Bell/Moore Wedding

1. Prelude

2. Seating of the Mothers Mothers - Groom entrance when done.

3. Processional

4. Welcome

But it is a truly important day. A day you all play a vital role in.

Your role is is 2-fold.

1. To serve as witnesses of the vows they are about to make.

2. Enter into a solemn relationship to their new one in marriage. They are no longer just 2 - but in reality become an entirely new entity made of the two. And they will need the all prayer, support and encouragement we can muster for them.

Marriage has fallen on hard times in our day - and young couple like Colin and Taylor need to be surrounded by those who are determined to bless them in this new life together.

5. Giving of the Bride

6. Prayer

7. Scripture Reading

8. Pastor’s Charge & Sermon

As we’ve talked in the weeks leading up to today, the Bible itself begins with a wedding and ends with one.

The theme is important to our Creator in understanding life and what it means to be human.

We were made for union. We get a taste of that in marriage. But make no mistake, as full, rich, profound, spiritual and joyful as marriage is, it is still only the shadow of the union to come when all those in Christ are joined with Him for eternity.

And so as you enter into marriage today, you also enter into the ministry or making God’s design for mankind to be brought into right union with Himself through the saving work of Jesus Christ in His life, death, burial and resurrection. And especially in His soon return.

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! 11 Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? 12 And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

On the surface those words might just seem like a good advice or a nice sentiment – but in their context, they are truly profound.

This book of wisdom from Israel’s 3rd King – Solomon, is all about finding the meaning of life.

The truth is, we can’t possibly know why God would give us marriage immediately after our creation, unless we understand why we were created in the first place.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

In short, God created humankind to be His image bearers.

To make Him known – to reveal Him to the rest of creation in the way we ruled the earth as His vice-regents.

Marriage then is given to us so by God, so that we can assist each other in carrying out God’s purpose for us in being living, flesh and blood representatives of who and what He is.

In other words, marriage, is actually a ministry with a divine commission.

In a day and age where marriage is often just disregarded altogether, or horribly disfigured from God’s intention behind giving it – you two have pledged to be deliberately counter-cultural and to honor the Creator and Savior in entering marriage in His way, and to fulfill His purposes.

That’s why: Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”

But!

But, along came sin – our rebellion against God – wanting to have ultimate authority over our own lives instead of living for God’s intended purposes.

And every drop of human suffering we experience since has come as a result of that fall.

Humankind lost its purpose.

This is what Solomon notes in the opening of his book. He said he began to search for meaning and he looked in the same 4 places all of us look.

a. Pleasure - selfish enjoyment. But he soon found out pleasure is fleeting. It doesn’t last.

b. Productivity - satisfaction in work. But work has no eternal aspect to it. No matter how right and good and profitable it is.

c. Possessions - But the problem with possessions is, all of them will one day perish. Or we will perish from them.

d. Power - Which is an illusion. For in the end we have very little true power over anything.

So having found out the emptiness of the things which motivate most people in life, at the end of the book he says he DID find what he was looking for: The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

Purpose, true purpose can only be found in coming back to a right relationship with the God who made us for His own purposes.

So if our purpose is to bear God’s image, how do we get back to that?

The Gospel. God sent His Son, to die in our place, that the sin of our rebellion against Him and our desire to be our own ultimate authority could be forgiven, and we could be re-united to Him in love and grace.

And being restored as individuals to God’s original plan and purpose, we can then see the role of marriage in carrying that out.

There may be some of you here today that have finally realized what King Solomon did - the bankruptcy of chasing pleasure, productivity, possessions and power - and I pray that in Colin and Taylor’s wedding today, you might find the hope, the truth, and the deliverance from that state the way they have in turning to the redeeming grace of Jesus Christ and His death in our place on the Cross, that you too might be reconciled to the living God through faith in Jesus Christ.

So in the portion we just read – Solomon notes 4 things about lives given over to God’s plan and purpose to be His image bearers…

a. 4:9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil.

They can assist each other in this cosmic call and wonder to take on the image of Christ so defaced in the Fall - rather than going it alone. Colin – it is actually Taylor’s job to help you become more like Christ – and yours to help her do likewise. To make this spiritual reality the center of your marriage. To live in God’s plan and purpose for life – in marriage.

b. 4:10 For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!

