Hughes / Wik Wedding
Notes
Transcript
Dearly beloved we gathered together here in the sight of God and the face of this company to join together Kenneth Hughes II and Leah Wik in Holy matrimony. This sacrament is commended of the apostle Paul to to be honorable among all men. Therefore, it is not to be entered into lightly, but reverently, discreetly, advisedly, and in the fear of God. Into this holy estate these two persons come now to be joined.
Giving of Bride
To Tim (Sarah standing): Who gives this bride to be married to this groom?
Father places brides hand into groom’s and then turn and face me.
Charge to Bride and Groom
Kenneth and Leah, I charge you as you stand in the presence of God, to remember that love and loyalty alone will avail as the foundation of a happy and enduring home. There are no other human ties more tender and no other vows more sacred than those you now assume. If these solemn vows be faithfully kept, and if steadfastly you endeavor to do the will of your Heavenly Father, your life will be full of joy, and the home you are establishing will abide in peace.
Declaration of Intent
Kenneth Hughes II will you have this woman to be your wedded wife, to live together after God’s ordinance in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love her, comfort her, honor her, and keep her in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto her so long as you both shall live?
Answer I will.
Leah Wik will you have this man to be your wedded husband, to live together after God’s ordinance in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love him, comfort him, honor him, and keep him in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto him so long as you both shall live?
Answer I will.
Please join me on the stage.
We will now hear the reading of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 read by Sarah Davis
Charge to the Congregation
I know charge the congregation of witnesses gathered here will all of you witnessing these vows do everything in your power to uphold Kenneth and Leah in their marriage
Everyone answer: We will.
Prayer
Dear Lord we come into your presence with thanksgiving, praise, and joy. We thank you for the assurance of Your guidance in our lives. We praise you for the awareness that You care about every endeavor of our lives, especially our relationships that lead to Christian marriage. Bless then, this special occasion as Kenneth and Leah come before You, their family, and friends to join their lives together in the covenant of marriage. In the name of Jesus, we pray, amen.
Sermon
1 Corinthians 13:4–8 (NASB 2020)
4 Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant.
5 It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered,
6 it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;
7 it keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails...
Here in these few verses God defines love. How love is slow to lose patience, it looks for a way of being constructive. It is not possessive, it does not pursue selfish advantage. It is not touchy. Love knows no limit to its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading of its hope; it can outlast anything it will still stand when all else as fallen.
13 But now faith, hope, and love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
The definition love given in these verses outlines the difficulty and underscores the life-long character of love.
Like God’s definition of love so to marriage is to be life-long. In the second chapter of Genesis God gives vital insights to the concept of marriage. In this chapter we learn how the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils breath of life so that man became a living soul. Then the Lord God placed him in the beautiful garden eden.
Something was not good, something was lacking. The man was not complete in the garden. Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for man to be alone, I will make him a helper suitable for him.”
This early Biblical account shows that the woman was intended to complete man, to be his counterpart, to walk by his side for life.
After the Lord had decided to make woman he caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam. God took a rib from his side, not part of his head or foot, but from near his heart, to be of the same substance as man, a co-equal, not inferior or superior, but sharer of life.
In a marriage ceremony with God Himself as the officiant, He brought the woman to the man. Being united with the woman, man was now complete and whole. No longer were they two, but one. Adam expressed the closeness of their union when he declared, Genesis 2:23
Genesis 2:23 (NASB 2020) “At last this is bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called ‘woman,’ Because she was taken out of man.”
Believing that this couple understands that kind of love and commitment as taught in God’s word, we share together with you in this sacrament of matrimony to witness your entering into this sacred covenant of marriage.
Leah and Kenneth will now exchange vows
Leah and Kenneth’s Vows
Leah: Kenny, you are my best friend and I promise to love and cherish you.
Kenny: Leah, I have never had a better friend. I promise to love you, Laugh with you and comfort you.
Leah:I promise to grow along with you and to be willing to face change when we both change.
Kenny:I promise to share my hopes, my thoughts and my dreams as we build our lives together.
