Wedding - Ron & Jane

:::: CALL TO WORSHIP

Family and friends, we are gathered here in God’s presence, to witness and celebrate the marriage of Ron & Jane. They seek God’s favor to bless their coming together and to sustain them for the years to come. And they ask us to be present with them, to rejoice in their oneness and to share in their happiness. They trust that we will support them and participate with them in daily celebrations of the healing and renewing power to which God calls all of his children.

By this union, we not only recognize it as a legal obligation, but as a bond made in the site of God, a relationship made in heaven, the joining of two who will become one.

From the earliest beginnings, marriage was instituted by God for the well-being and happiness of his people, as a sacred and divine partnership. Marriage was sanctified and blessed by Jesus. The New Testament exalts marriage as the symbol of the mystical union of Jesus and his church. Among all human relationships, marriage is the most sacred, satisfying, and permanent. Wherefore it should be entered into reverently, discreetly, and in the fear of God. And it is in this sacred relationship that Ron & Jane come now to be joined. Let’s pray...

:::: PRAYER

:::: CHARGE TO COUPLE

Ron & Jane - The Bible tells us in , “The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him.

My charge to you both on this special day is two-fold. #1. Know beyond a shadow of a doubt that “The Lord is good.” “For the Lord is good, His mercy is everlasting.” “He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness.” “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His mercy endures forever.” And says, “Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.” Ron, Jane is a gift from God; Jane, Ron is a gift from God!

What I think is interesting about this verse is that plans are future oriented and our steps are right here in the present. So we can plan all we want – and planning isn’t bad, it’s a good thing – but all we have is the present. All we have are these next moments and next steps. All we have is this gift that God has given us called today.

So my charge to you both is this – trust God fully as He determines your path; recognize that He is with you every step of the way; realize that as God brought the two of you together, it will be Him who sustains you, as you make him the center of your lives and marriage.

17Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.

And the second thing I want to share with you is also found in the book of James - “Come close to God, and God will come close to you.” Make Him the center of your lives and the center of your marriage. When you do that, He will shine his face upon you and He will honor and bless you, because He is close to those who trust in him.

:::: THE PLEDGE

Ron, are you ready to take Jane to be your wedded wife, to live together in the covenant of faith, hope, and love according to the intentions of God for your lives together in Christ Jesus? Will you listen to her innermost thoughts, be considerate and tender in your care of her, and stand by her faithfully in sickness and in health, and, preferring her above all others, accept full responsibility for her every need for as long as you both shall live? If so, please say “I do.”

Jane, are you ready to take Ron to be your wedded husband, to live together in the covenant of faith, hope, and love according to the intentions of God for your lives together in Christ Jesus? Will you listen to his innermost thoughts, be considerate and tender in your care of him, and stand by him faithfully in sickness and in health, and, preferring him above all others, accept full responsibility for his every need for as long as you both shall live? If so, please say “I do.”

:::: VOWS

Ron, would you please repeat after me...

I, Ron, take you Jane, to be my beloved wife, loving you now, cherishing you always. I will be there through all stages of life. I will share our goals and dreams. I promise to respect you and always be open and honest. I will be faithful to you and be your best friend. As we share our lives together, I pledge my love to you.

Jane, would you please repeat after me...

I, Jane, take you Ron, to be my beloved husband, loving you now, cherishing you always. I will be there through all stages of life. I will share our goals and dreams. I promise to respect you and always be open and honest. I will be faithful to you and be your best friend. As we share our lives together, I pledge my love to you.

:::: RINGS

The wedding ring is a symbol of eternity. It is an outward sign of an inward and spiritual bond which unites two hearts in end-less love. And now as a token of your love and of your deep desire to be forever united in heart and soul, you Ron, may place the ring on Jane’s finger and repeat after me…

Ron: I give you this ring… as a symbol of my love… and faithfulness to you.

By the same token Jane, you may place the ring on Ron’s finger and repeat after me...

Jane: I give you this ring… as a symbol of my love... and faithfulness to you.

:::: UNITY CANDLE

Through the light and direction that God so graciously gives, your paths have come together. And in this symbolic ceremony, you will each take a lighted candle, representing your previous separate pathways, and together you will light the Unity candle, symbolizing your desire to walk life's path together as one. Lighting this candle represents more than just two separate lives coming together, it also, and more importantly, represents your lives joining together with the one, true, light of the world – Jesus Christ. You may now light the Unity candle.

:::: PRAYER OF BLESSING

:::: PRONOUNCEMENT

By the authority given to me as a pastor in God’s Church, I declare that Ron & Jane are now husband and wife, according to the ordinances of God, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Ron, you may now kiss your bride.