Conlon’s Wedding

Welcome

Good evening!

My name is Seth King and I have the honor and privilege of officiating Michael and Sarah’s ceremony tonight.

On behalf of them both, I would like to welcome you and say thank you for attending as witnesses of the commitment they are about to publically make before you!

Before we begin, Michael and Sarah have asked that phones be silenced to avoid distractions.

As for pictures, there will be no need to take them! We have a talented photographer who will be capturing every moment- Michael and Sarah will be excited to share these with you in the near future.

Thank you for your understanding and now let us turn our attention to the reason we have gathered together this evening.

Precessional

Giving of the Bride

At this point, I would like to ask, “Who gives their blessing for this woman to be married to this man?”

Her mother and I.

(Sarah’s dad will hug Sarah, hug Michael, and then take Sarah’s hand, placing it in Michael’s to symbolize the “giving of the bride.” Once Michael has Sarah’s hand, the two will face each other, holding both of each other’s hands, while the MOH sets the dress just right.)

Charge to the Couple

Congratulations you two, you have made it!

Sarah, you look beautiful… Michael…. way to listen to instructions and be on time!

You can both take a deep breath now- in the words of a pastor friend of mine, this wedding has been planned for, prayed, for, and most importantly PAID for!

Before we begin, Michael and Sarah wanted to take a moment to honor the passing of Michael’s grandmother, Barbara McMullin, who would have been attending today to support her grandson and the welcoming of her new granddaughter.

At this moment, would you join me in a moment of silence honoring her life and the legacy she left those who knew her well.

Thank you.

Many of you are here because of your relationship to Michael and/or Sarah.

If you know their story, you basically have learned a lot about them!

Michael and Sarah met on an online dating app.

Michael… bro I hope you know how good God is to have matched you up with her!

Michael made sure to tell me that Sarah did her due diligence by keeping him at a distance and only chatting with him through the app.

It wasn’t until 6 months actually passed when Michael had the privilege of taking Sarah out on a date.

Knowing he was picking up a girl from Texas, he strategically took her to Jotoro for some tex mex!

The best part about the story was Sarah making Michael wait for 30 minutes outside because “she wasn’t quite done getting ready.”

Let me just say, I am proud of the man Michael is…

Not only did Michael wait for 30 minutes but the night concluded with a nice donation to the city of Tampa after returning to his car to find a parking ticket!

Needless to say, we can all agree it was God’s plan for these two to be together.

Over the course of the last year, my wife and I have gotten to know them individually.

I have the pleasure of serving as their pastor.

Michael and I have had many lunches discussing anything from the deep truths of God’s word to the woes of FSU football.

Sarah was a part of a women’s Bible study my wife led in our home every Wednesday night!

Both have exhibited a desire to know God more intently and for that I am very grateful.

Michael and Sarah, it has been a joy and privilege to know you, serve you, encourage you, and befriend you.

I can confidently say you two have been one of the most enjoyable couples I have walked with leading up to the wedding day!

You two are very close. What makes your relationship complete is not each other… it is what you two place at the center which is Jesus.

There is a passage in Psalm 126 where we see the nation of Israel’s response to God’s faithfulness. It says,

Psalm 126:3 ESV

3 The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad.

That word glad in it’s original language is a word that describes a type of rejoicing in others that is arrogant.

It’s a moment when one takes pride in their relationship with someone else.

I can confidently say I am glad when I consider who you both are before God individually and together.

Over the past couple of months, you both have been on a journey.

While on this journey, you were tasked with considering your life, your relationship, and the picture you aspired it to portray.

Our first time together, we discussed the fundamental essence of a marriage- to glorify the Lord in all things and to symbolize the narrative of the gospel.

Honestly, I can’t think of a better weekend to have a wedding.

What you two are doing in this very moment is a picture of the Easter story!

In our fallen and sinful state, God sent His Son, Jesus, to take the punishment of our sin because of His choice to love us unconditionally.

Our faith in the person and work of Jesus saves us from our sin, identifies us with Jesus, the risen Savior, and establishes us as a part of His family which we call “the church.”

God uses marriage as a picture to illustrate His relationship with the church.

We are what He describes as “his bride.”

Ephesians 5:25–27 ESV

25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

God’s calling upon you to enter into this covenant with each other is a call to walk worthy of purpose- to exemplify the name of Jesus in all things!

Notice what I said here- you are mirroring the love of God by entering into a covenant…

A covenant is much different than a contract.

A contract is an agreement that involves mutual benefit. It is only upheld if what was promised is received.

A covenant is a binding relationship based on a commitment.

A contract protects rights and interest. A covenant expressed love, loyalty, and faithfulness no matter the circumstance.

Therefore, it is only in partnership with God that you are enabled to endure every trial for the sake of your marriage to each other and it’s purpose to express the truth of the gospel to others.

