Hagen Wedding

Processional

HAVE EVERYONE STAND FOR BRIDE

ADAM and CLOE face each other

Welcome and Opening Remarks

YOU MAY BE SEATED

Welcome

We are gathered here today to celebrate the marriage of

CLOE LOUISE JACQUES BARNES to ADAM WESLEY HAGEN

Before God and all these Witnesses

Personal Note

I love getting to be a part of people’s wedding and this is very special for me. I have know Cloe and Adam for a number of years. I’ve watched them apart, then as a dating couple, then as an engaged couple and now here today for their wedding ceremony. It is such a joy to get to see God’s work in people’s lives.

I remember my first talk with cloe over the phone, she had so many questions about faith. To see the work that God has done in her life and the woman that she is becoming is really amazing.

I also remember when Adam first showed up to church. Adam was always hungry to learn more and get deeper with God. Watching him grow into the man he is today also agreat joy.

We are a all blessed to be here today to celebrate God’s work in each of their lives and from here on out as two lives become one.

Let me talk briefly on the meaning of marriage

The Meaning of Marriage

Marriage isn’t a MAN-MADE institution it is GOD-MADE.

Marriage goes back to the beginning and is profound because demonstrates the gospel.

Genesis 2 - One Flesh

In the beginning in Genesis 2:21-24 we read.

Genesis 2:21–24 (ESV)

21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh.

22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.

23 Then the man said,

“This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.”

24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

What we are celebrating here today is

not ONLY God’s INVENTION but God’s INTENTION

for the man and woman he created.

God created man and woman to be two in one, to become

ONE FLESH — ONE LIFE — ONE FAMILY.

As we all watched CLOE walk down the aisle,

I am reminded – that God brought her to the man

Praise the Lord - that you FINALLY brought her to ADAM

Notice how God made the women,

I like how one commentator (Matthew Henry) put it:

“The woman was made of a RIB OUT OF THE SIDE of Adam;

not made out of his HEAD to RULE OVER HIM,

nor out of his FEET to be TRAMPLED UPON BY HIM,

but out of his SIDE to be EQUAL WITH HIM,

under his ARM to be PROTECTED,

and near his HEART to be BELOVED.”

B/c Eve came from Adam they began literally as ONE FLESH,

Today ADAM and CLOE RETURN to ONE FLESH in the MARRIAGE COVENANT.

Gospel Presentation

As good as God is in bringing them into this covenant relationship.

The Bible teaches us there is something much more profound happening in marriage

The covenant of marriage between a husband and wife is a display of the gospel of Jesus and His Church.

Of God and his love for his bride.

Paul’s teaching in Ephesians 5

Ephesians 5:31–32 (ESV)

31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.

The Bible tells the love story between God and His people

Between Jesus and His bride the church

Isaiah 62:5 (ESV)

5 …as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.

In this we find the meaning of marriage.

Many things can make a good marriage:

good communication, common interests, compromise, conflict resolution skills (we’ve worked on all that).

but there is only one thing that can bring marriage to its fullness and intended purpose

and that is the person and work of Jesus.

Marriage is about Gospel

The Gospel is about God’s Love

God’s love is demonstrated through Jesus and his submission and sacrifice through a covenantal love

Christian marriage embodies this covenantal love

through the rhythms of  submission and sacrifice

Jesus taught that greater love has no one than this that they

lay down their life for their friends

Jesus perfectly demonstrated this love for his bride, the church.

He submitted his life’s purpose to another’s will,

God the father

and he perfectly sacrificed himself for the love of his life,

his people even when they did not deserve it.

He fulfilled God’s covenantal promise to love a people for himself.

Romans 5:8 (ESV) 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

The church responds in trusting and loving submission to Jesus who gave himself for her.

These rhythms of submission, sacrifice through  covenantal love

will be lived out in the marriage of ADAM and CLOE.

1. Submitting to One Another

The first thing we see is that

A Marriage thrives when both are submitting to one another,

not out of duty,

or personal gain,

but out of deep reverence and love for god.

Ephesians 5:21 (ESV) 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

This is only possible because of our love for God.

2. Sacrificial Leadership

Jesus, as God, is the picture of the husband

in that ADAM is called to lovingly lay down his life for the sake of his bride

Ephesians 5:25–28 (ESV)

25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,

26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,

27 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 without blemish.

28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.

ADAM, you are called to:

Love CLOE,

Cherish her, nourish her, lead her, wash her with the Word of God

ADAM, you cannot do this on your own but will need to submit to Jesus

Jesus will teach and empower You

to be a loving, responsible, sacrificial husband, in the LORD

3. Willingly Submission & Respect

the church is a picture of a the wife

in willing submission to sacrificial godly leadership.

Ephesians 5:22–33 (ESV)

22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 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.

24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands…33 and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Perhaps a better word in our day is to follow

CLOE, you are called to follow your husband's sacrificial leadership and to respect him in the LORD

CLOE, you cannot do this on her own but will need to submit to Jesus

Jesus will teach and empower you

to be a loving, respecting, sacrificial wife willing to follow to her husband as to the lord.

both to submit to God’s pattern for marriage because of Christ’s great love for them.

4. Grace and Forgiveness

ADAM will sin against CLOE and CLOE will sin against ADAM

There will be

delightful times & difficult times

joyful times sad times

exhilarating & debilitating

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (ESV) 1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

Through it all, Jesus can and will hold this marriage together because

Jesus takes care of sin

Jesus heals wounds

Jesus empowers through his spirit

Jesus promises to never leave us.

