Sermon Tone Analysis

SERVICE OF MARRIAGE

Prior to Service:

***PREPARE Communion Elements

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Invite ALL to Stand for the Bride

(seat congregation)

Social Media Minute

As we prepare to witness the marriage union between Antonio and Jessica, I want to invite everyone to take out their phones for a social media minute!

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Now, may I ask you to kindly ask you to silence your phones and put them away for the duration of the service, as I welcome all of you to the wedding ceremony of Antonio Bernal and Jessica Macgowan!

This is the day the Lord has made.

We will rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalms 118:24 NLT

Because we are gathered together here today in the presence of God to witness Antonio Bernal and Jessica Macgowan become united together in sacred marriage, an institution ordained by God, and to be honored by all people.

To both of you, Antonio and Jessica, may I express on behalf of your family and friends gathered here with you today that we feel such a deep and profound sense of joy to celebrate this sacred union with you.

Word of Explanation:

Through the witness of Scripture, we have learned that God has instructed all those who enter into this sacred marriage covenant to cherish one another with a mutual love; to share in the infirmities and weaknesses of one another; to comfort one another in sickness, trouble, and sorrow; to provide for one another; and, to partner with the Holy Spirit to bless others through your marriage.

It is for this purpose, Antonio and Jessica, that you are standing here today before God and the company of these witnesses to become joined together as one to form a new family for the glory of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

On this day, you will declare your intent to marry, exchange vows, give rings, and receive communion in the full knowledge of what this sacred union means.

This kind of union - truly, this kind of love - now demands from both of you the highest form of trust.

This marriage covenant is binding until the day that death shall separate you.

Will you pray with me:

Heavenly Father, we thank you for the real life and love that you gave to us through the personal sacrifice of your son, Jesus Christ.

We praise you, and we give you our gratitude, Lord, as we seek to align our hearts and our wills to you.

Thank you for Antonio and Jessica.

Thank you for the love that you have formed between them.

Lord, thank you for the company of their friends and family members gathered here with them today.

Remain with us now and always, as we make this prayer in the name of your son, Jesus Christ, we make this prayer, Amen.

Declaration of Intent:

Antonio and Jessica, I am going to ask you to declare your intent to enter into this marriage covenant:

Antonio, will you have Jessica to be your wife, to live together in the holy covenant of marriage; will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health; and forsaking all others, be faithful to her for so long as you both shall live?

If so, then answer, “I do.”

Jessica, will you have Antonio to be your husband, to live together in the holy covenant of marriage; will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health; and forsaking all others, be faithful to him for so long as you both shall live?

If so, then answer, “I do.”

Now, to your witnesses gathered here with you, do each of you promise to support Antonio and Jessica in their marriage together, honoring them, encouraging them, and praying for them?

If so, then answer with an enthusiastic, “We do!”

Message Scripture Reading:

I would like to read a collection of short passages from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus that teach us about the essential values of marriage.

He wrote:

Live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called - one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Ephesians 4:1-6

Each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one Body.

In your anger do not offend.

Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.

4:25-26

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful in building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as in Christ, God forgave you.

4:29-32

Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 5:1-2

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord.

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.

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

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies.

He who loves his wife loves himself.

5:21-28

Wedding Homily:

Antonio and Jessica, I want to offer both of you and your witnesses gathered here today a simple, yet profound, charge: Serve one another.

This charge flows out of the first 2 verses that I just read from Ephesians: Live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

To bear another means that you literally carry the weight of another person, so ‘To bear another in love’ means that you seek to hold another person with the same sacrifice and desire that Jesus demonstrated for each one of us.

The true essence of humility means more than merely thinking about yourself less.

Humility means completely losing yourself for the sake of the other.

As you grow in your marriage together, remember that Jesus did not hold onto his rights and privileges as the Son of God, but instead, in humility, Jesus made himself… a servant.

Jesus gave up his ‘everything’ - his prestige, his wants, his desires, and even his very rights as the Son of God - for the sake of the world whom he loved… for the sake of his bride, the church... and for the sake of each one of you… Antonio, Jessica, and your witnesses gathered here today… and he calls all of those who enter into this sacred marriage covenant to live the very same with gentleness and patience.

Antonio and Jessica, you are called to love one another with that same kind of humility and sacrifice, which, ultimately, beckons both of you to set aside your rights as individuals for the benefit and blessing of the other.

In fact, if you want to know the secret sauce to a successful marriage… it’s not more money… it’s not more time… and, it’s not more stuff… the secret sauce to every faithful, healthy marriage is good old fashioned humble servanthood.

That’s it.

Everything good in marriage flows out of the wellspring of humble servanthood.

If you both strive to lose yourself for the sake of the other in humility and make your mission in marriage to serve your spouse, then ironically - and truly, your needs will always be met, and the two of you will discover a rare kind of joy in marriage that only a few are willing to find.

Therefore, let me encourage both of you to make your “marriage mission” all about serving the another.

Antonio, your marriage mission is to serve Jessica.

Jessica, your marriage mission is to serve Antonio.

In doing so, nearly every other aspect of your marriage will work itself out - how to raise your children, vocational transitions, financial management, cultural differences, whatever the challenge might be.

If you consistently and faithfully seek to serve and want the best for your spouse, then these other challenges will feel less like a tidal wave and more like a light ripple in your marriage.

Only the two of you know what serving the other really means, but over the years together, I have seen how the Lord has formed a deeply rooted friendship and love between both of you.

Together, you demonstrate strong emotional intelligence and self-awareness with each other and are always seeking to grow and improve as individuals to better love and relate to the other.

During our time together, I asked both of you

1.

What do you love most about each other?

2. What do you envision for your marriage?

3. What traits do you appreciate most about your relationship together?

Tony:

1.

I love most about Jessica how she always sees the good in everyone and is incredibly considerate of others along with her positive outlook in almost every situation

2. I envision us continuing to serve God together in new and exciting ways, as well as continuing to develop each other to become better servants of God

3. I appreciate most our communication and the love we have for each other and for others

Jessica:

1.

What I love most about Tony is his servant heart.

He is always ready to help everyone around him no matter what the ask is!

2. I envision us coming together on everything.

I’m most excited for us to really use both of our strengths, and weaknesses, to tackle life together head on.

3. I appreciate our communication for sure, and the ability that we have to recognize each others needs.

I also love that we both push each other to become the best version of ourselves and help each other out of our comfort zones.

Throughout your marriage, especially during the challenging seasons, hold onto these unique qualities, for God has graciously given them to you as the bedrock of your marriage to bless not only both of you but also others in His name.

To bear one another in love means remaining by each other through every argument, every illness, and every joy.

To bear one another in love means always choosing your spouse - always choosing your spouse - ahead of yourself, no matter what person or thing, attempts to drive a wedge between the unity of your marriage.

This here [point to the two of them] from now on is your first priority... always… ahead of jobs, kids, friends, conflict, illness, finances, whatever.

This is priority one.

God is making the two of you one, not the two of you plus your work, not the two of you plus your children.

Jesus said in Mark 10:8 “and the two are united into one.’