Wedding

Zain and dad walk to “Canon in D”

Ty, Alishia, and Andi walk

Truett takes vows to dad; Truett walks back

Elliott and Hudson walk

Flower girls walk

(Kids sit with parents in front rows)

— “Please stand”

Ashley walks

— WAIT FOR SONG TO STOP “Who gives this woman to be married to this man?”

Truett says “my family and I” and hands her to dad

— “You may be seated”

— “Let’s open up this service with a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, we are gathered here today first and foremost, to honor you, and to give you glory. Father, we ask that You would meet with us here today, and that your hand of blessing would cover this ceremony and this couple. Thank you, Lord, for these two wonderful people that you have brought together, and these two families that will become one. As time goes by, God, from this moment on, we ask that Paul and Ashley’s love for each other would only grow, but much more importantly, we ask that their love for you would grow. We love you, Lord. We ask these things in Jesus name, Amen.”

— sermon: “My first introduction to Ashley was really through her son-in-law Chris. When my dad first told me he started dating someone he said, “there’s a little bit of familiarity, because it’s actually Chris’s wife’s mother.” I thought alright, does that mean we get to go do some more hunting with Chris at his ranch? I’ve had a lot of firsts with Chris and his family. I shot my first buck at their family ranch. I shot my first animal with a bow with them, shot my first buck with a bow with them, went bass fishing on a real bass boat for the first time with them. Nobody warned me that Chris drives a boat the same way he drives his truck, going about 100 miles per hour. That was my first, and last time with Chris on a bass boat. But this is another first that we all get to share together. This is the first wedding I’ve ever officiated, and I want to thank you for this privilege. It is an honor and a joy.

I want to share a few Bible verses with you. This comes from Ephesians chapter 5 which is a beautiful passage on principles for married couples. The Word of God says “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.  For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.  Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,  that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,  that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.  So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself.  For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.  For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.  For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”

That was Ephesians 5:22-33. Its 12 verses. It would take me a long time to preach on 12 verses, and the sun is warm today so I’m just going to preach on one verse that sums up all the verses we just read, and it is the preceding verse to our passage. Verse 21. It says: “submitting to one another in the fear of God”. This is an echo of Romans 12:10 which says “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another.” Another way to say this would be: Be devoted to one another, giving preference to the other person. What does it mean to give preference? It means that they are the priority. They take precedence. Their needs and their desires take precedence over mine, so I will prefer my spouse. When my wife and I got married, we wrote our own vows. And if I’m honest, I don’t remember anything she said, I don’t remember her vows she wrote for me, except for one thing. The only thing I remember that she said is “I vow, to always give you the last breadstick.” On the surface that’s a silly vow, it got some laughs. But it holds a much deeper biblical truth: give preference to the other person. The goal of marriage is not happiness. The goal of marriage is not a peaceful home. The goal of marriage is not less arguments and more kisses. The ultimate goal of marriage is to glorify God. And we glorify God best, when we willingly sacrifice ourselves and our desires, in order to give preference to the other person. Because it’s a picture of the ultimate sacrifice, when Jesus gave up His life on the cross, sacrificing Himself, for us and for our sins, so that we may believe on Him and His resurrection, in order to gain eternal life in Heaven with Him forever. So this is a challenge to you Paul, and to you Ashley, and to any other married couple here today, or any single person who hopes to one day get married: Be kindly affectioned one to another with love, in honor preferring one another. You have to make this choice each day. It is a daily decision. Make it a practice and repeat it to yourself often: “Today, I choose to prefer my spouse, over myself.” May your marriage be a beautiful picture of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, may you prefer one another daily, in order that God would be glorified, and that His Gospel would be spread.”

— “With that challenge in mind, do you, Paul, take Ashley, to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do you part?”

Dad says “I do”.

— “Do you, Ashley, take Paul, to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do you part?”

Ashley says “I do”.

— “And now for the rings. A ring’s original purpose, was to be used as a signet. A signet was a specific seal or symbol that belonged to a specific person, similar to a brand on a cow. One of the ring’s main purposes was to seal contracts. They would pour wax on the contract, and push their ring into that wax. Any one who saw that signet in the wax knew that that person had agreed to that contract and its obligations. The vows you just agreed to, are your marriage contract. By placing these rings on each other’s fingers, you are now sealed to each other. This truth is echoed in 1 Corinthians 7:3-6 which says “Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. 4 The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.”” These rings tell the world that you now belong to one another. You are no longer available, rather you are sealed to someone else. Notice the shape of these rings. They’re circles. There’s no beginning and no end to them. They symbolize the never ending love that you two now have for each other, as well as the eternal love that your Heavenly Father has for the two of you. Every time you look at these rings, be reminded of this moment, and the love you share.”

— “Paul please take this ring, put it on Ashley’s finger, and repeat after me: “With this ring, I thee wed.””

— “Ashley, please take this ring, put it on Paul’s finger, and repeat after me: “With this ring, I thee wed.””

— “Now at this time, we will have a unity ceremony. These two flames of the candles are separate. When put together, they become one. And they become an even greater, more beautiful flame. This is a beautiful picture of Ephesians 5:31, which says ““For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.””

— “And now, by the power vested in me by God Almighty, and the great state of Texas, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

— “May I present to you for the first time: Mr. and Mrs. Treadwell”

— (once Ty and ladies walk out: “The Bride and Groom have asked me, to ask you, to consider your relationship with Jesus. If you have any questions about the Lord, salvation, or Heaven, feel free to come talk to me at any time. With that, you are dismissed to dinner.”