Crunk Wedding

WELCOME AND GATHERING

To Congregation: On behalf of Corey and Morgan as well as their families, I would like to welcome you here this afternoon…

Let’s Pray.

“Our most gracious heavenly Father, we thank You for all the privileges of being in the Body of Christ. We have come together to watch the miracle of Your love and the power of Your Spirit work in the lives of these two people. We give You the praise, the honor and glory for the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives to bring us into a place of union with the Father, union with the Son, union with the Holy Spirit and union with one another. We thank You for it, in Jesus’ mighty Name. Amen.”

You may be seated.

To Father of the Bride: Who gives this woman to be married Today?

Mr. Dale: Her mother and I do.

DECLARATION OF INTENT

As we begin this afternoon, Pastor Derek Ray, the long-time friend and Pastor to the Crunk Family, is going to read from the fifth chapter of the book of Ephesians, I want you both to pay very close attention to the words stated here. They are God’s Word, that the Holy Spirit will honor as we stand on them in faith.

“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the Church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and with out blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes it and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”

“Morgan, this passage is calling you to submit to your husband, as to the Lord”.  Submission here is a voluntary response to God’s will.  It’s a willingness to give up your rights specifically to your husband.  Giving up your rights is not a calling unique us.  Jesus is the best example of this.  He is God and therefore has the right to everything but He laid down His rights out of His love for us.  Morgan, in this verse, God is calling you to lay down your rights out of love for Corey.

Corey, God’s calling on your life is to , love Morgan as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”  This calling requires even greater sacrifice because Christ laid down his life for the church.  It’s a calling of complete and total sacrifice.  Hold nothing back from Morgan.  Exhaust everything that you have and everything that you are out of love for her.  In verse 28 Paul uses the word cherish.  It’s interesting, the word he uses for cherish literally means to keep warm.  He’s not just talking about physically but emotionally, mentally and spiritually.  You are to keep her warm.  Like a bird nesting on an egg, who would do anything and everything to keep the egg safe.  You are to do anything and everything to keep Morgan safe, mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually.

Thank you Pastor Ray… Corey and Morgan, the last several months each of you have been consumed in the building and preparing for a wedding. But Pastor Ray and I thought it best to begin this afternoon reading from God’s Word, because it is living and active and if you can keep your eyes focused on Jesus, and his words in Ephesians 5, then you will be well equipped to build and prepare for a marraiage that honors God.

So in light of what we just heard, let’s move to the declaration of intent.

To Groom: Corey, do you take Morgan to be your wife, to live together in holy marriage? Do you promise to lover her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, to be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?

Response: I do.

To Bride: Morgan, do you take Corey to be your husband, to live together in holy marriage? Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health and forsaking all others, to be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?

Response: I do.

COVENANT

With this declaration of intent, in accordance with Ephesians 5, Corey and Morgan are standing before you all today to establish a covenant. The world has the idea that marriage is simply a legal contract. It is a legal contract (we don’t make light of that); but at the same time, it is a spiritual contract. Or as the Bible deems… a covenant.

A covenant, always lays out the terms or establishes the basis of any given relationship. AS it regards marraige, the basis of this relationship is a solemn commitment of both parties to stay loyyal and true to what you’ve just declared with your intent this afternoon.

What’s extraordianary is that throughout Scripture we see that our God is a covenant making God. He consistently establishes a contractual relationship with His people, but what’s interesting is that the basis of the relationship established by God are never dependent upon the people of Israel, or you and I… the basis of God’s covenants have always been and will always be His Steadfast Love.

Our behavior doesn’t dictate His actions. In fact, even though we are all consistently unfaithful to our relationship with God, He upholds the relationship because He is always faithful, even in our faithlessness. His steadfast love never ceases, His merceis are new every morning!

He remains committed to His covenants solely based on His mercy, faithfulness, and love. Let me give you a couple of examples.

In Genesis 3, God established his first covenant with Adam and Eve. He promised that though sin and Satan would continue to battle against mankind, and people would continue to reject God, God would send a man, a seed of the woman, to crush the head of Satan, though Satan would strike his heel. This covenant was established AFTER Adam and Eve had rejected him in the Garden.

In Genesis 9, God made another covenant with Noah after God sent a flood to judge the world that had turned completely wicked and evil to the point where every intention of man’s heart was evil continually. After the flood, God made a covenant, that though man would turn wicked again, he would never judge the world with a flood… he promised to find another way.

In Genesis 12 & 15, God made a third covenant with Abraham who would be the Father of God’s people, the Israelites. In chapter 15 Abraham was doubting God’s promise, so God wanted to give him a sign of His faithfulness. God told him to bring some animals, cut them in half, and that they will both walk through the halves making a covenant with one another. As if to say… “If I break this covenant with you, then what has happened to these animals will happen to me.”

But immediately a deep sleep came upon Abraham, and God proceeded to pass through the animals twice! Why!? It was to say… “If I, God break this covenant, then let me be torn apart. AND “If you, Abraham, break this covenant, let me be torn apart for you.”

God is a covenant making God, and the basis of His Covenant love with us is not our behavior, but His own love and mercy. 1 John 4:10 reads, “In this is love, not that we have loved God, but that He loved us, and sent his son as the substitute for our sins.”

What we know now, is that Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross is God’s faithful love on display in His covenants. You see...

- The cross is how God kept his promise to Adam and Eve to crush Satan’s power.

- The cross is how God kept his promise to Noah to find another way to judge the world. On the cross Christ drunk the cup of God’s judgement, and declared It is finished.

