Croston Wedding Ceremony

§ Prelude (3:45p)

§ Processional

§ Words of Welcome

Minister: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. On behalf of Koby and Elissa and their families, I want to welcome you and thank you so much for gathering to witness this marriage, and to celebrate what God is up to in the life of this couple. You may be seated.

§ Declaration of Purpose

Minister:

We are gathered here to praise God for the covenant of grace and reconciliation made with us through Jesus Christ, and to hear it proclaimed anew as we witness the covenant of marriage Koby and Elissa make with each other in Christ’s name.

Christian marriage is a joyful covenanting between a man and a woman in which they proclaim, before God and human witnesses, their commitment to live together in spiritual, physical, and material unity. In this covenant they acknowledge that the great love that God has shown for each of them enables them to love each other. They affirm that God’s gracious presence and abiding power are needed for them to keep their vows, to continue to live in love, and to be faithful servants of Christ in this world; human commitment is fragile and human love imperfect, but the promise of God is eternal and the love of God can bring our love to perfection.

§ Declaration of Intent

Minister: (To Koby)

Before God and these witnesses, will you, Koby, take Elissa to be your wife, to live together in the covenant of marriage? Will you love and comfort her, honor and keep her, and, in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in health, preserve with her this bond, and, forsaking all others, will you be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?

Koby: (Earnestly) uhm, yes.

Minister: (To Elissa)

Before God and these witnesses, will you, Elissa, take Koby to be your husband, to live together in the covenant of marriage? Will you love and comfort him, honor and keep him, and, in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in health, preserve with him this bond, and, forsaking all others, will you be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?

Elissa: (With enthusiasm) Yes.

Minister: Will you who witness this covenant between Koby and Elissa respect their marriage and sustain them with your friendship and care?

Congregation: Fo’ sho’.

Minister: (To Congregation) Who gives this woman to be married to this man?

Father of the Bride: I do/Her mother and I.

§ Invocation

Minister:

Because God has instituted marriage and intends for it to bring blessing and joy, and since we have gathered to witness this covenant between Koby and Elissa, and because they have come with the intent to make it, let us pray to God, who will establish and keep this marriage with His abiding love.

*prayer to God asking for His blessing on the marriage and His presence throughout the ceremony.

§ Public Reading of Scripture (Eph. 5:1-2, 21-33)

Minister:

1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God… 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

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. 28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. 33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

§ Homily

Koby and Elissa, it has been such an honor to walk alongside you during this last leg of the journey. I enjoyed our long walks in the rain, the way Elissa would answer every question first, and the way that Koby would agree with pretty much everything Elissa said.

But more than all of those things, I loved being a witness to the way that God has been drawing you two together. Every romance is an opportunity to image the Divine Romance, in which God is pursuing humankind in the person of Jesus Christ, just like the apostle Paul is talking about in that passage I just read; marriage is a picture of Christ and the Church. And I see that story playing out in your lives. And it’s such a beautiful thing.

During our time together, we talked over and over about how marriage is one of your greatest opportunities to say true things about God; that because God designed marriage to image Himself, the way you love one another is going to communicate what you believe about God to the people around you. Knowing this, Paul in Ephesians 5 encourages us to “be imitators of God,” to “walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us.”

And without a doubt, if we are going to walk in love like Christ did, it means we are going to be serving one another out of that love. All throughout the Gospels, we see Jesus serving. When Paul talks about Jesus coming into the world, he says that Jesus “took on the form of a servant.” And even Jesus Himself said that “the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

So as my last words to the two of you, and as an encouragement to everyone here, I wanted to remind you of three ways that Jesus served us in love, and that I want to call you to strive after in your new life together.

First, Jesus didn’t wait to be served first. Paul says that “God demonstrated His love for us in this, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for the ungodly.” Jesus didn’t wait for us to behave correctly. He didn’t wait for us to understand the significance of what He was up to on the earth. Part of the beauty of Jesus’ sacrifice is that He took the initiative to save sinners, that He loved us not because we were lovely, but in order to make us lovely. He loved us knowing that many of the people He died for would never return the love that He gave so freely. And you can be like Jesus in this way as you take the initiative in serving one another. Don’t allow how well you serve to be dictated by your spouse’ response, or by any difficulty you face; love relentlessly. Serve relentlessly. Make it your aim to out serve one another. Jesus pursues us regardless of our reciprocation; so seek to serve one another no matter the circumstances.

