CHRISTIAN CEREMONY #9
MY COMPANION
PRESENTATION OF THE BRIDE
_(Bride)_ is about to pledge her faith, love and loyalty to _(Groom)_ . Is there one of her family who is prepared to present her to him?
Father or other designate:
“I commit _(Bride)_ into your love and care. May God bless you richly.”
OPENING REMARKS TO GUESTS
A wedding is that occasion when a man and a woman publicly proclaim their love and declare their commitment to one another. By its very nature it is both a solemn and a happy event. For some of you gathered here, this ceremony will prompt a flood of personal memories, for others of you it will set in motion dreams and aspirations. For all of us it will be a sharing in a most intimate and love-filled moment in the lives of two people we know and appreciate. But for _(Bride)_ and _(Groom)_ who stand here before us, this ceremony will be an act of participation in what they believe to be God’s will for their lives. They are both pleased and honoured that you have responded to their invitation to share these happy and sacred moments with them and are prayerful that the blessing of the Lord Our God will be upon us all as we assemble here.
REMARKS TO THE COUPLE
_(Bride)_ and _(Groom)_ , the moment to which you have looked forward has now come. As a company of family and friends, we have at your invitation, assembled in this place of worship to witness the public exchange of your vows of commitment to each other. We are conscious that there is an unseen Guest who is also present with us by reason of our faith in Jesus Christ. We acknowledge openly that it is by God’s kindness and plan that we live at all. It is by His love that we are redeemed, and by His providence that you have been brought together for this moment and for life. It is appropriate, therefore, that we pause to pray.
INVOCATION
Father in Heaven, thank You for the gift of life, for family and friends, and for the love that exists between _(Groom)_ and _(Bride)_ . As we assemble here together in the name of Jesus Christ, we are mindful of the guidance of Your Spirit who has brought us to this event, and mindful of the continuing need for Your Spirit’s help if the intentions declared this day are going to be fulfilled. We turn, therefore, to You and in faith ask that You would not only be a part of this wedding ceremony, but also enhance the lives of these your servants in this their union. Our God, we commit to You the very sacred moments that follow, and pray that Your blessing and love might be an integral part of the lives of _(Groom)_ and _(Bride)_ in the years to come. Through Jesus Christ. Amen.
DECLARATION
_(Bride)_ and _(Groom)_ , you have made it known that you wish to be joined together in marriage. If either of you, or anyone here present, can show just cause why you may not lawfully be married, I charge you now to declare it. For the marriage covenant must be made in a spirit of honesty and openness.
RECOGNITION OF PARENTS
Before we go on to say more about love, it is important to recognize from where love comes in our lives. Of course, someone first loved _(Groom)_ and _(Bride)_. Someone cared for them as children, showed them what love, compassion, kindness, and care is. Of course we are speaking of the parents. The work of our parents is critical in preparing us to be the loving adults we are, so today, _(Groom)_ and _(Bride)_ want to make special recognition of their parents today, for making today possible. I speak for everyone here when we say “Thank you mom’s and dad’s for beginning in _(Groom)_ and _(Bride)_ something so special.”
(Now Bride and Groom present flowers to their parents)
THE PLEDGE
_(Bride)_ and _(Groom)_ , by your previously announced engagement, you have already made public your intention to be married today. No one of your acquaintances has shown any just legal, moral or religious cause why you may not now be married, nor have you yourselves declared any impediment. So that your faith and integrity of purpose may appear to all of us who have assembled, would you respond to these questions:
_(Groom)_ do you purpose in your heart and mind to live with _(Bride)_ in a fashion consistent with God’s design for marriage? Do you purpose to love her, honour her and be faithful to her in times of personal need and personal blessing? Do you pledge, with God’s help and to the best of your ability, to seek to establish and maintain honest, open and loving communication between yourself and _(Bride)_ ? Forsaking all others, do you promise to remain faithful to _(Bride)_ as long as you both live? / Answer: I do.
_(Bride)_ do you purpose in your heart and mind to live with _(Groom)_ in a fashion consistent with God’s design for marriage? Do you purpose to love him, honour him and be faithful to him in times of personal need and personal blessing? Do you pledge, with God’s help and to the best of your ability, to seek to establish and maintain honest, open and loving communication between yourself and _(Groom)_ ? Forsaking all others, do you promise to remain faithful to _(Groom)_ as long as you both live? / Answer: I do.