- The cross is how God kept his promise to Abraham to be torn apart when God’s people consistently rejects Him.

God’s covenant love for and relationship with us is present even though...

- We will fail.

- We will disobey.

- We will run.

- We will be unfaithful to Him.

- We will love other things more than Him.

Yet, for those who are His children, He will be faithful to keep loving us again and again and again because the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies are new every morning!

This is covenant love. This is the foundation of marriage. It is so important that you understand this, because there is a lot of confusion and superficial understanding of love today. Many believe that a marriage is strong when you feel love for each other. But listen carefully… there will be days when you don’t feel love. And it is in those days, as it is in all the days, that we must remember the foundation for marriage is not feeling, but Covenant Love.

1 John 4:10, “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us…”

Corey, in this is love, not that Morgan loves you, but that you love her and lay down your life for her day after day.

Morgan, in this is love, not that Corey loves you, but that you love him and lay down your life for him day after day.

Now you may be thinking… That’s Impossible. I can’t do that. Well, you’re not wrong.

But let me remind each of you of an essential truth:

- Corey, you have been given the Holy Spirit for this task of loving Morgan, to persevere with her when she feels unloveable, to humbly lead her through laying down your wants and desires for hers, to serve her when you’re exhausted. You can do this. Because the same Holy Spirit that was with Jesus is in you. Abide in Him!

- Morgan, you have been given the Holy Spirit for this task of respecting Corey, to forgive him again and again, to serve him, to humbly submit to his leadership. You can do this. Because the same Holy Spirit that was with Jesus is in you. Abide in Him!

And when husband and wife, abide in the covenatal, steadfast love of God, they are equipped and empowered to honor the covenant they are making before us all today.

COMMUNION

To Congregation: At this time Corey and Morgan have chosen to remember and celebrate God’s covenant love by partaking in the Lord’s Supper. (Corey and Morgan head over)

Communion is a symbolic act where we remember our unity with Christ as well as our unity with one another as believers in Him. In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul tells us that when we take communion we are participating in Christ’s death and life. In chapter 11 he says by taking it we are proclaiming his death until his return. As they partake, I encourage you to think on these things as you witness their worship. (Music)

EXCHANGE OF VOWS

Having freely and prayerfully chosen each other as partners for life, and in an expression of your total commitment to one another, I invite you to face each other and join hands to exchange vows.

To Groom: Corey, do you take Morgan as your wife, as your own flesh, to love her even as Christ loves the Church, to protect her and care for her for the rest of your lives?

Response: I do.

To Groom: Then repeat after me: I, Corey/take you, Morgan/to be my wife./To have and to hold/ from this day forward/ For better or for worse/for richer or for poorer/in sickness and in health/ to love and to cherish/as long as we both shall live.

To Bride: Morgan, do you take Corey as your husband, submitting yourself to Him as unto the Lord, showing reverence to him as the head of this union for the rest of your lives?

Response: I do.

To Bride: Then repeat after me: I Morgan/take you, Corey/ to be my husband. / To have and to hold/ from this day forward/for better or for worse/for richer or for poorer/in sickness and in health/to love and to cherish/as long as we both shall live.

Now, Corey and Morgan will exchange rings as a symbol of the unending marriage covenant, they have made today.

EXCHANGE OF RINGS

To Couple: Corey and Morgan a ring is a very precious thing—a token of your faith and your love. It is a never-ending circle that indicates the continuing love of God—a love that never fails, never presents itself haughty nor puffed up. The love of God and the faith of God is what causes His power to move in your lives.

I want you to wear these rings as a continual reminder of the confession of faith you have made to each other and to God.

To Best Man: May I have the Bride’s ring, please.

To Groom: Corey, a ring can mean two different things. It can be a never-ending sign of love, or it can be a shackle. I am going to charge you with something you should remember always: This woman stands by your side, not under your feet. You have the responsibility of being the head of this union. You have spiritual responsibility. I want you to wear this ring in remembrance that she is your helpmate. It must never be a shackle of dominance, but always a reminder of faith and love.

Corey, take this ring, place it on Morgan’s finger, and say to her: With this ring/I thee wed/It is a token of my love for you/and a token of my faith/that I release now/in Jesus’ name.

To Best Man: May I have the Groom’s ring, please.

To Bride: Morgan, I want you to place this ring on his finger with these things in mind. There is no place in the Word of God that gives people the right to dominate one another. Your vows have stated that you submit to one another in the responsibilities of this life, expecting God and His power to always make the difference.

So place this ring on Corey’s finger and, as you do, say to him: With this ring/I thee wed/I give it as a token of my faith/I believe with all my heart/that this is forever/It is my love and my faith/in the Name of Jesus.

PRONOUNCEMENT

To Bride and Groom: Join hands please.

As a representative of Jesus Christ, before God Almighty and in the Name of the Father, of His Son Jesus, and by the power of the Holy Spirit of God, I now pronounce you one together, as husband and wife.

To Groom: Corey, you may now kiss your bride!

To Bride and Groom: Please turn and face the congregation.

To Congregation: Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you for the first time Mr. and Mrs. Crunk.

RECESSIONAL AND DISMISSAL

On behalf of Corey and Morgan, and their families I want to thank you all for being here today. At this time I’m going to go ahead and pray for our meal. Once I’m finished, please go ahead and make your way into the room directly behind you for cocktail hour, as the event staff will be flipping this room to set up for the reception:

Let’s Pray: