Hickey-Dye Wedding

Marriage Ceremony

Bronson Lawrence Dye & Lissa Janelle Hickey

22-June-2024

Welcome

Friends and family, we welcome you to this time of celebration.

A day to celebrate love and life.

A day that you will remember for years to come.

The day that Bronson & Lissa become husband & wife

Prayer

Charge to the Couple

Marriage is God’s idea. In the beginning, Adam and Eve were created as one (Genesis 1:26-28). When we enter into the covenant of marriage, we enter into, and reflect, the sacred design of Creation. Jesus said that something special happens when a man and a woman leave their respective households and hold fast to each other – they become one flesh and create a new household (Matthew 19:5-6). The Apostle Paul says that marriage is symbolic of the mystical union between Christ and his church – his bride (Ephesians 5:31-32).

You are about to enter a covenant. A covenant is more than a promise – it is supernatural and should be entered into only after careful consideration and prayer. If the vows you are about to make are faithfully kept, and you continue to abide in Christ and his Words abide in you, your life together will be full of joy, and you will bear much fruit for the Kingdom of God (John 15:1-17).

Declaration of Intent

Bronson, in the presence of God and these witnesses

Do you intend to take Lissa

To be your lawfully wedded wife,

Forsaking all others?

If so, say, “I do.”

Lissa, in the presence of God and these witnesses

Do you intend to take Bronson

To be your lawfully wedded husband,

Forsaking all others?

If so, say, “I do.”

Family and friends of Bronson and Lissa,

In the presence of God and this couple,

Do you intend to encourage and support Bronson and Lissa

To rejoice with them when they rejoice,

To weep with them in times of sorrow

To pray for them and encourage them

To bless them in word and deed

And to provide resources in times of need

If so, say, “We do.”

Scripture & Cord of Three Strands Ceremony

Two people are better than one,

because they can reap more benefit from their labor.

For if they fall, one will help his companion up,

but pity the person who falls down and has no one to help him up.

Furthermore, if two lie down together, they can keep each other warm,

but how can one person keep warm by himself?

Although an assailant may overpower one person,

two can withstand him.

Moreover, a three-stranded cord is not quickly broken. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 NET)

To emphasize the truth of this scripture, Bronson and Lissa have chosen to include a Cord of Three Strands Ceremony in their wedding. They have weaved three different cords together.

One cord represents Bronson, another represents Lissa, and the third cord represents God.

In braiding these three strands together, Bronson and Lissa have demonstrated that their marriage is more than a joining of two lives together. It is a public acknowledgment that God unites them. Here, at the beginning, they are committing to keep God at the center of their marriage, woven into every aspect of their life together. And their marriage will be stronger because of that commitment.

Message

Bronson and Lissa, you might be familiar with the phrase “tying the knot;” you might have heard that phrase leading up to today, and I’m sure you will hear people use it in the future. I love history as well as etymology, not entomology – that could get a little buggy. Etymology – the study of the origins of words and phrases. And this week I got curious about the phrase “to tie the knot.”

The Dye surname can be traced back to England and Scotland. The Hickey surname can be traced back to Ireland. This phrase, “to tie the knot,” traces back to an old Celtic ritual called “handfasting.” The medieval practice of handfasting became a regular part of weddings during the Renaissance. The bride and groom held hands, and a ribbon or rope was used to tie their hands together symbolizing that two lives were becoming one. A knot was literally tied in the ribbon or rope by the one officiating the wedding.

You two just tied a knot at the end of your braid. But this knot tied not just two lives together but three – each of your lives and the life that comes from Christ.

I want to share a passage of scripture that comes from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, but probably not the passage that most people are familiar with at weddings. This one comes a couple of chapters after the “Love Chapter.”

Paul tells the church at Corinth that God gives us bodies. Our bodies are a good part of God’s good creation. Paul says in Chapter 15 that, “not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind of flesh for humans, another kind of flesh for animals, another kind of flesh for birds, and another kind of flesh for fish.” (v.39)

He goes on to say, “There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly [bodies] is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly [bodies] is of another [kind]. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.” (1 Cor 15:40-41)

In my charge to you earlier, I reminded you that part of Creation’s design, a design that Jesus and Paul both affirmed, is that the husband and wife become one flesh. I believe that the glory of this one flesh between a husband and wife has a glory unrivaled by other relationships. God designed marriage to be glorious!

A few verses later, Paul comes back to this Creation theme. He talks about how “The first man, Adam, became a living being and the last Adam [Christ] became a life-giving spirit. … The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.” (v.45, 47-49)

You have chosen to bind yourselves together with Jesus Christ – the life-giving spirit! And just as you each bear the image of God as a son and daughter of Adam and Eve, you are also being transformed into the image of the man of heaven – Christ. Your marriage is not a simple contract between two humans; your marriage is a supernatural covenant between three parties – one man, one woman, and the creator of the Universe.

As you grow in Christ, you will grow closer to each other. And as your marriage grows in Christ, you will together bear the image of the Life-Giving Spirit of God.

Be intentional about growing in Christ. Bronson, become the husband that God has called you to be. Lissa, become the bride that God has called you to be. And as you grow together, become a source of life and blessing to those around you! Be a son and daughter of Almighty God, richly and freely giving life, and hope, and joy to everyone you meet. Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and steward God’s creation. Take your place as royal priests, representing God to the world, and interceding for your friends, your family, and your neighbors before your Father in heaven.

You are “tying the knot” today, but you did not choose to do a handfasting. Today is much more binding, much more intimate, and much more significant. Today we are witnesses to a divine moment when a man and a woman, leave their households and become something much more glorious. We are witnesses to a Son of Adam and a Daughter of Eve becoming one flesh, to the Glory of God.

You may face each other,

Vow Ceremony

Bronson, repeat after me:

I, Bronson, take you,

To be my lawfully wedded wife,

To have and to hold, for better or for worse,

In abundance or need, in health, and in sickness,

To love and to cherish, from this day forward,

As long as we both shall live.

Lissa, repeat after me:

I, Lissa, take you,

To be my lawfully wedded husband,

To have and to hold, for better or for worse,

In abundance or need, in health, and in sickness,

To love and to cherish, from this day forward,

As long as we both shall live.

Ring Ceremony

Bronson and Lissa, have chosen to exchange wedding rings today. As most of you know, the wedding ring has come to symbolize eternal devotion and love. The ring has no beginning and no end. It is made of a precious metal, which represents the purity of your love for each other.

In practice, the wedding ring has become a clear, nonverbal signal, to anyone who can see your hand, that your love and attention belong to your beloved. You are unwaveringly devoted to your spouse.

And now, as a token of your love and of your deep desire to be united forever,

Bronson, you may place a ring on the finger of your bride.

Repeat after me:

I give you this ring

In token and pledge

Of my undying love

And covenant faithfulness.

In the same way, Lissa, you may place a ring on the finger of your husband.

Repeat after me:

I give you this ring

In token and pledge

Of my undying love

And covenant faithfulness.

The Blessing

Bronson and Lissa,

May the Lord bless you with joy that is contagious and laughter that is unquenchable

May the Lord establish you as a household of security and peace for all who enter

May your home be a refuge of hope and loving-kindness to those in need

May your marriage be a beacon of faithfulness and a testimony to the power of God in your life

May the Lord bless you and keep you

May the Lord make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you

May the Lord turn His face toward you, and give you peace

Bronson and Lissa, you may seal this moment with a kiss

The Pronouncement

Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to present to you, for the very first time,

Mr. and Mrs. Bronson and Lissa Dye

Announcements

Friends and family, Bronson and Lissa are thankful that you’ve joined us today! They have made some adjustments to the location of the reception, and you are now invited to move to the W G Smith Auditorium where it is very cool, and your lunch is waiting for you! The Bridal Party, and those who have been told to remain here, will take some photos and join us later.