A reminder of the posture of the life of one who serves Jesus is found in Ephesians 4:2… Paul says,

Ephesians 4:2 ESV

2 Be… humble and gentle, with patience, bear with one another in love,

After all, marriage between a man and a woman is God’s design. We see this at the beginning of creation in…

Genesis 2:24 ESV

24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

For those in attendance today, one thing the three of us talked about was defining their meaning of life.

If you both remember, this is what you came to the table with…

Our meaning of life is to grow with God and become more like Him and aware of His presence. We will serve Him by loving others, sharing His goodness, and longing for eternal life with Him.

Reading that gives me chills. It is perfect. What I love the most is that it resembles your proximity- everything you do you do TOGETHER.

You both are a team God has assembled for such a time as this. And I am so excited to see what God is going to do in and through you.

Before we continue in our time together, I want to leave you with something my wife and I have built our marriage on.

It is a simple principle that we believe is a vital key to establishing a forever lasting marriage.

In a culture where marriages are sustained by preferences and the meeting of personal needs, I want to offer you a different approach.

Live to out-serve each other.

Many broken marriages are the result of pride, individualism, and selfishness. If we are to resemble the gospel, we must live to serve.

Michael, serve Sarah in every way possible. Sarah, serve Michael just as Jesus has served you.

May the Lord be honored in your life together forever.

I love you guys and am always here. What a privilege to stand with you today, to cheer you on, and to watch you both grow closer together as you grow closer to the Lord.

Marriage Vows

Now, we approach this sacred time of making your wedding vows. In the vows, you commit to each other a life that seeks to serve and glorify the Lord together.

Michael, will you repeat these vows as covenant of your commitment?

(Each line will be repeated.)

I, Michael

take you, Sarah,

to be my wedded wife,

to have and to hold,

from this day forward,

for better or for worse,

for richer or poorer,

in sickness and in health,

to love and cherish you,

as long as we both shall live.

Sarah, will you repeat these vows as covenant of your commitment?

(Each line will be repeated.)

I, Sarah

take you, Michael,

to be my wedded husband,

to have and to hold,

from this day forward,

for better or for worse,

for richer or poorer,

in sickness and in health,

to love and cherish you,

as long as we both shall live.

Moment of Prayer

During this time, Michael and Sarah have chosen to take the next few moments and have a time of prayer.

While I pray over them both, if you are comfortable and willing, would you silently pray for them while in your seat.

Pray for their marriage, that the Lord would continue to draw them closer as they draw nearer to Him.

Let us pray.

(During this moment, I will give the nod to the violinist to begin playing. I will lead us in a time of prayer. After I am done, I will give the violinist the cue to end.)

Ring Vows

The wedding ring is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual commitment, signifying to the world the union of you both and your commitment to love and serve each other as you seek to love and serve Jesus.

Michael, place the ring on Sarah’s finger and repeat these vows...

(Chris will extend his hand with BOTH rings and Michael will take Sarah’s ring)

With this ring,

I thee wed,

As a token of my love for you,

In the name of the Father,

And of the Son,

And of the Holy Spirit.

Michael, before God, who established marriage from the beginning, and in the presence many who know you, love you, and are here for you, do you receive Sarah to be your wife? Do you choose her, to love her, to serve her, as Christ has loved and served the Church and to be faithful to her alone as long as you both shall live?

I do.

Sarah, place the ring on Michael’s finger and repeat after me:

(Chris will extend his hand with SARAH’s ring and Sarah will take Michael’s ring)

With this ring,

I thee wed,

As a token of my love for you,

In the name of the Father,

And of the Son,

And of the Holy Spirit.

Sarah, before God, who joined man and woman to become one flesh, in the presence of those who know you, love you, and are here for you, do you receive Michael to be your husband? Do you commit to respect and serve him, to love him as Christ has loved the church, and to be faithful to him alone as long as you both shall live?

I do.

Declaration of Marriage

Michael and Sarah, it is my prayer that:

The Lord will bless you and keep you, that the Lord will make His face to shine on both of you

and be gracious to you;

I pray that the Lord turns His face toward you

and may He always give you peace.

Together, as family and friends, we have witnessed the pledging of your love and commitment to each other. We have seen the sealing of your solemn vows of marriage by the giving of rings.

It is, therefore, my joy and privilege to declare you husband and wife.

Michael, you may kiss your bride!

Presentation of the Couple

Friends and family of the bride and groom, it is my privilege to present to you

for the very first time

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Anthony Conlon!

Closing Remarks

Thank you for joining us tonight as we celebrate Michael and Sarah!

A couple of directions before we continue in our time together…

Family of the bride and groom, will you please stay in your seats for pictures.

As for the rest of you, you may exit through the doors to the right for the cocktail hour.

Lastly, if you looked on your service orders you received tonight, you will notice an invitation and promotion for our Easter services on Davis Islands.

If you do not have a church you regularly attend or you are in town visiting for the wedding, as the pastor of Michael and Sarah’s church, I’d like to personally invite you to join us on Davis Islands for one of our two Easter services. Information is on the service order.

Happy Easter- you are dismissed!