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A Service of Christian Marriage
Gathering
While people gather, instrumental or vocal music may be performed.
During the entrance of the wedding party, there may be instrumental music or a hymn or a solo.
Greeting & Purpose
Dear Friends:
We have come together in the presence of God to witness the covenant of marriage/life partnership of N. and N., to surround them with our prayers and to share in their joy.
A covenant is a whole-hearted commitment to the other, whatever the future may bring. The scriptures teach us that God makes a covenant with the people and never abandons them. God seals and renews that covenant with us in Jesus, whose love is our model of love.
Making a covenant is the highest expression of loving commitment, not to be undertaken carelessly, but reverently and with joy.
Let us enter into this celebration, confident that, through the Spirit, Jesus is present with us now also.
Declaration of Intent
Pastor to the persons who are to marry:
Pastor: _______________will you have ______________ to be your husband/wife/partner, to live together in holy marriage? Will you love him/her, comfort her/him, honour and keep him/her, in sickness and in health and, forsaking all others, be faithful to her/him as long as you both shall live?
Partner: I will
Response of the Families and Friends
To the families
Do you, the families of N. and N., give your love and blessing to this new family?
We do.
To the children of the couple, if applicable
Will you honour your parent in this marriage, and will you welcome N. as a new member of your family?
I/We will.
To the congregation
Will all of you, by God’s grace, do everything in your power to uphold and care for these two persons in their life together?
We will.
Prayer
Pastor:
Unrelenting God, your faithfulness is fearful to us. We desire a love more occasional, more spontaneous, less serious. Even worse, you call us to be unrelenting lovers – capable of making lifelong promises like “until death do us part”. Such a vow is surely a miracle, since only you can give us the boldness to pledge ourselves. We thank you for such audacity and pray that we may be faithful to one another as you have been to us. Amen.
The Word
Scripture lesson(s)
Special music may be offered before or after the readings.
Sermon ~ based on Luke 14
Invocation of the Spirit
A prayer such as the following may be said by the presider or the couple.
O God, creator and lover of the world, we offer you our lives, our words and deeds, our hopes and fears, and our love for each other. Accept us as we are. Make us all that we can be. And by the power of your Spirit, enable us to be a sign of your love in the world.
Exchange of Vows
The couple may face each other, joining hands.
I __________ take you __________ to be my husband/wife/partner, 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.
Blessing and Exchange of Rings
Pastor: May the circle of these rings remind you of the love which encircles you today and always. May God bless these rings and those who wear them. Amen.
The giver(s) may say to the recipient(s): _______________, I give you this ring as a sign of my vow and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honour you.
Kiss: You may seal your vows with a Kiss.
Declaration of Marriage
The couple may join hands. The pastor may place a hand on or wrap a stole around their joined hands.
Pastor to the couple: You have declared your consent and vows before God and this congregation. May God confirm your covenant and fill you both with grace.
Pastor to people: Now that ___________ and __________ have given themselves to each other by audacious vows, with the joining of hands (and the giving and receiving of rings), I announce to you that they are lifelong partners/husband and wife. Amen.
Prayer
Spirit of God, in whom we live and move and have our being, you have given us life and the grace of human love that draws us to each other. Today we pray for N. and N. in their life together. We are thankful for the joy they find in each other, and for the hope they have expressed in their promises. May they always be strengthened to keep the
vows they have made, to cherish the life they share, and to honour each other in love.
Bless them in their companionship, and when their time together on earth is over, grant that they may look back in joy at lives well lived, hearts mended, justice honoured, mercy done, and the world transformed by the witness of their love. We pray that N. and N. will build a home together to withstand every storm, a place of warmth and welcome, where anyone may see the strength and beauty of their love. Bless, O God, all our homes and families; shield them from turmoil and threat, and make them places of mutual encouragement and support. We pray for all who struggle to maintain relationships in the midst of trouble, and in the face of indifference and hostility. We pray for all who live in aching loneliness, or the fear of it. O God, whose name is love, make us agents of love in a hurting world, that all may know your embrace. We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
The Response
Lighting the Unity Candle
The couple may approach the table and, taking the two candles already lit, light the centre candle and return the others, still buring, to their holders.
N and N., You are here today to unite your lives 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 centre 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.
Signing of the Registry and License
A hymn or solo may be sung.
Dismissal with Blessing
Pastor to the couple: God the Eternal keep you in love with each other, so that the peace of Christ may abide in your home. Go to serve God and your neighbour in all that you do.
Pastor to people: Bear witness to the love of God in this world so that those to whom love is a stranger will find in you generous friends. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen
Going Forth
A hymn may be sung or instrumental music played as the couple, the wedding party and the people leave.
Presentation of Couple:
Greet N. and N. who begin a new life together.
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Welcome!
