The Marriage of
Jon & Wendy
March 10th, 2005
ƒö The Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage
Dearly beloved: We have come together in the presence of God to witness and bless the joining together of this man and this woman in Holy Matrimony.
The bond and covenant of marriage was established by God in creation, and our Lord Jesus Christ adorned this manner of life by his presence and first miracle at a wedding in Cana of Galilee.
It signifies to us the mystery of the union between Christ and his Church, and Holy Scripture commends it to be honored among all people.
Genesis 1:27 ¡V 28 (Male and female he created them)
27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."
Today we ask God¡¦s blessing on this union as well.
The union of husband and wife in heart, body, and mind is intended by God for their mutual joy.
for the help and comfort given one another in prosperity and adversity; and, for the procreation of children and their nurture in the knowledge and love of the Lord.
Genesis 2:23 ¡V 24 (A man cleaves to his wife and they become one flesh)
23 The man said,
"This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ’woman, [k] ’
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.
Just as it was with Adam and Eve, so it is here today. Jon and Wendy shall become one flesh.
Therefore marriage is not to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently, deliberately, and in accordance with the purposes for which it was instituted by God.
Into this holy union Jon and Wendy now come to be joined on this Altar of God before their family and friends as well as their beloved children, Amanda, Jon & Jacob.
Let us pray for God¡¦s blessing
Holy Lord, our Father, we pray that you bless this union between Jon and Wendy. We pray that you fill them and their lives with your most Holy Spirit.
We pray that you bless them and their household with your presence and lead them in your will and in accordance to you Holy Scripture.
We pray your continued blessings on them throughout the rest of their lives. Amen
Colossians 3:12-17 (Love which binds everything together in harmony)
12Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.¡¨
Love is the bond which causes unity.
Let the peace of Christ rule your unity. Forgiving one another as the Lord has forgiven you.
1 Corinthians 13:1-13 (Love is patient and kind)
1If I speak in the tongues[a] of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If 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. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,[b] but have not love, I gain nothing.
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8Love 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. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When 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. 12Now 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.
13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.¡¨
ƒö The Declaration of Consent
Say to the persons to be married
I require and charge you both, here in the presence of God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit upon this Holy Altar of God for each of you to give your consent to the other for marriage before we proceed.
Say to the woman
Wendy, will you have this man to be your husband; to live together in the covenant of marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live? Say ¡§I Will¡¨
The Woman answers
I will.
Say to the man
Jon, will you have this woman to be your wife; to live together in the covenant of marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live? Say ¡§I Will¡¨
The Man answers
I will.
Address the congregation, saying
Will all of you witnessing these promises do all in your power to uphold these two persons in their marriage? Answer ¡§We Will.¡¨
People We will.
Let us pray.
O gracious and ever living God, you have created us male and female in your image: Look mercifully upon this man and this woman who come to you seeking your blessing, and assist them with your grace, that with true fidelity and steadfast love they may honor and keep the promises and vows they make; through Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
ƒö The Marriage
The Man, facing the woman and taking her right hand in his, says
In the Name of God, I, Jon, take you, Wendy,
to be my wife,
to have and to hold from this day forward,
for better for worse, for richer for poorer,
in sickness and in health,
to love and to cherish,
until we are parted by death.
This is my solemn vow.
Then they loose their hands, and the Woman, still facing the man, takes his right hand in hers, and says
In the Name of God, I, Wendi, take you, Jon,
to be my husband,
to have and to hold from this day forward,
for better for worse, for richer for poorer,
in sickness and in health,
to love and to cherish,
until we are parted by death.
This is my solemn vow.
They loose their hands.
The Priest may ask God’s blessing on a ring or rings as follows
Bless, O Lord, this ring to be a sign of the vows by which this man and this woman have bound themselves to each other; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Jon places the ring on the ring-finger of the Wendy¡¦s hand and says
Wendy, I give you this ring as a symbol of my vow,
and with all that I am,
and all that I have,
I honor you,
in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Wendy places the ring on the ring-finger of the Jon’s hand and says
Jon, I give you this ring as a symbol of my vow,
and with all that I am,
and all that I have,
I honor you,
in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Now that Jon and Wendy have given themselves to each other by solemn vows, with the joining of hands and the giving and receiving of a ring, I pronounce that they are husband and wife, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Those whom God has joined together let no one put asunder.
Let us pray.
Eternal God, creator and preserver of all life, author of salvation, and giver of all grace: Look with favor upon the world you have made, and for which your Son gave his life, and especially upon this man and this woman whom you make one flesh in Holy Matrimony. Amen.
Give them wisdom and devotion in the ordering of their common life, that each may be to the other a strength in need, a counselor in perplexity, a comfort in sorrow, and a companion in joy. Amen.
Grant that their wills may be so knit together in your will, and their spirits in your Spirit, that they may grow in love and peace with you and one another all the days of their life. Amen.
Give them grace, when they hurt each other, to recognize and acknowledge their fault, and to seek each other’s forgiveness and yours. Amen.
Make their life together a sign of Christ’s love to this sinful and broken world, that unity may overcome estrangement, forgiveness heal guilt, and joy conquer despair. Amen.
ƒö The Blessing of the Marriage
Please stand so that we may pray a blessing on this union.
Most gracious God, we give you thanks for your tender love in sending Jesus Christ to come among us, to be born of a human mother, and to make the way of the cross to be the way of life. We thank you, also, for consecrating the union of man and woman in his Name. By the power of your Holy Spirit, pour out the abundance of your blessing upon this man and this woman. Defend them from every enemy. Lead them into all peace. Let their love for each other be a seal upon their hearts, a mantle about their shoulders, and a crown upon their foreheads. Bless them in their work and in their companionship; in their sleeping and in their waking; in their joys and in their sorrows; in their life and in their death. Finally, in your mercy, bring them to that table where your saints feast for ever in your heavenly home; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Today we have bore witness to the covenantal agreement of Jon and Wendy before and with God for marriage.
So, before this congregation, the Holy Spirit and the Lord as witness
I pronounce you husband and wife.
YOU MAY KISS YOUR BRIDE
