Complete services of christian marriage

 

 

PRELUDE

PROCESSION OF THE FAMILIES

PROCESSION OF THE WEDDING PARTY

GREETING

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,

the love of God,

and the communion of the Holy Spirit

be with you all.

And also with you.

SENTENCES OF SCRIPTURE  adapted from 1 John 4.7-12

Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God;

everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.

Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.

God’s love was revealed among us in this way:

God sent Christ into the world so that we might live through Christ.

In this is love, not that we loved God but that God loved us

and sent Christ to be the reconciliation between God and creation.

Beloved, since God loved us so much,

we also ought to love one another.

No one has ever seen God;

if we love one another, God lives in us,

and God’s love is perfected in us.

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

We are gathered together

to witness and bless

the promises of faithfulness

that Name and Name make to each other

as they join their lives in the covenant of marriage.

Marriage is a good gift from God,

who shares a communal life within the Holy Trinity

and has created us in God’s image,

designing us for shared life as well.

PRAYER OF INVOCATION

Loving God,

you have created us in your image,

calling us to love you and each other,

help us to share our lives with one another

in ways that honor you and each other.

Name and Name have found in each other

companions for the journey of life.

As they publicly declare their love for each other

and pledge their faithfulness to one another,

give them strength to speak the truth in love

and to live in the way of Jesus

through the power of your Spirit.

Amen.

DECLARATION OF INTENT

Name and Name,

I ask you to state your intention

to share your lives with each other

within the covenant of Christian marriage.

To the first person:

Will you, Name, have Name

to be your companion in the journey of life,

to love, honor, and support her/him

as long as you both shall live?

I will.

To the second person:

Will you, Name, have Name

to be your companion in the journey of life,

to love, honor, and support her/him

as long as you both shall live?

I will.

VOWS OF SUPPORT BY THE FAMILIES

The marriage of Name and Name

unites their individual families

and creates a new family.

Will you,

who represent their individual families,

love, honor, and support them

in their life together?

We will.

VOWS OF SUPPORT BY THE CONGREGATION

Name and Name

depend not only upon their families,

but also their larger community

of friends, colleagues, and acquaintances for support.

Will you, who represent their community,

honor, encourage, and support them

in their life together?

We will.

The family members who have escorted the couple down the aisle may be seated.

PRAYER FOR UNDERSTANDING

Gracious God,

in your great love,

you called creation into being

with but a word.

Through the power of your Spirit,

speak to us through these words of Holy Scripture

that we might be reminded of your love

for all that you have made

and moved to love as you love

through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Amen.

FIRST READING FROM THE FIRST TESTAMENT

RESPONSIVE PSALM

SECOND READING FROM THE SECOND TESTAMENT EPISTLES OR ACTS

GOSPEL READING

SERMON/HOMILY

VOWS OF THE COUPLE

Having publicly stated your intention

to commit your lives to one another

as covenant companions in the journey of life,

I invite you now

to make your public vows of faithfulness

to each other.

 

The couple may turn and face one another, joining their hands.

The minister may prompt them, line by line, as they make their vows using these or other words.

 

To the first person:

Name,

I take you as my spouse,

my covenantal partner in the journey of life,

and I promise to love, support, and honor you

in all the varied circumstances of life:

in plenty and in want,

in joy and in sorrow,

in health and in sickness,

for the rest of my life.

 

To the second person:

Name,

I take you as my spouse,

my covenantal partner in the journey of life,

and I promise to love, support, and honor you

in all the varied circumstances of life:

in plenty and in want,

in joy and in sorrow,

in health and in sickness,

for the rest of my life.

BLESSING OF RINGS

The minister asks for the rings and places them upon the service book.

She/he then places a hand over the rings and offers a blessing.

These rings are circles,

a shape without beginning and without end.

They symbolize the love of God for God’s creation

and serve as a model for you

as you strive to embody that love

for each other

and all the world.

Let us pray.

Everlasting God,

your love for us is steadfast,

without beginning and without end.

As Name and Name

have made promises of faithfulness to each other,

may these rings serve as a reminder to them

of your unending love for all that you have made

and as a model of their for one another

through Jesus Christ, who embodied love,

and your Spirit, who is power of love at work among us.

Amen.

EXCHANGE OF RINGS

The first person takes a ring from the service book,

places it on the hand of her/his partner,

and says:

Name,

I place this ring on your finger

as a reminder of God’s unending love for you

and as a pledge of my love for you

as I live to honor my vows to you

in the name of the Father,

and of the Son,

and of the Holy Spirit,

one God and Mother of us all.

Amen.

The second person takes a ring from the service book,

places it on the hand of her/his partner,

and says:

Name,

I place this ring on your finger

as a reminder of God’s unending love for you

and as a pledge of my love for you

as I live to honor my vows to you

in the name of the Father,

and of the Son,

and of the Holy Spirit,

one God and Mother of us all.

Amen.

The minister may invite the couple to kneel,

joining the hands which bear the rings of their commitment.

She/he may wrap one side her/his stole around their hands

and offer a prayer of blessing.

BLESSING OF THE MARRIAGE

Faithful God,

We give you thanks for Name and Name,

for the love they have for each other

that has led them to promise their faithfulness

to each other before you and this community.

Give them the strength and courage to keep the promises

they have made to each other and to you

and may their life together give them the strength

to more fully embrace themselves

that they might more fully love each other

and the world around them

through Jesus Christ, the One who teaches us how to love

and your Spirit of Hope who gives us the courage to risk for the sake of love.

Amen.

LIGHTING OF THE UNITY CANDLE

Name and Name,

you have bound your lives together in loving commitment.

You have come from separate backgrounds,

with your own unique personalities, strengths, and needs.

The two candles represent your separate lives.

Together you light the center candle,

as a sign of unity and commitment.

Our hope is that you will show human love at its fullest,

and that your relationship will equip both of you

to bring love and compassion to each other and the world.

The two side candles representing the two individuals are lighted first, and the center candle representing the marriage is lighted at this or some later point in the service.  The side candles are not extinguished because both individuals retain their personal identities.

PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING

God be with you.

And also with you.

Let us give thanks to the God of all.

It is right to give God thanks and praise.

Eternal God,

in love you created the world

and through love you sustain it.

You look with joy upon all that you have made.

Though your love knows no bounds,

our love fails to reflect your unconditional love for us.

When our love fails,

your love remains steadfast.

We give you thanks for your unrelenting love

embodied in the life of Jesus, the Christ,

and for the ways in which his love

draws us closer to you and each other.

We give you thanks for the ways in which the love of Name and Name

reflects your love in Christ for us.

May your Spirit draw us ever closer to one another

that all of our lives may embody your unconditional love

that your reign may come to fullness in and through us.

Amen.

PRAYER OF OUR SAVIOR

As children turn a mother for strength and comfort,

so in a broken and fearful world,

we turn to God,

praying as Jesus taught us:

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial,

and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours

now and forever.

Amen.

CHARGE AND BLESSING

To the couple:

Love one another

with a love purely passionate,

fiercely forgiving,

and unyieldingly understanding,

To the congregation:

Love one another as Jesus, the Christ, has loved us,

giving of himself to embody justice, mercy, and humility.

May the blessing of the Holy One,

Creator, Christ, and Holy Comforter,

be with us and strengthen us to follow faithfully

now and all the days of our lives.

Amen.

RECESSION OF THE WEDDING PARTY

RECESSION OF THE FAMILIES


Contributed by Reverend Wes Jamison

Contributed by Rev. Wes Jamison

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