Wedding Ceremony of

Wedding Ceremony of

"This is the day that he Lord has made, Let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118

Welcome friends. & are delighted that you are here with them to celebrate their marriage and to witness their vows to one another, for you, their families and friends, have loved them and cared for them, and thereby have helped shape their lives.

When we gather to witness a marriage, we not only celebrate the love that the couple have for each other. We also celebrate the love of our families and the bonds of our communities. Love is the most important aspect of life.

1 Corinthians 13

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am as a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
For we know in part and we prophesy in part,
but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.
When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.
Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

We are gathered here in the sight of God to witness and to celebrate the coming together of _____________&___________in marriage. It is not to be entered into lightly, but with certainty, with mutual respect, and with a sense of reverence which includes beauty, honor and joy.

Marriage is a sacred and a joyous covenant, ordained of God from the beginning of creation.

A covenant is a relationship in which a person gives himself to another without condition and is received by the other in a similar manner. This environment of mutual service and mutual acceptance is one in which love - in the noblest sense, can flourish and mature.

(Words from Pastor)

Into this covenant of marriage, this covenant of love, ____________________ desire to enter. Let us therefore ask God's blessing on this marriage.

Almighty and merciful God, we your children praise and thank you for the many gifts of your grace; and this day we especially thank you for the gift of family and friends, and for the relationship of marriage which you have ordained to guard, to hallow and to perfect the gift of love. We thank you for the joy which _____________&___________find in each other, and for the love and trust in which they enter this covenant. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, who reveals your love and grace to us, Amen.

__________________, do you take ______________ as your husband/wife?

I do

__________________, do you take ______________ as your husband/wife?

I do

You, the families of _____________&___________have a special joy in this occasion, for you more than anyone have bestowed love on them; and your joy is full because you and we are also witnessing the coming together of two families to form new ties.

Earlier we said that in Jesus Christ, God has both loved us and given us a model, a pattern for all human loves. In our next reading, Colossians 3:12-17, Paul urges us to forgive one another, as we have been forgiven in Christ. Every married couple has learned that forgiveness is one of the keys to a happy marriage: "As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. ... And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

I, ________________________, take you, _____________________, to be my husband/wife, and I promise to love you in the covenant of marriage from this day forward, in sickness and in health, in plenty and in want, in joy and in sorrow, as long as life shall last.

(quietly request rings from attendants)

O God, bless these rings, symbols of the covenant that _____________&___________have made in your presence. May their rings remind them of their love for each other and unending trust so that they may always find joy and peace in one another. Amen.

This ring I give you as a symbol of my faithfulness and love, and as a pledge to honor you with my whole being.

Now that you have spoken your vows of love and trust to one another in the presence of God and in the presence of your friends and family, I pronounce you husband and wife/married for life. You may seal the marriage with a kiss.

May you live in gentleness and peace with all people, knowing always the riches of friendship. May the love which you share today grow throughout your lives. And may the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, so that your love for each other will flourish and deepen, illuminating your lives and those about you. Amen.

Presentation of newly married couple

Rev. Kirk Moore

Wheaton IL 60189

(630) 204-1436

revkirk.com