Robb and Beth Wedding

WEDDING LITURGY For Robb Leary and Beth McCracken

Prelude

(Music as guests gather)

Processional

(Wedding party enters)

The Welcome:

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,

the love of God,

and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit

be with you all.

All Voices: and also with you.

God is love, and those who live in love live in God

and God lives in them.

Prayer: God of wonder and of joy:

grace comes from you,

and you alone are the source of life and love.

Without you, we cannot please you;

without your love, our deeds are worth nothing.

Send your Holy Spirit,

and pour into our hearts

   that most excellent gift of love,

that we may worship you now

with thankful hearts

and serve you always with willing minds;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Presentation of the Bride (Giving Away) Officiant: Who gives this woman to be married to this man? Responder: I do.

(Son shakes hands with groom and hands mother’s hand to him.)

——

In the presence of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

we have come together to witness the marriage of Robb and Beth,

to pray for God’s blessing on them, to share their joy and to celebrate their love.

Marriage is a gift of God in creation through which husband and wife may know the grace of God. It is given that as man and woman grow together in love and trust, they shall be united with one another in heart, body and mind, as Christ is united with his bride, the Church.

The gift of marriage brings husband and wife together in the delight and tenderness of sexual union and joyful commitment to the end of their lives. It is given as the foundation of family life in which children are born and nurtured and in which each member of the family, in good times and in bad, may find strength, companionship and comfort, and grow to maturity in love.

Marriage is a way of life made holy by God, and blessed by the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ with those celebrating a wedding at Cana in Galilee. Marriage is a sign of unity and loyalty which all should uphold and honor. It enriches society and strengthens community. No one should enter into it lightly or selfishly but reverently and responsibly in the sight of almighty God.

Robb and Beth are now to enter this way of life. They will each give their consent to the other and make solemn vows, and in token of this they will each give and receive a ring. We pray with them that the Holy Spirit will guide and strengthen them, that they may fulfill God’s purposes for the whole of their earthly life together.

---

Prayer of Invocation

Let us pray.

Gracious God, you are always faithful in your love for us. Look mercifully upon this man and this woman who come seeking your blessing today. Let your Spirit rest upon them so that they may keep the solemn promises they make here today, and may their love for each other reflect your love for us through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

---

Poem by Daughter of the Bride—Devon White

---

The vows you are about to take are to be made in the presence of God,

who is judge of all and knows all the secrets of our hearts; therefore if either of you knows a reason why you may not lawfully marry, you must declare it now.

Declaration of Intent

Robb, will you have Beth to be your wife; to live together in holy marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?

Groom: I will.

Beth, will you have Robb to be your husband; to live together in holy marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?

Bride: I will.

The minister says to the congregation

This day is not just about Robb and Beth making vows to each other but all gathered here as well. You are entering into these vowels to hold these two individuals up in prayer and keep them accountable to the vows they make to each other. Marriage is never just about the two people it is about the two families joining together into this marriage. All of you are here for a purpose and with that I ask you all now

Will you, the families and friends of Robb and Beth,

support and uphold them in their marriage

now and in the years to come?

All   We will.

God our Father,

from the beginning

you have blessed creation with abundant life.

Pour out your blessings upon Robb and Beth,

that they may be joined in mutual love and companionship,

in holiness and commitment to each other.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

All   Amen.

Reading

I Corinthians 13:1-13—Daughter of the groom—Deana Myers

13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Sermon I Corinthians 13 is the “Love Chapter.” But what is this word love? We are gathered here today to celebrate the love of Robb and Beth. I am sure at some point today somebody here said, “I love this food.” We love each other, and we love food. Love is an overused word in the English language.

I Corinthians was written in Greek, and the Greek language has four different words that we translate as “love.” The Old Testament was written in Hebrew, and it has three words that we translate as “love.” Each word carries a different meaning for the kind of love it describes.

I want to look at the three Hebrew words for our word love, because this candle has three wicks—and each wick represents a love that Scripture tells us is important for marriage.

Just like this candle, if you over burn one love or fail to light another, the candle will never burn properly—and the same is true for your marriage. Before we get to love, we need to start with the foundation for all things, especially our relationships with one another: husband and wife, brother and sister, parent and child, friend to friend.

Each wick represents one part of the Triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God must be the foundation for this relationship and for all relationships moving forward. That leads to the next idea for the three wicks: the Triune God is one wick, and the two of you are the other two wicks. The closer you each get to God as individuals, the closer you will grow to each other. Think of a triangle and God is the top point and the two of you are the bottom two points. As you get closer to the top point, God, you get closer to each other.

