Carries Wedding Scripture
Matthew 19:4-6 4 "Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' 5 and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'? 6 So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."
Genesis 2:18-24 18 The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." 19 Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23 The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman, 'for she was taken out of man." 24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.
1 John 4:7-11 7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 1
John 4:14-16 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love.
1 John 4:18-19 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 19 We love because he first loved us.
Eccl. 4
9 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work:
10 If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
You are no longer alone. Now, when one of you falls, there will indeed be someone to pick you up. There will always be someone to hold the ladder steady, to wake up in the middle of the night when you've heard a noise you can't identify. Always an eye to catch across the room, someone who remembers the same dumb joke and laughs at the same cartoons.
But more than that, you have the possibility of weaving that three-fold cord the preacher speaks of. You can beat the odds, and have the marriage that lasts a lifetime. And it's so easy: include God in your marriage.
You see, Jesus is the third cord that can make your marriage that strong lifeline that characterizes the very best marriages. And you can include him every day. Pray together, at least once a day. Morning or night, or before or after supper, take a few minutes. Read the scriptures. Just a small portion each day, it doesn't have to be much. One of the stories of Jesus, or one of the Psalms, or some story of the Old Testament. And then join your hands and your hearts together, and ask God to guide you, to teach you how to uphold one another. Ask God to bless your partner, and pray for the concerns of your partner. It only takes a few minutes each day, and it will make your marriage strong. You will have that unseen third partner to lean on, and you will grow strong as a result. You will find in time that you will be more accepting of your partner's foibles and shortcomings. It will be easier to forgive one another. And easier to admit you may have made a mistake, need to be forgiven, need to be comforted.
So, as you repeat the vows you are about to make, know that you do not have to struggle on your own to keep them. Include God in your daily married life as you are including God in this day, and you will be assisted every day to have a happy home and a long, loving life together. May God grant that this be so. Amen.
We are gathered this beautiful spring afternoon to experience a mystical and magical moment in life. There are many wonderful experiences in life.
The wonder of a plant that grows from a seed. The amazing sights and sounds of the birth of a child. The incredible taste of a chocolate bar. The feel of the wind on your face and the flipping sensation in your stomach as you ride your first roller coaster. The pride of driving down main street in your own car for the first time in your life.
Nothing. Nothing. Nothing even begins to approach the mystical and magical happening that occurs when two lives are joined by God and made one! Are you ready?
Questions concerning Vows
______________will you have ______________to be your lawfully wedded wife, to live together after God’s ordinances in the holy estate of marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, respect, and keep her in sickness and health, forsaking all others for as long as you both shall live?
______________will you have ______________to be your lawfully wedded husband, to live together after God’s ordinances in the holy estate of marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, respect, and keep him in sickness and health, forsaking all others for as long as you both shall live?
Prayer of Consecration
Message
I would like to read from two passages of scripture that you have selected to read this afternoon.
Psalm 100 says: “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”
_____, ______, The Bible reveals that God imagined you, then He designed you and finally he created you.
_________he created you with (insert personal remarks).
God gave you this woman so that you would know the thanksgiving, forever love and faithfulness which comes from God through your love for her and her love for you.
_________, God created you with(Insert personal remarks).
God introduced you to _______________ for your gladness, thanksgiving, forever love and faithfulness.
The second scripture you selected was Colossians 3. It describes the attitudes of love which God wants you to have for one another and for everyone your lives touch.
Colossians 3:12-16:
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues, put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish on another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
And, whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Someday you will not be young. You will look on this day and wonder at it. My blessing for you this day is that on that day many years from now your front lawn will be filled with children who are your children’s children and that while your hair might be gray and bones might be stiff that your hearts will be golden and your spirits soft and tender toward each other.
Song “Gift of Love” Unity Candle
Prayer of Blessing
Exchange of Vows
Vows (Groom)
I, ___________, give you, ___________, my heart. I will be your constant friend, your faithful partner in life, and your one true love. I give you the gift of my love. I will wait for you, Always, Forever, No Matter What.
I give to you, in the presence of God and these witnesses, my solemn promise to stay by your side as your faithful husband for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow, in good times and in bad.
I further promise to build a household of faith with you, to honor and respect you and comfort you in times of troubles. I will be open and honest with you, laugh with you and cry with you, grow with you in mind and spirit, and cherish you for as long as we both shall live.
Vows (Bride)
I, ___________, give you, ___________, my heart. I will be your constant friend, your faithful partner in life, and your one true love. I give you the gift of my love. I will wait for you, Always, Forever, No Matter What.
I give to you, in the presence of God and these witnesses, my solemn promise to stay by your side as your faithful wife for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow, in good times and in bad.
I further promise to build a household of faith with you, to honor and respect you and comfort you in times of troubles. I will be open and honest with you, laugh with you and cry with you, grow with you in mind and spirit, and cherish you for as long as we both shall live.
The giving of a ring
The ring you give is a token and pledge of the covenant you have made to each other. You have pledged your lives to each other and now give a simple gift which symbolizes and seals the vows you have made. This gift is presented as a constant reminder of the pledge you have made this day to one another; to those who witness the establishing of this covenant; and to all who come to know you.
___________, would you please take this ring and that you have chosen to seal this covenant of marriage with, place it on the ring finger of your bride and repeat after me?
“I give this ring to you as the sign and pledge of my constant faith and forever love.”
___________, would you please take this ring and that you have chosen to seal this covenant of marriage with, place it on the ring finger of your bride and repeat after me?
“I give this ring to you as the sign and pledge of my constant faith and forever love.”
