THE RENEWAL OF VOWS BETWEEN JOHN AND DEBBI GALL

§ Words of Welcome‌

Minister:

‌Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you so much for gathering here tonight.

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§ Declaration of Purpose‌

‌‌Minister:

‌For anyone who doesn’t yet know, or who may be very surprised right now, we are gathered here to witness, to recognize, to celebrate, and to affirm the love and commitment of a man and a woman to one another before God.

On January 30, 1999, John and Debi made a commitment to one another, and when they did, they embarked on a journey. Like any journey, it has had ups and downs. It has had unforeseen difficulty, and serendipidous joy. And to celebrate their wedding anniversary this year, John and Debi… or at least John… saw fit to renew their vows.

On the invitation you received, it said these words from Romans 12:10 “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”

Anyone who has known John or Debi for any length of time knows that their marriage has been one of deep devotion, and highest honor. Their love for one another is inspiring. Not only have they endured for one another, but it is clear that they have deeply enjoyed one another. Not only have they sacrificed for one another, but as intimate friends they have journeyed together with gladness. And God has used this devotion, and this honor to refine in John and Debi the reflection of His Son Jesus. Your marriage has made you happy; but as all marriages should, it has also by God’s grace made you holy.

And so we all have gathered to support them as they renew their covenant, and to celebrate the faithful witness of the 25 years of marriage that they have enjoyed together.

§ Public Reading of Scripture

One of the reasons I love weddings so much is because I believe that love stories are very close to the center of what God is up to in the world today, and that when we bear witness to a groom and bride coming together, that there’s an echo of the way that God sought us out in love, and reconciled us to Himself through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ. So as John and Debi renew this covenant of marriage today, we also remember and celebrate the covenant of grace that God has made with us through Jesus. It is because of His love that we’re here!

And it’s in this light that I want to share the Scripture that God laid on my heart for our time together.

Psalm 115:1 says, “Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.”

§ Homily

Whenever I officiate a wedding, there’s a line I always include, and it goes like this:

Christian marriage is a beautiful thing! It’s this joyful convenanting between a man and a woman in which they proclaim, before God and human witnesses, their commitment to live together in spiritual, physical, and material unity. In this covenant, a husband and wife acknowledge that God’s gracious presence and abiding power are needed for them to keep their vows, to continue to live in love, and to be faithful servants of Christ in this world; human commitment is fragile, and human love imperfect, but the promise of God is eternal and the love of God can bring our love to perfection.

To me, that is the most important line I’ve ever written on marriage. I believe that human commitment, that our love, doesn’t provide a firm enough foundation for a lifelong journey. It will wax and wane. But the key to marriage is that beneath the shifting sands of our feelings, beneath the shifting sands of our kind of love and commitment, is the firm foundation of Christ, and His unfailing love. This forms the basis for trust and forgiveness. It forms the basis for commitment and intimacy. I don’t have to hold myself back because He will hold me fast! I can give of myself freely because in Christ, and in His love for me, I’ve received a treasure and an abundance that lets me live with extreme generosity and grace.

You see, weddings are an echo of God’s love, and as I thought about this evening, I was struck at how a vow renewal is a reminder not just of our faithfulness to one another, but also, and maybe even more so an echo of God’s faithfulness to us! —of His hesed, His long-suffering love. In an age and in a culture that is all about the rushing rapids and ever changing spectacle of life, it remains true that deep rivers run calm. That throughout the ups and downs of life, what God has done to draw John to Debi throughout their marriage, and what God has done to draw Debi to John over the years, has resulted in a depth of intimacy that may soon feel like a fairy tail to the world around us.

And from what I know of John and Debi, though I want to remind you that this is absolutely a time to celebrate your faithfulness to one another, I believe that you would be some of the first to say not “look what we have accomplished,” but rather, “come and see what God has done!” So tonight, we worship even as we witness, knowing that through difficulty, and through levity. Through laughter, and through tears. Through sleepless nights and lazy afternoons. Through all the stuff of life, God has been so good. He has established you two together as a reflection of Himself in this world, and He has kept you until this very day. And He who began this work in you is the One who we trust for the next 25 years, because He alone is faithful to see it on to its completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

And so in closing, I want to return to that excerpt from Psalm 115. These are the only words I have to give! So please receive this reminder, this prayer, and this blessing. As you consider 25 years faithfully run, and as you consider the years ahead, may the cry of our hearts ever be Psalm 115…

“Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.”

(and now, jumping to the end of that very same Psalm, starting in verse 14, we read…)

“May the Lord cause you to flourish, both you and your children. May you be blessed by the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.... it is we who extol the Lord, both now and forevermore. (And as we consider the faithful testimony of God in John and Debi, we say) Praise the Lord.”

§ Exchanging of Vows

‌‌Minister: Now we come to the renewing of vows. These vows set the grounds for and put language to the abiding commitment that you renew today. They will continue to shape your marriage, and will stir you to greater and greater love. When we make vows, we aren’t promising that we love one another now; but rather we are promising that through all of life’s trials, even if everything else slips away, this love and commitment will remain. Feelings will come and go, but as you walk through life with one another, and as you strive to live a life of faithfulness, God will continue to draw you together.

‌So, go ahead and face one another and join hands.

‌‌John, repeat after me:

‌I, John, take you, Debi, 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 this I pledge myself

‌Truly with all my heart.

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Debi, please repeat after me‌:

‌I, Debi, take you, John, 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,

‌To this I pledge myself

‌Truly with all my heart.

§ Time of Singing and Sharing

Minister: John and Debbi, is there anything you might want to share, or to sing before we wrap things up?

*Song

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§ Pronouncement of Marriage and Sign of Peace‌

‌Minister: Well John and Debi, Inasmuch as you have renewed your vows before God and these gathered witnesses, by virtue of the authority entrusted to me as a minister of Christ’s church, I now implore you on Christ’s behalf: Love one another! For the sake of Christ and His witness to the world, seek His face for your life and marriage. And may the next 25 years testify to the same God that has been so faithful to you two as husband and wife. He has called you. And He has joined you. “What God has joined together, let no man separate.”

John, you may now kiss the bride!

§ Prayer of Blessing Over the Couple

Minister: Let’s pray.

Heavenly Father, would you bless and keep John and Debi. Would you make your face shine upon them, and be gracious to them. Because of Your love, would you lift Your countenance upon them, and give them peace and joy as they embark on this new journey together. Father, would you use this adventure to make them more like Your Son, Jesus, who served and loved us with everything He had. And so would you continue to draw John and Debi together as an image of the way You long to draw all people to Yourself. And may they be a masterpiece of Your love made visible all the days of their lives. Not by their own effort, poise, or concession; but only by Your grace, and in the name of your Son Jesus. Amen.

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