These three wicks also represent God, the two of you together, and all who are gathered here today. You are entering into this union as well. As Robb and Beth join together, you are the witnesses of these vows, and you now share the responsibility of helping them keep these vows before God. You also surround them with prayer. You are not just spectators by being here—you are entering into this covenant as witnesses and supporters.

Now, the three loves.

The first love is Raya—this is friendship love, companionship, or best-friend love. This is not just for husband and wife but also includes your friends who are gathered here with you today. It is a love needed in marriage because this is the person you will be spending much of your life with—and if you aren’t friends with them, the relationship cannot thrive.

Ahava—this is the deep affection, the heartache, the bending of the mind and heart toward the other. It is much more than temporary urges. Ahava is making a decision to join your life to the life of another. It is an emotion that leads to commitment. You are committed to one another, not because you have to be, but because you want to be.

Dod—this translates literally as “to carouse,” “to rock,” or “to fondle.” Dod is the sexual love—the physical intimacy that is God’s design for marriage.

All three of these loves can be found in Song of Solomon in the Bible. These three loves are how God designed marriage to be. If you only have one flame burning in your marriage, it will not burn properly. Many people over time lose Raya and Dod but still have Ahava—the commitment love. Yet without the others, it is not a healthy relationship.

Only burning the Dod flame ends up burning hot, quick, and fast, but it doesn’t last because it lacks the other loves. A marriage should be grounded in all three, showing the world God’s true design for man and woman. So I encourage you both to constantly fan the flames of all three kinds of love as you move forward.

When you burn all three flames, others will be drawn to that heat and light—and they will see that there is more to this world. Your love for each other should always reflect the love of Jesus for His Church and for His people. Love is two people coming together and giving all of themselves to each other, forever.

Now, we fan the flame of Ahava as you exchange your vows and commit your lives to each other forever. Please join me up in the chancel.

Exchange of Vows (Move up into the chancel area)

Robb and Beth, I now invite you to join hands and make your vows,

in the presence of God and his people.

Officiant:

Please repeat after me.

I, Robb, take you, Beth,

to be my wedded wife,

to have and to hold

from this day forward,

for better, for worse,

for richer, for poorer,

in sickness and in health,

to love and to cherish,

till death do us part,

according to God’s holy ordinance;

and thereto I pledge you my faith.

I, Beth, take you, Robb,

to be my wedded husband,

to have and to hold

from this day forward,

for better, for worse,

for richer, for poorer,

in sickness and in health,

to love and to cherish,

till death do us part,

according to God’s holy ordinance;

and thereto I pledge you my faith.

Exchange of Rings

Officiant:

What token of your love do you give?

(Rings are presented Pray over the rings)

Repeat after me:

Beth, I give you this ring

as a sign of our marriage.

With my body I honor you,

all that I am I give to you,

and all that I have I share with you,

within the love of God,

Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Robb, I give you this ring

as a sign of our marriage.

With my body I honor you,

all that I am I give to you,

and all that I have I share with you,

within the love of God,

Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The minister joins their right hands together and says

In the presence of God, and before this congregation,

Robb and Beth have given their consent

and made their marriage vows to each other.

They have declared their marriage by the joining of hands and by the giving and receiving of rings.

I therefore proclaim in the mighty name of Jesus and in the powers allotted to me by God almighty I declare to you know that they are husband and wife. Those whom God has joined together let no one put asunder.

Let Us Pray:

Blessed are you, O Lord our God,

for you have created joy and gladness,

pleasure and delight, love, peace and fellowship.

Pour out the abundance of your blessing

upon Robb and Beth in their new life together.

May their love for you fuel the love they have for each other, 

And may they fan the flames of all the loves to make their marriage great

Which will be a sign to the world of your love for us.

Let their love for each other be a seal upon their hearts and a crown upon their heads.

Bless them in their work and in their companionship;

awake and asleep, in joy and in sorrow, in life and in death.

Finally, in your mercy, bring them to that banquet

where your saints feast for ever in your heavenly home.

We ask this through Jesus Christ your Son, our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever. 

All   Amen.

God the Father,

God the Son,

God the Holy Spirit,

bless, preserve and keep you;

the Lord mercifully grant you the riches of his grace,

that you may please him both in body and soul,

and, living together in faith and love,

may receive the blessings of eternal life.

All   Amen.

Now…

May the Lord bless you and keep you;

May the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;

May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace,

both now and forevermore. Amen.

Robb you may kiss your bride.

It is now my great joy to introduce to you for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Robb Leary

Recessional

(Music as couple and wedding party exit)