Stephens Wedding

STEP 1: Welcome:

- Welcome and Reading by Lolitha: Genesis 1:26 - Genesis 2:7

- Welcome, Reading, and Prayer by Chuck: Genesis 2:18-24 and Ecclesiastes 4:12

STEP 2: Playlist Resumes as Walter and the 3 boys move into place

STEP 3: As song ends, Kenyatta walks in and stands at front door, next to Jonathan.

- Jonathan speaks: What my parents and family mean to me

Jonathan takes mom to Daniel-Anthony

- Daniel -Anthony speaks: What my parents and family mean to me

Daniel-Anthony takes mom to Walter

- Walter speaks: What my parents and family mean to me

Walter takes mom to Dad

STEP 4: Pastor Larry Begins ceremony (welcomes guests, acknowledges Corliss and Bonnie as Parents, etc. )

STEP 5: Kenyatta introduces Nikki for first song, Total Praise.

STEP 6: Pastor Larry begins service:

* Reads Marriage Covenant Signed in 1999

Intro: Explains what marriage is about

Agape love-The greeks had many ways of describing love.

Phileo-friendship love. this is the love that two friends share

Eros-This is an erotic love shared between a husband and wife

Agape-This is a love found in a mother and father when they look at their first born. Who can do nothing for them but at the moment of conception they would both die for that little child.

Marriage as God’s design-God in his word has created an institution whereby we get to take the love we receive from God and bestow it to another person.

Marriage was created by God as a means to broaden his influence throughout the Earth: He says “be fruitful, Multiply, take dominion” these are all verbs. Be productive, Have children and disciple them, Enjoy and use creation, but do not let creation use you. Marriage is a physical picture of the union that exist between the truine God. The Father, Son and Spirit have been in an eternal symbiotic relationship which the created mankind to share that love with.

Marriage as God’s illustration

-God is a master teacher. Great teacher understand that people learn many ways. One of those ways is visually. Some people need not only to hear truth but they need to also see it. Human Marriage particularly those that call themselves Christian pictures God’s relationship to his church. Notice what he says in Ephesians 5:31-32

Ephesians 5:31–32 CSB

31 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. 32 This mystery is profound, but I am talking about Christ and the church.

Human Marriage and Family is the greatest visual picture of the Gospel that we have. The Stephens have endeavored in their years of Marriage to be that human picture of the realities of this great message to the world. God in his infinite wisdom sending his Son through 42 generation to die for sinful humanity so that we could have life and have it more abundantly. Then coming into a Spiritual Marriage with all of his children that will be celebrated in the future at the Marriage supper of the lamb. What an awesome future we have?

God is actively working in creation to bring about the fulfillment of His purpose by sharing Himself with humanity in a covenant marriage.

d. Challenge: Where are each of us today in our covenants? (With God, with family members, with loved ones, co-workers, etc. ) relationships are means we get to share Gods love to the world. Gods love is a powerful magnet that draws people too himself.

e. Pastor Larry then Indicates couple wrote their own vows to one another and will recite them.

STEP 7: Vow Renewal while “Here and Now” plays softly:

* Kenyatta says vow

* Walter says vow

STEP 8: Pastor introduces that the husband and wife will light the marriage unity candle and members of both their families will light the family unity candles.

Lighting of the Marriage and 2 Family Unity Candles. “I Will Be Here” plays softly.

STEP 9: Pastor Larry re-introduces Nikki for acapella version of “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”

STEP 10: Pastor Larry prays over couple and guests, asking that God pricks each heart to renew key covenants in their own lives, and then finally, opens the floor to family and friends.

Pastor’s Prayer

Each of you are here because of your

significance in the lives of this couple

and their family.

The floor is open for you to share words with the couple

There are note cards on each chair wherein you are invited to write down the covenant that God may be asking you to recommit back to Him today. It could be your re-commitment to Him, or another covenant He has asked you to steward.

Please write it down as your covenant

renewal today and please drop a copy of it

in this box for Walter and Kenyatta to be

praying over this year.