Sermon Recap from this last weekend: Wedding!

 Well, it's a trick headline. I didn't preach Sunday because I was doing a wedding. However, I thought it would be worth sharing the wedding ceremony I use here. Partly because we aren't usually listening at weddings anyway, so it might help to see it in print. Partly because it gives me a backup location where I can find this next time I do a wedding. 

This is, with names redacted, the same file I use for a wedding. What I will do is put the bride and groom's name in at the appropriate locations, and then read it throughout. On an iPad, highlighting shows up clearly in a way it won't here, but realize some of this is direction, some is "repeat after me" text. In all, it takes about 20 minutes to go through. (18 minutes at normal talking speed, to be precise).

“Dearly beloved:

     We have come together in the presence of God to witness and bless the joining together of this man and this woman in Holy Matrimony. The bond and covenant of marriage was established by God in creation, and our Lord Jesus Christ adorned this manner of life by his presence and first miracle at a wedding in Cana of Galilee. It signifies to us the mystery of the union between Christ and his Church, and Holy Scripture commends it to be honored among all people."

"The union of husband and wife in heart, body, and mind is intended by God for their mutual joy; for the help and comfort given one another in prosperity and adversity; and, when it is God's will, for the procreation of children and their nurture in the knowledge and love of the Lord. Therefore, marriage is not to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently, deliberately, and in accordance with the purposes for which it was instituted by God. Yet neither should we come today with hearts too heavy, for marriage is also given by God as a gift to be enjoyed. That is one of the glorious mysteries of marriage: that a lifetime covenant should be a thing of joy and excitement rather than a dreary burden.

“Marriage further reminds us of the temporary nature of life, but the foundation of the promises of God. J and S come today to covenant that no matter what changes life brings, they will stand to face those changes together, bound with each other in the Lord Jesus Christ.

“A wedding, though, is not just about the couple being wed. If it were, none of you needed to be here, and all the decorating is in vain. Rather, the wedding ceremony carries with it reminders to the rest of us that here:

“First, to those who have walked this pathway and taken similar vows: that we will not only abide by our vows, but find joy and strength in the keeping of them. Let the happiness of a new couple now send you home to remember and live in the happiness you have together.

“Second, this is a request for help by this couple. J and S, realize you cannot make it through your marriage with just the two of you. Realize also that you don’t have to. You stand here today asking your family and your church family to lovingly help you glorify God through your marriage. We stand with you, willing first of all to show by our actions how marriage glorifies God, and second to speak words of encouragement and blessing to you as you grow. We also long to watch you and see the ways God works in your lives through your marriage.

“Finally, this is a challenge to all of us: to some, to commit to whatever God has for you. For others, to live up to the commitments we have made. For all of us, to remember that in all things, love is a glorious thing to have.”

 

Exchange of Vows:

The Celebrant says to the Bride:

"S do you take J to be your husband; to live together in the covenant of marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and cherish him, in sickness and in health, in plenty and in want, through mountains and valleys, forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?"

The Bride answers "I do"

The Celebrant says to the Groom:

"J, do you take S to be your wife; to live together in the covenant of marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and cherish her, in sickness and in health; in plenty and in want, through mountains and valleys, forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?"

The Groom answers "I do”

The Groom, facing the Bride and taking her right hand in his, says:

Repeat after me: USE SHORT 5 WORD GROUPS

"In the sight of God, I, J, take you, _S_____, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better and for worse, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow."

"In the sight of God, I, S, take you, J, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better and for worse, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow."

“May I have the rings?”

“The giving of rings symbolizes the commitment of marriage.  A ring forms a circle, with no end, made of rare and precious metal, showing the value of marriage, and worn on the left hand, closest to the heart.”

Ask God's blessing on a ring or rings as follows:

"Bless, O Lord, these rings to be a sign of the vows by which this Man and this Woman have bound themselves to each other; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

Repeat after me: USE SHORT 5 WORD GROUPS

 

The Groom places the ring on the ring-finger of the Bride’s hand and says:

"S, I give you this ring as a symbol of my vows, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

The Bride places the ring on the ring-finger of the Groom's hand and says:

“J, I give you this ring as a symbol of my vows, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

Foundation of faith, fidelity commitment---interrelation, shared life though still individuals

Then the Celebrant joins the right hands of husband and wife and says:

"Now that J and S have given themselves to each other by solemn vows, with the joining of hands and the giving and receiving of a ring, I pronounce that they are husband and wife, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

“You may now kiss the bride”

“Gathered family, friends, and guests, I now introduce to you:

Mr. and Mrs. J and S”