being here, you stand apart from all other beings today. You stand within THE BEAUTIFUL CIRCLE OF YOUR LOVE.

This beautiful circle is only for the two of you. Only the two of you can enjoy and rejoice in this very special circle.

The love that you have however comes from only one place. I may have spread the petals in a circle around you, but that’s just symbolic of the one that has draw the circle in Love. God is love. Without him encircling your love, your love is incomplete. It always a joy to join people who know that the circle has been placed there by God himself and the circle he has placed around you is quite unique. No other circle of love is or will be the same as the one into which you two step today. He planned he knew the shape of it and he knew that for the circle to be complete for (his name), (her name) had to be in it. And for the circle to be complete for (her name), (his name) had to be by her side.

So as we celebrate with you today, know that from now and forever more, this circle is yours. And should only ever be yours. Jointly you have been called by God to protect, manage and uphold that circle of love. No one else can make this circle work. Only the two of you with the one who created the circle for you. From this day forward its up to you.

Now many times you will go to a wedding and you will the scriptures about marriage read. The age old favourite of Ephesians 5. “Wives be in subjection to your husbands and husbands love your wives as your own body” - you know the scripture. Well all those scriptures and there are many more, are valuable tools that the two of you will discover to help maintain that circle.

Derek, you are the maintenance man on this circle. You make sure that the walls of this circle or never breached. You make sure that the circle remains in tact at all times. You are the strength of this circle. The effort you put into maintaining this circle is selfless. You will not reap from your own labor. You will not benefit from your maintaining this circle. But because of you nurturing this special place that God has put you in with (her name), the blessing will come from (her name). For you see as you lead this circle of love, what it will prompt (her name) to do is love you deeper every moment of every day. What greater reward could any man ask for. That scripture in Eph 5 in the message reads as follows: