Gary and Denise Wedding

Since it’s just us, I am not going to give a big long sermon on marriage, but I do want to encourage you with a scripture. It’s from Leviticus 6:8-13

Leviticus 6:8–13 CEV

8 The Lord told Moses to tell Aaron and his sons how to offer the daily sacrifices that are sent up in smoke to please the Lord: You must put the animal for the sacrifice on the altar in the evening and let it stay there all night. But make sure the fire keeps burning. 10 The next morning you will dress in your priestly clothes, including your linen underwear. Then clean away the ashes left by the sacrifices and pile them beside the altar. 11 Change into your everyday clothes, take the ashes outside the camp, and pile them in the special place. 12 The fire must never go out, so put wood on it each morning. After this, you are to lay an animal on the altar next to the fat that you sacrifice to ask my blessing. Then send it all up in smoke to me. 13 The altar fire must always be kept burning—it must never go out.

I know this a a weird scripture to read at a wedding, but I read it because it talks about three things that are important in any relationship.

It describes a practice. It was part of the worship of God’s people in Old Testament times, the bringing of sacrifices and offerings to the Lord and the presenting of them upon the altar as the expression of their repentance, love, and devotion to Him. We don’t do that anymore because Jesus came and offered Himself as the final sacrifice.

But on the altar there was a flame that was burning and they were instructed to never let it burn out.

This is a picture for us to see. That steadily burning flame, never going out, expresses our longing for the love. Marriage is a daily commitment to keep the flame of love burning. It takes sacrifice and devotion, but it’s possible if we work to keep it burning.

The flame did not burn untended and uncared for, but it had to be cared for and fed. The passage tells us how. Each day (v. 11), the old ashes had to be cleared away. Each day (v. 12), new fuel had to be added to it, and only as that was done could the offering rise to God every day. The flame had to be tended; it was not by accident that it burned.

So it will be with your marriage. Take time to tend the flame.

Life is hard. You have challenges in your future, but make sure that you never neglect each other. Remove the ashes each day; never let the sun go down upon your anger. Renew the flame with something every day.

The same is true with your relationship with God. If your marriage is going to be healthy you must take time to tend the flame with God too. The flame of love for God can be so easily neglected when daily life gets in the way. God will not let the flame of His love for you die, but you can neglect Him until it becomes but a just a glimmer of what it should be.

Build your relationship with each other on the foundation of your love for God first, then each other. It takes work, but it’s worth the effort.

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Since we are here today, you believe it is God’s will for you to be married.

Let’s pray together.

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Vows:

Please join hands, face each other, and repeat after me your vows of commitment:

“I, Gary, take you, Denise, as my wedded wife, though the unknown future bring joy or sorrow, health or sickness, prosperity or adversity, sunshine or shadow, hopes fulfilled or dreams shattered, I pledge to be true to you for the rest of my life.”

……

I,Denise, take you, Gary, as my wedded husband, though the unknown future bring joy or sorrow, health or sickness, prosperity or adversity, sunshine or shadow, hopes fulfilled or dreams shattered, I pledge to be true to you, for the rest of my life.

Ring Service:

Gary, place the ring on Denise third finger on the left hand and repeat after me.

Denise, I give you this ring as a symbol of my commitment to you, and as a token of my conviction that the Lord in His perfect will has brought us together. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Denise, place the ring on Denise third finger on the left hand and repeat after me.

Gary, I give this ring to you as a symbol of my commitment to you, and as a token of my conviction that the Lord in His perfect will has brought us together. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Let’s pray:

Dear Father, As our Lord God Almighty, we ask You to send Your light and truth upon Gary and Denise all the days of their lives.

Lord, by Your hand protect them.

Father, with Your eye guide them.

May You be glorified through their Holy Union. In Jesus’s name, Amen.

Proclamation:

Since you have pledged your vows and exchanged rings symbolic of your lifelong commitments to a Christian marriage and home, you have promised to encourage each other in a spiritual walk, and to assist each other in being all that Christ wants you to be, it is my happy privilege to pronounce that from this day forward, you are now husband and wife.

You may kiss your bride.