Abbinante Wedding Ceremony
PRELUDE (Instrumental)
WELCOME/CALL TO WORSHIP
Welcome! Celebrate as MICHAEL and LAURI accept the gift of marriage from our Heavenly Father. Let us acknowledge the Lord’s presence and ask for a blessing upon this occasion.
PRAYER
Thanks. Blessing. Glorify. Amen.
PROCESSIONAL
BIBLICAL VIEW OF MARRIAGE
God created marriage. In the book of Genesis, it says “18…the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”… 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. (Genesis 2:18, 21-24)
The wedding ceremony is where a permanent commitment is made but it marks the beginning of a process of becoming what the Bible calls “one flesh.” Just as making Jesus Christ Lord of one’s life represents both a permanent commitment of the heart and the beginning of a never-ending process of devotion to Him and His purposes – so is the marriage. Marriage is a permanent commitment of the heart coupled with a process of growing devotion to one another.
It is no wonder that God is the author of marriage, for God is the author of love itself. Marriage without love is like life without God – impossible. 1 Corinthians chapter 13 begins: (1 Corinthians 13:1-8)
“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.”
GIVING IN MARRIAGE
Who gives this woman to be married to this man?
Response: “I do,” “We do,” or “Her mother and I do.”
EXCHANGE OF VOWS
If you MICHAEL and LAURI have freely, deliberately and prayerfully chosen each other as partners in marriage and you know of no reason why you should not be united in marriage, please join your right hands.
MICHAEL, in taking LAURI by the hand, you express your desire to God and to this congregation to have her as your lawful, wedded wife. You are promising to love, honor and cherish her – leaving all others to cleave to her and be her true and faithful husband as long as you both shall live. You will love her as Christ loved the church for whom He gave Himself. You also promise, as head of the household to be spiritual leader of your new family – giving God authority in all decisions and actively seeking out God’s will for your lives even above your own desires. Do you so promise?
Response: “I do.”
LAURI, in taking MICHAEL by the hand, you express your desire to God and to this congregation to have him as your lawful, wedded husband. You are promising to love, honor and cherish him – leaving all others to cleave to him and be his true and faithful wife as long as you both shall live. You will submit to MICHAEL as the church submits to Christ. You promise to place God’s will for your family above all things including your own desires. Do you so promise?
Response: “I do.”
(Addressing the congregation) Please rise. To all of you present who are already joined in marriage under the Lordship of Jesus Christ: Do you promise to love, encourage and teach MICHAEL and LAURI by word and deed how to fulfill their vows to one another? If so, respond by saying “We do.”
Response: “We do.”
Please be seated.
RINGS
MICHAEL and LAURI, You will be symbolizing your love and commitment to one another with the exchange of rings: An outward sign of the inward commitment you are making to God and to each other. A ring has no beginning and no end – this represents the eternal quality of the God that has joined you and also represents the wholeness of your relationship. The gold from which they are made is one of the purest of God’s elements and signifies the purity of your love relationship.
MICHAEL, place this ring on LAURI’s finger and repeat these vows after me. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, I thee wed for richer or for poorer; for better or for worse; in sickness and in health; till death do us part.
LAURI, place this ring on MICHAEL’s finger and repeat these vows after me. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy spirit, I thee wed for richer or for poorer; for better or for worse; in sickness and in health; till death do us part.
Let us pray.
PRAYER
Committed, through the years, vows in heart, share burdens and joys, bless home – presence, laughter, joy.
PRONOUNCEMENT
MICHAEL and LAURI, you are now united in marriage according to the teachings of the Scripture and the laws of this state. It is with great joy that I now pronounce you husband and wife. “Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.” (Mark 10:9) You may kiss your bride.
PRESENTATION
It is my great pleasure to present to you Mr. and Mrs. MICHAEL ABBINANTE.