CHRISTIAN CEREMONY #13
PURSUE THE ADVENTURE
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
Dear friends, we are gathered here to witness and to celebrate the marriage of this man and this woman, to be with them, and to rejoice with them in the making of this important commitment. The essence of this commitment is the taking of another person as companion, friend and lover. It is a decision, therefore, which is not to be entered into lightly, but rather which is to be taken with great consideration and respect for both the other person and oneself. Marriage is the intimate sharing of two lives, yet this sharing should not diminish, but rather should enhance, the individuality of each partner. The day-to-day companionship, the pleasure in doing things together is a continuous process of sharing the love that a man and a woman may give to each other. We must first give ourselves to ourselves in love, but we must not give ourselves away. A balanced relationship is one in which neither person is over-powered or absorbed by the other. It is out of the tension between separateness and togetherness that love, whose incredible strength is equaled only by its evident fragility, is born and reborn.
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 PRAYER
God, Our Father, we acknowledge You as the Creator and sustainer of life. It is You who has designed that man and woman should be together. To You we offer our expressions of gratitude for bringing _(Bride)_ and _(Groom)_ to this day of their marriage. Our prayer is, that as we share with them in their exchange of commitments, Your blessing and love might be theirs. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, 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
_(Groom)_ do you intend to be _(Bride)_ ‘s best friend, to respect and support her, to be patient with her, to work together with her to achieve those things that are important to you together, to accept her unconditionally,
and to share life with her throughout the years. / Answer: I do.
_(Bride)_ do you intend to be _(Groom)_ ‘s best friend, to respect and support him, to be patient with him, to work together with him to achieve those things that are important to you together, to accept him unconditionally, and to share life with him throughout the years. / 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
_(Bride)_ and _(Groom)_ , come together as a couple within a community of family and friends. They ask your support as they begin the adventure of married life. You as a community can be like the rich earth which nurtures the seed to growth and fruitfulness. You are asked to encourage them to seek the excitement of new discoveries and creations, that they may live fully and in wonderment of God’s creation. You are asked to offer your prayers for them in times of struggle, and your shoulder to lean on in times of pain. In like fashion, may the love that _(Groom)_ and _(Bride)_ feel for each other reach out beyond themselves to their family and community and to the world in which they live.
PASTORAL GUIDANCE TO COUPLE
_(Bride)_ and _(Groom)_ , your marriage is intended to join you for life in an intimate and loving relationship. It offers you the hope of a love that is true and mature. Such a love requires sharing, talking together, listening to each other, and encouraging the growth of your strengths as individuals as well as the strength of your partnership. Marriage does not exist in isolation. You cannot grow together in your relationship without seeking encouragement, support and friendship with others. We can never fully know all that love is. Its fullness is always to be sought after, and of course that is part of what makes marriage or any deep loving relationship a continual adventure.
PRE- VOW PRAYER
God, we pray for _(Bride)_ and _(Groom)_ as they make their marriage vows. Grant them vision and hope to persevere in trust and friendship. Help them to share their work, their dreams, their successes, their failures, their sorrows and their joys. Keep them always true to each other, and grant that the years ahead may draw them ever closer to each other. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
_(Bride)_ , please pass your bouquet to your Maid of Honour?
THE VOWS
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 vows to your bride?
_(Bride)_ , with all my heart
I take you to be my wife.
I will love you
through the good and the bad,
through the joy and the sorrow.
I will try to be understanding,
and to trust in you completely.
I will make you a part of me
and in turn become a part of you.
Together we will face all of life’s experiences
and share one another’s dreams and goals.
We will be equal partners
in an open and honest relationship
throughout the years.
_(Bride)_ , please repeat after me your vows to your groom?
_(Groom)_ , with all my heart
I take you to be my husband.
I will love you
through the good and the bad,
through the joy and the sorrow.
I will try to be understanding,
and to trust in you completely.
I will make you a part of me
and in turn become a part of you.
Together we will face all of life’s experiences
and share one another’s dreams and goals.
We will be equal partners
in an open and honest relationship
throughout the years.
THE EXCHANGE OF RINGS
May I have the rings please?
Our lives are marked by many symbols, not the least of which is the wedding band. In the same way a legal seal marks the authenticity of a document, so also the ring(s) you give and receive today serve to mark, seal and declare in a visual way the spiritual and unseen commitments you have exchanged in this joyfully solemn hour. In that your rings have no beginning and no ends, may that endlessness symbolize also the character of your mutual trust_(Groom)_. , as you place your ring on your bride’s finger, please repeat your commitment to _(Bride)_ ?
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 life with you.
May it at all times
visibly serve to remind you
of my solemn vows to you
on this day of our marriage.
(Bride’s choice)
_(Bride)_ , as you place your ring on your groom’s finger, please repeat 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 life 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
Having, in the company of God, family and friends, pledged your faith in and love to each other, and having sealed these 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 pronounce you husband and wife. May God Himself sanctify and bless your union and may all persons take care to assist you in the keeping of your sacred vows.
KISS
PASTORAL PRAYER FOR THE COUPLE
Heavenly Father, who established marriage for your children and endowed us with the ability to love creatively, we bring _(Bride)_ and _(Groom)_ before You and earnestly pray for them. May their union be blessed with true devotion, spiritual commitment and personal integrity. Grant to _(Groom)_ and _(Bride)_ the grace and ability to keep and maintain the vows they have exchanged today. When selfishness threatens their relationship, overwhelm them with a generous spirit. When lack of trust creeps in, impart to them new measures of faith in one another. Where misunderstandings arise, increase their willingness to communicate honestly and openly, and fortify them with patience and gentleness. If and when suffering comes their way, strengthen them in their inner being for all endurance with patience and joy. If they are blessed with children as the result of this union grant to them parental wisdom. May their home be a happy shelter from the pressures of living, and an effective force of resistance against that which corrupts and destroys. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
BENEDICTION
As you walk down life’s path together, may the Father of all mercy, who has called you by His grace to this holy relationship of marriage, bind you together in a love that is true, a faithfulness that is lasting, and may He grant to you His blessing. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen
SIGNING OF THE REGISTER
SPECIAL MUSIC
PRESENTATION OF THE BRIDE AND GROOM
It is my privilege and pleasure to present to you Mr. and Mrs. ——- .
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