I’m reminded of a beautiful image of this in the book of

Zechariah 3:3–4 (ESV)

3 Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. 4 And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.”

Isaiah 1:18 (ESV)

“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord:

though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;

though they are red like crimson, they shall become [white] like wool.

This is the image that ADAM and CLOE will need to remember for each other.

when they sin,

when they hurt one another,

when they mess up,

Christ has freed them from both the

condemnation of sin and the stain of sin

He forgives them & cleanses them

This will allow them to approach each other with grace and forgiveness.

CLOE will not have to hold sin against ADAM,

nor ADAM against CLOE,

because all sin has been held against Christ on the Cross

In this way marriage demonstrates gospel lived out.

in powerful ways,

ADAM will be able to forgive CLOE and

CLOE will be able to forgive ADAM,

because Jesus offers forgiveness to us all.

5. Covenantal Love

Finally, we see that marriage is a covenant modeled after the New Covenant.

A covenant is a promise that cannot be broken.

God has covenanted to be in relationship with us through Jesus.

God’s covenant is eternal and unbroken.

Similarly, Marriage is eternal and unbroken

it’s a promise to be faithful and together as one

no matter what may come

no matter the cost.

God demonstrates his unyielding commitment to us through Jesus and brings us to himself.

Jesus relentlessly pursues our hearts and thus models this

and will empower ADAM and CLOE to relentlessly pursue each other’s hearts

no matter the circumstance

Closing

Christian marriage is a display and demonstration of the gospel

Jesus demonstrates through his life, death and resurrection through his love for the church

meaning of submission and sacrifice in a covenantal relationship.

Jesus empowers through his holy spirit the

Romans 11:33,36 (ESV)

33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!

36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

Charge

ADAM, sometimes you will not want to sacrifice your life for CLOE because she is being selfish.

CLOE sometimes you will not want to follow ADAM because he is being stubborn and not listening to you.

in these moments, be reminded that

ADAM you do not sacrifice your life because of CLOE attitude,

nor are you able to,

but only because of Christ's sacrificial love for you.

CLOE you do not follow ADAM because ADAM is perfect

nor are you able to,

but because you are fully following

out of love to your perfect Lord and Savior, Jesus.

Covenanting with God

In this ADAM and CLOE are not just covenanting with each other,

but also with God as

Ecclesiastes 4:12 (ESV) 12 ...a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

God’s intention and purpose for ADAM and CLOE as one

will be more fully realized than it ever could have apart.

Together they will become a powerful witness for God’s grace in the world

As a witness of the love between Christ and His Church

and a display of his gospel at work

For that I am grateful/thankful.

Exchange of Rings & Vows

As a depiction of their vows, ADAM and CLOE have chosen to exchange rings.

GIVE RINGS TO GROOM

The Ring

The wedding ring is a symbol of eternity.

It is an outward sign of an inward and spiritual bond.

It represents a deep desire to be forever united in heart and soul.

(ADAM will hand CLOE his ring)

Groom

ADAM, do you take this woman to be your wife,

and do you pledge yourself to her,

in all love and honor, in all duty and service,

in all faith and tenderness,

to live with her,

and cherish her,

according to the ordinance of God,

in the holy bond of marriage?"

ADAM - “I Do”

You may place a ring on the finger of your Bride and REPEAT AFTER ME:

“I ADAM,

take you CLOE

to be my wedded wife.

to have and to hold

from this day forward

for better for worse,

for richer for poorer

in sickness and in health

to love and to cherish

till death do us part

or Jesus returns

CLOE, I give you this ring

and in the presence of God

And these witnesses

as a symbol

of my love

and faithfulness to you

with all that I am

and all that I have.

Bride

CLOE,

do you take this man to be your husband,

and do you pledge yourself to him,

in all love and honor,

in all duty and service,

in all faith and tenderness,

to live with him,

and cherish him,

according to the ordinance of God,

in the holy bond of marriage?" 

CLOE  - “I DO”

CLOE, you may place a ring on the finger of your groom and REPEAT AFTER ME:

“I CLOE, take you ADAM

to be my wedded husband.

to have and to hold

from this day forward

for better for worse,

for richer for poorer

in sickness and in health

to love and to cherish

till death do us part

or Jesus returns

ADAM, I give you this ring

and in the presence of God

And these witnesses

as a symbol

of my love

and faithfulness to you

with all that I am

and all that I have.

Prayer

Please join me in a prayer as we remember Jesus and pray for His blessing over ADAM and CLOE.

FATHER, I thank you for your grace and kindness towards ADAM and CLOE. 

I am thankful that in Your timing You have brought them together before you.

I pray a blessing over their marriage and that you would work powerfully through them to bless the many others they will be in community with. 

Thank you for your Son, Jesus Christ and His Spirit that makes all things possible. 

We pray this in your name JESUS and by your SPIRIT.  AMEN.

Pronouncement & Kiss

By the authority given to me as a minister of the Gospel and in the presence of all these witnesses and before God

I now pronounce you husband and wife.

ADAM, you may now kiss your BRIDE

MOVE OUT OF WAY FOR PICTURES

Introduction

I am pleased to introduce to you for the very first time,

MR. AND MRS. ADAM & CLOE HAGEN

MOVE OUT OF WAY FOR PICTURES

Reception Invitation

The families of ADAM and CLOE would like to invite to a

Which will be followed by a reception