A SERVICE OF CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE
Marriage Ceremony
Praise the Lord
Litanies, Prayers, And Occasional Services
Object:
GREETING
Friends, we have come together in the joy of this day and in the presence of God, to witness the joining of _____________ and ______________ in marriage. Marriage is a holy act ordained by God, celebrating the union of two persons brought together by love. Christ himself gave us an example of the love of husband and wife in his sacrificial love for the church.
These two persons now before us have come to declare publicly their intent to share their lives together in the bonds of Christian marriage. If you know of any reason why they should not be so joined, speak now or not at all from this moment on.
VOWS OF INTENT
______________ and ______________, you have come to declare before God and this gathering the love you share and your intention to live within that love. If after due consideration and prayerful thought you are ready to make this public declaration, please turn and face each other.
To the Woman
______________, will you have ______________ to be your husband, to live together in Christian love? Will you love, honor, and cherish him, comfort and support him in good times and bad, whether rich or poor, healthy or sick, and be faithful to him and your love as long as you both live?
I WILL
To the Man
______________, will you have ______________ to be your wife, to live together in Christian love? Will you love, honor, and cherish her, comfort and support her in good times and bad, whether rich or poor, healthy or sick, and be faithful to her and your love as long as you both live?
I WILL
PRESENTATION OF THE COUPLE
To the Parents of the Bride
Do you give your daughter ______________ to be married to ______________?
WE DO
To the Parents of the Groom
Do you give your son ______________ to be married to ______________?
WE DO
To the Family and Friends
Do you support ______________ and ______________ in their marriage?
WE DO
Will you by God's grace do all in your power to encourage their union in their life together?
WE WILL
PRAYER
Let us pray.
Loving God, creator of our lives, we thank you for the love that you have placed in our hearts, for the joy of knowing you and experiencing your presence, for your grace that enables us to live as we ought. We bless you for the gift of your Holy Spirit that keeps us close to you. Grant us all your blessing in this time of joy, that we may all celebrate the love we share through you. Let this and every moment of our lives show forth our praise to you, our Savior and friend. Amen.
SCRIPTURE
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
WORDS OF COMMENDATION
_____________ and ______________, because of the love they feel for each other, have determined to share their lives in the union of marriage. They have called you together, their families and friends, to witness the vows that they make to each other before God. At this moment they feel secure in their love, and in the promises that they make to each other. No one knows what challenges life will bring to test their love, but we are told in scripture that the greatest gift is love, and that though all things pass away, love remains.
______________ and ______________, if you hold on to that love, and let it be undergirded by your Christian faith, then your life together will be secure. For it is grace, God's gift to all Christians, that enables us to live within the love that God ordains for us. It is love that unifies us with Christ and with each other in marriage.
Jesus Christ gave us the ultimate example of sacrificial love in the giving of his life for us. In your marriage you may each be called to make some sacrifice for the other. If you let yourself be ruled by your love, then there will be joy in even the greatest sacrifice.
You have already declared your intention to be joined in marriage for life. If you would complete these vows, then I invite you to face each other and hold hands.
MARRIAGE VOWS
Groom's Vows
______________, I take you for my wife. I will love and honor you, cherish and support you, comfort and encourage you; I will laugh with you and cry with you; I will walk beside you and be a partner with you as long as we both live, through the grace of God.
Bride's Vows
______________, I take you for my husband. I will love and honor you, cherish and support you, comfort and encourage you; I will laugh with you and cry with you; I will walk beside you and be a partner with you as long as we both live, through the grace of God.
BLESSING AND EXCHANGE OF RINGS
The wedding ring is an outward sign of a spiritual union. It signifies to all the joining of two persons in marriage.
Let us pray.
Bless these rings, O God, that as they are given and as they are worn, they may be an ever-present reminder of the love that is shared each for the other. Amen.
To the Groom
______________, I give you this ring as a sign of my love, and a symbol of my vow through the grace of God.
To the Bride
______________, I give you this ring as a sign of my love, and a symbol of my vow through the grace of God.
CANDLELIGHTING CEREMONY
The two lighted candles represent the two individuals that come together to form this union. These lights will be used to light the unity candle signifying that from these two lives, a union is created. The individual candles remain lighted because both persons retain their personal identities.
DECLARATION OF MARRIAGE
Since ______________ and ______________ have made their vows each to the other, and have confirmed them by the giving and receiving of rings, I declare that they are husband and wife by the grace of God our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. Those who have been joined by God, let no human separate.
BLESSING
Gracious God, we thank you for the lives that have been touched by the love of these two persons. We thank you for the signs of their love, both inward and outward, and we ask your blessing upon their union. May they live within your love so that they may have peace and joy in this world, and in the world to come, life everlasting. Amen.
BENEDICTION
Now God the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer bless, sanctify, and keep you now and always. Go in peace to love and serve God and each other. Amen.