In that you have publicly stated your willingness to receive each other as partners in God’s plan for your marriage will you hear the counsel of God’s Word concerning marriage and love:
THE WORD OF GOD
This love of which I speak is slow to lose patience;
it looks for a way of being constructive.
It is not possessive;
it is neither anxious to impress nor does it cherish inflated ideas of its own importance.
Love has good manners and does not pursue selfish advantage.
It is not touchy.
It does not keep account of evil or gloat over the wickedness of other people.
On the contrary, it is glad with all good men when truth prevails.
Love knows no limit to its endurance,
no end to its trust,
no fading of its hope;
It can outlast anything.
It is, in fact, the one thing that still stands when all else has fallen. (I Corinthians 13.4-7 JBP)
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide In my love.
This Is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. (John 15.9, 12)
He who made them from the beginning made us male and female, and said, “for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one. What, therefore, God has joined together, let no man put asunder.” (Matthew 19.4-6)
PASTORAL COUNSEL TO WEDDING GUESTS
In recognition of the part that family and friends have had in their lives to this point, and in affirmation of their desire publicly to declare their mutual commitment to marriage, _(Bride)_ and _(Groom)_ have invited you to this ceremony. By our presence here we have committed ourselves to be more than just observers of the acts of people we know. We are in fact accepting responsibility for supporting, enriching and encouraging _(Groom)_ and _(Bride)_ in the new relationship into which they are about to enter. God established marriage as the foundation of a healthy society, and as a part of the society in which _(Groom)_ and _(Bride)_ shall live, we are called upon to be thankful when they experience happiness, to be understanding when they err, to assist them in times of difficulties and to be prayerful at all times for their well-being. Let us not dismiss this marriage as just another happy occasion in which we have been privileged to share. Instead, let us resolve to make _(Bride)_ and _(Groom)_ very much a part of our every day lives.
PASTORAL GUIDANCE TO COUPLE
God’s design is that the very needs and traits that characterize you as man and woman should find fulfillment and purpose in the wholesomeness of sustained commitment to each other. As you begin life together as two individuals, I challenge you to view your lives as the base of a pyramid, with God at the top, and remind you that as you draw closer to God in faith and to fullness of life in Jesus Christ you will also be drawing closer to each other. Yet while unity and union are very much a part of God’s purpose, there is nowhere the inference that you should lose your individuality. There is rather a strong suggestion that what you are and do as an individual can and will either enhance your life together or do it harm. As you grow more loving, more mature and add wisdom to your individual lives, you do so for each other. As you add faith, virtue, patience and humility to your individual lives, you will in fact add the same ingredients to the character and life of your mate. This unity and individuality for which you must strive, will not be created only by romance, but rather by resolute love, reinforced with commitment that runs deeper than momentary feelings; and a faithfulness more sturdy than mere pleasantness in relationships. As you embark on this experience of seeking to become one in mind, body and spirit, may I remind you that in God’s sight married love is compared to the love that Christ had for His Church–a love that gave of itself for the sake of persons loved. Only as you are able, by God’s grace, to capture that quality of love, will you truly grow in your marriage relationships.
In a few moments you will seek publicly to acknowledge the purposes of God for your marriage and you will declare your mutual commitment to each other and these goals.
I, therefore, challenge you to think often and seriously of the spiritual intentions you possess this day. May they ever be clear to you, a vision, a hope, a driving force in your lives together. May they keep you from the lust for earthly power, the longing for personal success or the unreasonable desire for possessions which can so thoroughly destroy your union.
May you intend always to be open, honest, loving and communicative with one another in all facets of your life together. And may God’s love prevail in all of your relationships. Amen.
PRE- VOW PRAYER
Let us pray for _(Bride)_ and _(Groom)_ as they exchange their marriage vows.
Heavenly Father, by the exchange of their vows in the few brief moments of this ceremony, _(Groom)_ and _(Bride)_ intend publicly to commit their lives and their love to one another for a life time. We pray that You will join us in witness to this union, and will bless them in the years to come in the fulfilling of the vows they are about to make.