Second, Jesus serves us by listening to us and by praying for us. One of the greatest privileges we have as human beings is the fact that we can turn to God in prayer, and that He will attentively listen to us. And yet, not only does God hear our prayers, but in the book of Hebrews, it says that Jesus lives now to intercede for us before the Father. As you build a new life together in a new place, God is going to draw you together and strengthen you as a couple, and some of that strengthening is going to come through hardship. But as you face that hardship, always continue to listen attentively to one another. Give one another the gift of your undivided attention. And as you listen to one another, pray for one another. There’s going to be plenty of things to get anxious about as a young married couple, but rather than being anxious about any of those things, in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, serve one another by presenting your needs and your spouse before God, every day.

And lastly, Jesus served us by giving Himself up for us. When Jesus served, He left nothing in the tank. There will be so many moments when you feel that you’ve given all you have physically and emotionally; that you’re running on an empty tank. But in those moments, I invite you to set your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who, for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, despising its shame. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that even when you are tired, you will not grow weary and lose heart. Don’t fall into that mindset of scarcity that we talked about! God has given you everything you need in Jesus; ask for more of Him, and keep on giving and serving, because when you feel that you have nothing left to give, all you have left to offer is what you’ve received from God. And that kind of self-sacrificial giving is what the world needs to see so much more of.

So to that end, let me pray for you guys.

§ Prayer of Blessing Over the Couple

Heavenly Father, would you bless and keep Koby and Elissa. Would you make your face shine upon them, and be gracious to them. Because of Your love, would you lift Your countenance upon them, and give them peace and joy as they embark on this new journey together. Father, would you use this adventure to make them more like Your Son, Jesus, who served and loved us with everything He had. And so would you continue to draw Koby and Elissa together as an image of the way You long to draw all people to Yourself. And may they be a masterpiece of Your love made visible all the days of their lives. Not by their own effort, poise, or concession; but only by Your grace, and in the name of your Son Jesus. Amen.

§ Exchanging of Vows

Minister: Well Koby and Elissa, now we come to the exchanging of vows. I know you’ve prepared your own vows to offer, so Koby I’ll turn it over to you first.

§ Exchanging of Rings

Minister: In keeping with God’s design for marriage, covenants have always had signs to serve as a binding reminder of the commitment made. And you, Koby and Elissa, have chosen rings to be an enduring symbol of your marriage covenant. May we now have the rings?

These rings have no beginning and no end, and as such they set forth the eternal nature of real love. As you wear them, they will represent the love and trust that you promise to each other this day, and serve as an abiding sign of your union

(To groom) Koby, will you take this ring and place it on Elissa’s finger, and as you do, repeat to her, after me, these words:

I give you this ring as a token and pledge of my abiding faith and love. In the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

(To bride) Elissa, will you take this ring and place it on Koby’s finger, and as you do, repeat to him, after me, these words:

I give you this ring as a token and pledge of my abiding faith and love. In the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

§ Foot Washing

Minister: Koby and Elissa, you have exchanged vows and rings expressing your desire to be united as one in marriage. (Congratulations, we’re almost there!) As you pursue this new life together, I know you want to honor God. You want to love each other as Jesus has loved you. Those words come from the Gospel of John, and just before Jesus said those words, “love one another as I have loved you,” He took off His outer garment in the upper room on the night before He was betrayed, He wrapped it around His waist, and to demonstrate the kind of loving service He longed for us to show to one another, He washed His disciples’ feet. And now you want to spend the first moments of your marriage doing the same as a sign of your commitment to serve one another in love. So now may God bless that desire that you have and fill your actions with the tenderness and love of Christ.

§ Pronouncement of Marriage and Sign of Peace

Minister: Well Koby and Elissa, Inasmuch as you have exchanged vows and rings, before God and these gathered witnesses, by virtue of the authority entrusted to me as a minister of Christ’s church, and in agreement with the laws of the state, I now pronounce you husband and wife. “What God has joined together, let man not separate.”

[MOVE OUT OF THE WAY] Koby, you may kiss the bride.

§ Presentation of the Couple

Minister: And now, it is my honor to be the first to present to you Mr. and Mrs. Koby and Elissa Croston.

§ Recessional

Minister: The bride and groom are excited to celebrate with you all, but to help them remember this day they also want to get pictures! I know it’s hot, but if you would please remain seated, Koby and Elissa are going to return to take pictures with you guys. After you’ve had your picture with the couple, you’re free to grab a reception bag and head to the reception area. May you all be blessed in the Lord in both your coming and your going, amen.

§ Postlude