PRESENTATION OF THE COUPLE
Friends, I present to you ______________________ and ___________________ ______________, partners in Christian marriage.
Friends, we have come together in the joy of this day and in the presence of God, to witness the joining of _____________ and ______________ in marriage. Marriage is a holy act ordained by God, celebrating the union of two persons brought together by love. Christ himself gave us an example of the love of husband and wife in his sacrificial love for the church.
These two persons now before us have come to declare publicly their intent to share their lives together in the bonds of Christian marriage. If you know of any reason why they should not be so joined, speak now or not at all from this moment on.
VOWS OF INTENT
______________ and ______________, you have come to declare before God and this gathering the love you share and your intention to live within that love. If after due consideration and prayerful thought you are ready to make this public declaration, please turn and face each other.
To the Woman
______________, will you have ______________ to be your husband, to live together in Christian love? Will you love, honor, and cherish him, comfort and support him in good times and bad, whether rich or poor, healthy or sick, and be faithful to him and your love as long as you both live?
I WILL
To the Man
______________, will you have ______________ to be your wife, to live together in Christian love? Will you love, honor, and cherish her, comfort and support her in good times and bad, whether rich or poor, healthy or sick, and be faithful to her and your love as long as you both live?
I WILL
PRESENTATION OF THE COUPLE
To the Parents of the Bride
Do you give your daughter ______________ to be married to ______________?
WE DO
To the Parents of the Groom
Do you give your son ______________ to be married to ______________?
WE DO
To the Family and Friends
Do you support ______________ and ______________ in their marriage?
WE DO
Will you by God's grace do all in your power to encourage their union in their life together?
WE WILL
PRAYER
Let us pray.
Loving God, creator of our lives, we thank you for the love that you have placed in our hearts, for the joy of knowing you and experiencing your presence, for your grace that enables us to live as we ought. We bless you for the gift of your Holy Spirit that keeps us close to you. Grant us all your blessing in this time of joy, that we may all celebrate the love we share through you. Let this and every moment of our lives show forth our praise to you, our Savior and friend. Amen.
SCRIPTURE
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
WORDS OF COMMENDATION
_____________ and ______________, because of the love they feel for each other, have determined to share their lives in the union of marriage. They have called you together, their families and friends, to witness the vows that they make to each other before God. At this moment they feel secure in their love, and in the promises that they make to each other. No one knows what challenges life will bring to test their love, but we are told in scripture that the greatest gift is love, and that though all things pass away, love remains.
______________ and ______________, if you hold on to that love, and let it be undergirded by your Christian faith, then your life together will be secure. For it is grace, God's gift to all Christians, that enables us to live within the love that God ordains for us. It is love that unifies us with Christ and with each other in marriage.
Jesus Christ gave us the ultimate example of sacrificial love in the giving of his life for us. In your marriage you may each be called to make some sacrifice for the other. If you let yourself be ruled by your love, then there will be joy in even the greatest sacrifice.
You have already declared your intention to be joined in marriage for life. If you would complete these vows, then I invite you to face each other and hold hands.
MARRIAGE VOWS
Groom's Vows
______________, I take you for my wife. I will love and honor you, cherish and support you, comfort and encourage you; I will laugh with you and cry with you; I will walk beside you and be a partner with you as long as we both live, through the grace of God.
Bride's Vows
______________, I take you for my husband. I will love and honor you, cherish and support you, comfort and encourage you; I will laugh with you and cry with you; I will walk beside you and be a partner with you as long as we both live, through the grace of God.
BLESSING AND EXCHANGE OF RINGS
The wedding ring is an outward sign of a spiritual union. It signifies to all the joining of two persons in marriage.
Let us pray.
Bless these rings, O God, that as they are given and as they are worn, they may be an ever-present reminder of the love that is shared each for the other. Amen.
To the Groom
______________, I give you this ring as a sign of my love, and a symbol of my vow through the grace of God.
To the Bride
______________, I give you this ring as a sign of my love, and a symbol of my vow through the grace of God.
CANDLELIGHTING CEREMONY
The two lighted candles represent the two individuals that come together to form this union. These lights will be used to light the unity candle signifying that from these two lives, a union is created. The individual candles remain lighted because both persons retain their personal identities.
DECLARATION OF MARRIAGE
Since ______________ and ______________ have made their vows each to the other, and have confirmed them by the giving and receiving of rings, I declare that they are husband and wife by the grace of God our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. Those who have been joined by God, let no human separate.
BLESSING
Gracious God, we thank you for the lives that have been touched by the love of these two persons. We thank you for the signs of their love, both inward and outward, and we ask your blessing upon their union. May they live within your love so that they may have peace and joy in this world, and in the world to come, life everlasting. Amen.
BENEDICTION
Now God the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer bless, sanctify, and keep you now and always. Go in peace to love and serve God and each other. Amen.
PRESENTATION OF THE COUPLE
Friends, I present to you ______________________ and ___________________ ______________, partners in Christian marriage.
