Great Welding - Marriage

Genesis 2:24 “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”

Harold… Charlotte… I want you to take a moment and truly look at each other. Because in just a few moments, something sacred is going to happen—something the human eye cannot see, where the natural steps into the supernatural and heaven records this forever.

Scripture never reduced marriage to partnership, convenience, or companionship. The Word of God spoke of One Flesh. Amos 3:3 “How can any two walk together, except they be in agreement?”

Being of one flesh means to being of one mind in agreement.

That old word “cleave” means to adhere… to hold fast… to be joined so completely that separating one would wound the other. That separating one would destroy the other. It is the language of permanence. It is the language of covenant.

Today, you stand here with years behind you—years of stories, victories, losses, wisdom, and scars. Two full lives. Two full histories. But when you walk away from this altar today, you walk away as one.

Ephesians 5:25–33 “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.”

Harold, this is where you step into the pattern of Christ. Ephesians 5:25 (KJV) “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church...” Not with a love that fades, but with a love that covers. A love that protects. A love that forgives first, sacrifices first, and stands firm first when life grows heavy. You are not loving her because she is flawless—you are loving her because she is entrusted to you. She is yours to care for and love and protect.

Charlotte, this is where you step into the strength of honor.

Ephesians 5:33 (KJV) “…and the wife see that she reverence her husband.” The world misunderstands reverence, but God does not. Reverence is honor. Honor is not silence. Honor is not weakness. Honor is the steady, deliberate choice to lift him, to encourage him, to speak life into him. You become his peace. His confidence. His safe place in a world that is often unkind.

So hear me both of you: this is not a contract. This is a covenant.

Contracts end when circumstances shift. A covenant stands when the finances change.

A covenant stands when the body weakens. A covenant stands when the seasons of life turn.

Because a covenant with God is sealed not only by your promise, but by God’s presence.

And I can assure you, the Word of God says Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

Today, you close the chapter of “I” and “me,” and you open the door to “us”— a shared future, a shared calling, a shared grace.

Are you ready to proceed together?!

Wedding Ceremony Script: Harold & Charlotte

Opening

Officiant: “Welcome, family and friends. We are gathered here today in the presence of God and these witnesses to join Harold and Charlotte in holy matrimony.”

The Message: A Union in God

Officiant: “Marriage is a sacred mystery—a divine weaving of two lives into one. The Lord Jesus Christ spoke of this profound unity in Matthew 19:4–6 “And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”

Today, we stand on the rock of that promise—that this bond is forged by God and protected by His hand.

To keep this bond strong, Scripture gives us a blueprint for the heart. It begins with a foundation of humility and mutual service. Ephesians 5:21 commands you by: ‘Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.’

Harold, Scripture charges you with a high calling:

‘Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.’

Your love is to be sacrificial, protective, and tender.

Charlotte, the Scriptures call you to a place of dignity and high regard:

‘And the wife see that she reverence her husband.’

Honor him. Encourage him. Be his helper.

By submitting to one another, loving sacrificially, and reverencing one another, you reflect the very heart of God.”

The Exchange of Vows

Officiant: “Harold and Charlotte, please join hands.

Harold, do you take this woman to be your wedded wife, to live together in the holy estate of matrimony? Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health; and forsaking all others, and to keep yourself only for her, so long as you both shall live?”

Harold: “I do.”

Officiant: “Charlotte, do you take this man to be your wedded husband, to live together in the holy estate of matrimony? Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health; and to forsake all others, and to keep yourself only for him, so long as you both shall live?”

Charlotte: “I do.”

The Ring Vow

Officiant: “The wedding ring is a circle without beginning or end—an outward sign of an inward and spiritual devotion and grace. It signifies the unbroken covenant you are making today before God.”

(Harold please place the ring on Charlotte’s finger) Harold Repeat After Me: “With this ring, I thee wed. Let this ring be a reminder of my endless love and the holy covenant we have made today. I give you this ring as a pledge of my heart and my faithfulness, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit..”

(Charlotte places the ring on Harold’s finger) Charlotte Repeat After Me: “With this ring, I thee wed. Let this ring be a reminder of my endless love and the holy covenant we have made today. I give you this ring as a pledge of my heart and my faithfulness, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”

The Candle Lighting Ceremony (Eternal Flame)

Officiant: “We now celebrate this union with the lighting of the Unity Candle.

Before you stand two small candles. These represent your distinct lives, your individual families, and the unique personality God created in you before you ever met.

In the center stands a single large candle. This represents your union—an Eternal Flame that cannot be divided.”

(Harold and Charlotte take the two small lit candles)

Officiant: “As you light the center candle from the smaller ones, you do not extinguish your individual lights. Rather, you bring the brightness of your separate lives together to create a greater light.

May this Eternal Flame represent the burning love of God in your marriage—a fire that warms you in the cold, guides you in the dark, and never burns out.”

(They light the center candle together and place the small candles back in their holders)

Pronouncement

Officiant: “Because Harold and Charlotte have consented together in holy matrimony, have witnessed the same before God and this church, and have pledged their faith to each other by the giving and receiving of rings and the lighting of eternal flame:

I now pronounce you both Husband and Wife.

‘What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.’

You may kiss the bride!”