Christian12

CHRISTIAN CEREMONY #12 

A DREAM COME TRUE

MULTICULTURAL INTRODUCTION

We have gathered this day to participate in a ceremony that brings together two people, two families and two traditions. This ceremony seeks to respect and present the upbringing and belief structure of both the bride and the groom and their respective families. May it, by its expression this day, be used of God to build unity in the midst of diversity, a unity built on and energized by the love between this couple and the love that has always been so precious to all in their families. May we join in support of _(Bride)_ and _(Groom)_’s commitment to each other to build a marriage, a home and a family that is characterized by love and respect for all that is good, and upright and honorable.

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 do.” or  “Her mother and I do.”

OPENING REMARKS TO GUESTS
Friends and family, we are gathered here at this hour to witness and to celebrate the coming together of two separate lives. We have come to join this man, _(Groom)_ , and this woman, _(Bride)_ in marriage, to be with them and rejoice with them in the making of this important commitment. Marriage is an estate rooted in the far dawn of human history, yet forever new with each man and woman who pledge themselves freely to each other. It is a union created by loving purpose, kept by abiding will, and to be broken only by the death.

On their behalf of _(Bride)_ and _(Groom)_ may I tell you how honored they feel to count you as family and friends and how pleased they are that you have chosen to share with them in the solemnity and joy of these sacred moments.

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
Lord, life comes from You and love originates with You. You are aware of the events of our lives and even now You are conscious of this significant event in the lives of _(Bride)_ and _(Groom)_ . Even as You blessed the marriage in Cana by Jesus’ presence and participation, so also, by Your Spirit, be present with us. Enhance all that we seek to do and place Your seal of love and approval upon the union that is about to be formed between _(Groom)_ and _(Bride)_ . This we ask in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

OR

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.

THE PLEDGE
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, honor 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)_ a fashion consistent with God’s design for marriage? Do you purpose to love him, honor her 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 _(Groom)_ and _(Bride)_ 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 your wedding vows to you Bride?

_(Bride)_  , I love you.
Today is a very special day for me.
Long ago you were just a dream.
This day is like a dream come true.
Thank you for being what you are to me
_(Bride)_ , I commit myself to be with you
in times of joy and in times of adversity,
in times of wholeness and in times of brokenness,
in times of peace and in times of trouble,
living with you in faithfulness and love all our days.

_(Bride)_ , please repeat after me your wedding vows to you Groom?

_(Groom)_ , I love you.
Today is a very special day for me.
Long ago you were just a dream.
This day is like a dream come true.
Thank you for being what you are to me
_(Groom)_ , I commit myself to be with you
in times of joy and in times of adversity,
in times of wholeness and in times of brokenness,
in times of peace and in times of trouble,
living with you in faithfulness and love all our days.

THE EXCHANGE OF RINGS

May I have the rings please?

From the earliest of time the golden circle has been a symbol of wedded love. It is made of precious gold to symbolize the preciousness of your love. Being one unbroken circle, it symbolizes unending love. As often as either of you see these golden circles you will be reminded of this high moment and the unending love you have promised.

As you place your ring on your bride’s finger, please repeat after me your commitment to you bride?

_(Bride)_ ,
as a sign and pledge
of my love, faith and loyalty,
I give you this ring.
May it constantly remind you
of my commitment to you this day.

As you receive your groom’s ring, please repeat after me your response after me to you groom?

_(Groom)_ ,
as a sign and pledge
of my love, faith and loyalty
I receive your ring
and declare my intention
to wear it as a reminder
of our vows this day.

As you place your ring on your groom’s finger, please repeat after me your commitment to your groom?

_(Groom)_ ,
this ring I give you
is an expression of,
and a pledge of
my constant faith
and abiding love.

As you receive your bride’s ring, please repeat after me your response?

As a sign and pledge
of my love, faith and loyalty
I receive your ring
and declare my intention
to wear it as a reminder
of our vows this day.

DECLARATION OF MARRIAGE
For as much as you _(Groom)_ and you _(Bride)_ have exchanged marriage vows in the presence of God, and in this company, and have sealed those vows by the exchange of rings, by virtue of 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.

PASTORAL PRAYER FOR THE COUPLE
(The pastor may choose to place his hand on the joined hands of the couple.)

Our Father, may Your divine favor crown this union and the married life of this couple with all temporal and spiritual blessings. Grant to them, we pray, a measure of faith to enable them to invite You to share in the successes, the failures, the relaxed and the stressed times of their marriage. Give to them a hope which will make them strong and light which will keep them growing in love and joy. Grant to them the ability to share ideas and feelings, dreams and disappointments in such a way as to avoid the hurt of harsh words or the silence of unspoken thoughts. Enable them to establish a happy home that will allow them to see the humorous side of life, yet find contentment and peace in its serious realities. Impart to them, we pray, an awareness that people are more important than things, that respect in your sight is more important than respect in the sight of the world, and that it is love that builds a home not wood and stone. These things we ask in the strong name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

A SYMBOL OF UNION
Two candles on the communion table are lit before and burn during the ceremony, a third candle stands unlit between them. Following the Pastoral Prayer the couple proceed to the table, each takes a candle and jointly they light the centre candle, then extinguish and return their own candles.

THE BENEDICTION
May God Almighty give to you His light, His truth and His love; and may He keep you all the days of your life. May the hand of God protect you and may the grace of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit be mightily upon you and within you, now and for ever. Amen.

SIGNING OF THE REGISTER

SPECIAL MUSIC

PRESENTATION OF THE BRIDE AND GROOM
Pastor. It is my privilege and pleasure to present to you Mr. and Mrs. ——- .

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