When you fail in following Christ, and sin – and you WILL sin, against each other and in general – you can look to each other to get lifted back up and get back on track. We do not abandon each other when we fail – we lock arms, and pray for each other and encourage each other and help each other brush off the dirt, dust and grime of our sin and get back to the race.

c. 4:11 Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone?

To comfort one another. Sin has left us a wrecked world. When Christ returns that will all be done away with – but until then, there is a ton of pain, sorrow, grief, and trial to overcome. And what an incredible, unspeakable blessing we can be to one another, ministering to each other when such times come – comforting one another in the unbreakable embrace of marriage.

d. 4:12 And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

The Bible tells us that Christians have 3 enemies – This fallen World system that attacks us by convincing us to chase pleasure, productivity, possessions and power as ultimate goals. A literal Devil who constantly lies to us about God, His love and goodness and grace. He convinces us that we don’t need redemption in Jesus.

And our own fallen nature that seeks self above the love of Christ and others.

So we need protection from those attacks – and marriage provides us with one another to “keep each other’s back” – and point us back to God’s plan and purpose.

But note that last phrase especially – a 3-fold cord is not easily broken.

Where’d the 3 come from? When 2 who are trusting in Christ and His finished work alone are united in seeking God’s plan and purpose for their lives, they can be assured of Christ’s own presence with them every step of the way.

This is the marriage I am praying for you both, and hope to consummate here today.

Colin & Taylor – Seeing that the two of you have decided to enter into marriage, by this public declaration before God and man - I will ask you now to take your vows together.

9. VOWS

10. Exchange of Rings

11. Declaration of Marriage

EXCHANGE OF RINGS:

COLIN, Because you desire to symbolize your sacred vows, I ask you to repeat after me and to TAYLOR your ring vow as you hold this ring on her finger.

Repeat after me:

I give you this ring

as a symbol of my love;

and with all that I am and all that I have,

I honor you

TAYLOR, Because you desire to symbolize your sacred vows, I ask you to repeat after me and to COLIN your ring vow as you hold this ring on his finger.

Please repeat after me: I give you this ring

as a symbol of my love;

and with all that I am and all that I have,

I honor you

12. Declaration of Marriage

12. Pastoral Prayer and Blessing

13. Presentation of Bride & Groom – Mr. & Mrs. Colin Bell

14. Recessional

1. Prelude

2. Seating of the Mothers Mothers - Groom entrance when done.

3. Processional

4. Welcome: We are NOT here to celebrate the happiest day in the lives of Colin & Taylor – only the happiest day to date. Anticipating many, many more to come.

We are NOT here to celebrate the happiest day in the lives of Colin & Taylor – only the happiest day to date. Anticipating many, many more to come.

But it is a truly important day. A day you all play a vital role in.

Your role is is 2-fold.

1. To serve as witnesses of the vows they are about to make.

2. Enter into a solemn relationship to their new one in marriage. They are no longer just 2 - but in reality become an entirely new entity made of the two. And they will need the all prayer, support and encouragement we can muster for them.

Marriage has fallen on hard times in our day - and a young couple like Colin and Taylor need to be surrounded by those who are determined to bless them in this new life together.

5. Giving of the Bride

6. Prayer

7. Scripture Reading –

8. Pastor’s Charge & Sermon: Colin and Taylor, you are about to embark upon one of the most amazing blessings God has thought it good to give humankind made in His image.

nly the happiest d

But it a truly important day. A day you all play a vital role in.

As we’ve talked in the weeks leading up to today, the Bible itself begins with a wedding and ends with one.

Your role as observers is 2-fold.

The theme is important to our Creator in understanding life and what it means to be human.

1. To serve as witnesses of the vows they are about to make.

We were made for union. We get a taste of that in marriage. But make no mistake, as full, rich, profound, spiritual and joyful as marriage is, it is still only the shadow of the union to come when all those in Christ are joined with Him for eternity.

And so as you enter into marriage today, you also enter into the ministry of making known God’s design for mankind to be brought into right union with Himself through the saving work of Jesus Christ in His life, death, burial and resurrection. And especially in His soon return.