Leah:When you need someone to encourage you, you will always have me.
Kenny: When you need a helping hand,You will always have mine. From this day forward, you do not walk alone.
Leah: My arms will be your shelter, my heart will be your home.
Together: I promise to love you with all I have to give. In the only way that I know. For I carry your heart, I carry it in my heart - Always and forever.
Kenny:I will always have your back. If you fall behind I’ll wait up
Leah:I will earn your respect and pay you respect every day we have together
Kenny:I’ll be your scout, your night watchman. The calvary.
Leah:Your medic and Chaplin in an army of two
Together: No retreat, no surrender, you can count on me.
Salt Covenant
Kenneth and Leah have chose to do something a little different. In biblical times people would often preform a salt covenant. Salt being important to life it was used in a ceremony that unites and binds. Entering into a Covenant of Salt means binding oneself to another in utmost loyalty and truthfulness, even suffering death, rather than breaking the covenant. For this very reason a Covenant of Salt was never done lightly or haphazardly; it deserves serious respect.
A Marriage Salt Covenant does the same thing by asking Kenneth and Leah to combine their grains of salt. Their commitment to each other cannot be broken unless they can each retrieve their own grains of salt. Since this is not possible, it is a symbol of an unbreakable covenant and vow of eternal love.
Move with me to the table under the cross.
Before each of you is a vial of salt which represents your individuality as well as your hopes, dreams, desires and promises for the success of this marriage and the unity of the family it is creating. By blending your salt with the other, you enter into a Covenant that symbolizes your acceptance of this marriage and your vow to become one family. Once blended, you must honor that vow throughout your life.
Please blend your salts.
As these grains of salt are forever joined together, may you both be forever joined as husband and wife!
Let us move back to the front of the stage.
Ring Ceremony
Having shared your vows and bound yourselves in a covenant of salt, you will now give and exchange rings as the symbol of these vows and covenant of faith and love. A marriage rings says I love someone special. It is an outward symbol of an inner commitment.
Ask for the ring from the best man
Kenneth take the ring from my hand
Place the ring on Leah’s finger and repeat after me
With this ring I thee wed. And with it I give you my faithfulness and devotion.
Leah take the ring from my hand
Place the ring on Kenneth’s finger and repeat after me
With this ring I thee wed. And with it I give you my faithfulness and devotion.
Prayer
Dear Father, we come to you through Jesus Christ our Lord, the supreme manifestation of Your love. We praise and thank you for Kenneth and Leah. We thank you for their public declaration of faith, love, and devotion to You and to one another. We are grateful for their families, their friends, and every person who has expressed their love in some way for these two as they have come to this place and time in their lives.
May their home so exemplify Christ that others will be strengthened and encouraged by Your light shining through them and from their home. May Kenneth and Leah remember Jesus Christ is Lord, always in every facet of their marriage and family. For we pray and ask in the name of the Father and The Son, and The Holy Spirit, Amen.
Closing Introduction
Today you have made a lifelong covenant to each other. You have unashamedly shared your vows. You have entered a salt covenant the symbol of two becoming one. You have given beautiful rings as a public demonstration of your love. Believing that it is your desire to have a happy home built on the lordship of Jesus Christ, it is my joy and privilege to pronounce that from this moment on you are now husband and wife. What the Lord has joined together let no man separate.
May God bless you always and in all ways.
Kenneth you may kiss your bride.
Please turn toward the congregation of witnesses!
It is my honor and privilege to be the first to introduce to you Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Hughes II!
Jumping Over the Broom
Jumping over the broom has a long tradition in many cultures, couples jump over brooms as a sort of signifier of sweeping away the old to make way for a new beginning.
Kenneth and Leah will now share in that long tradition as they literally jump over the broom.
After Bride and Groom and procession have left
The Families of the Bride and Groom invite everyone to the reception at Blue Mountain Community Church.
If you are not able to attend the bride and groom would like the honor of having their picture take with each you before you leave.
May the Lord bless each of this day, amen.
Step Down and leave.