THE VOWS
_(Bride)_ , please pass your bouquet to your Maid of Honour? As an expression of your willingness to engage in these obligations and as a seal of the holy vows you are about to make, will you face one another and join your right hands.
_(Groom)_ , please repeat after me you vows to your bride.
_(Bride)_, with joy and in love
I take you to be my wife,
to be the mother of my children,
and the companion of my days.
I promise to share with you
in whatever happiness or sadness,
abundance or want,
adversity or blessing
that may be a part of our lives.
I intend that our lives
should together be woven
into a single tapestry
of love and mutual concern
for as long as we both remain alive.
_(Bride)_ , please repeat after me you vows to your groom.
_(Groom)_, with joy and in love
I take you to be my husband,
to be the father of my children,
and the companion of my days.
I promise to share with you
in whatever happiness or sadness,
abundance or want,
adversity or blessing
that may be a part of our lives.
I intend that our lives
should together be woven
into a single tapestry
of love and mutual concern
for as long as we both remain alive.
THE EXCHANGE OF RINGS
May I have the rings please?
Wedding rings are outward and visible signs of inward and spiritual truths. As they are worn, they symbolize to others your union in marriage. The rings in no way become the binding force that unites, for that is a matter between two hearts.
As you place your ring on your bride’s finger, please repeat after me your commitment to _(Bride)_ .
This ring I give you
represents the unending love
which I pledge to you.
It represents my intention
to honor you with my body
and to share all my worldly goods with you.
May it at all times
visibly serve to remind you
of my solemn vows to you
on this day of our marriage.
As you place your ring on your groom’s finger, please repeat after me your commitment to _(Groom)_ .
(Bride’s choice)
This ring I give you
is an expression of,
and a pledge of my
constant faith and abiding love.
OR
This ring I give you
represents the unending love
which I pledge to you.
It represents my intention
to honour you with my body
and to share all my worldly goods with you.
May it at all times
visibly serve to remind you
of my solemn vows to you
on this day of our marriage.
DECLARATION OF MARRIAGE
For as much as you _(Groom)_ and _(Bride)_ you have exchanged marriage vows in the presence of God, and in this company, and have sealed those vows by the exchange of rings, by the powers vested in me by the Province of Ontario as a minister of the Gospel, I declare you to be husband and wife, in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Those whom God has joined together, let no one separate. Amen.
You may kiss your bride.
PASTORAL PRAYER FOR THE COUPLE
(The pastor may choose to place his hand on the joined hands of the couple.)
God of love and faithfulness, _(Groom)_ and _(Bride)_ have just committed themselves to undertake the most solemn and sacred obligation known to mankind. We who have witnessed and participated in this ceremony are conscious of their needs for Your grace and help as they seek honorably and lovingly to fulfill their commitments. We pray, therefore, that the love that they have mutually pledged may be so enriched by Your love that it may never falter or grow cold, no matter what their life experiences. May the wisdom and insight which is now theirs be enhanced by the wisdom from above, that they might clearly discern and choose the right path for living. May the strength and endurance of Your Holy Spirit not only offer to them protection on their course of life, but also afford them the spiritual and physical resources they will require in their daily pursuit of love, happiness and fulfillment. As You have so faithfully and effectively communicated love, understanding, forgiveness, trust and hope, we pray that You will be the ever present Teacher and Helper as _(Groom)_ and _(Bride)_ seek to communicate with each other. Grant to them, we pray, the qualities of kindness, mercy, honesty, openness and love in their relationship with each other and with all others. May the home they establish be blessed with peace, and the family that may be added to them know physical and spiritual well-being. May spiritual understanding and holy living be their inheritance. May Your grace, mercy and peace be a part of their lives from this day forward, through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen.
(It is appropriate that the couple, their guests, and the pastor join in saying the Lord’s Prayer.)
THE BENEDICTION
May the Lord bless and protect you;
May the Lord look with kindness upon you;
May He be gracious to you, and give you His peace.
SIGNING OF THE REGISTER
PRESENTATION OF THE BRIDE AND GROOM
It is my privilege and pleasure to present to you Mr. and Mrs. ——- .
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