Preliminaries
Bride's children
come down the aisle and face rear of chapel, standing on
left side.
Groom's children come down the aisle and stand on right
side, facing rear of chapel.
Groom and Pastor enter, down the aisle, and stand in the
center, facing the rear.
Bride enters with escort
Escort sits down after they reach the front.
Wedding party assembles, facing front.
Pastor moves up on platform.
Introductory Remarks
and Welcome
Introduce Families
As we share in
this wedding ceremony, it is well that we remember that in
the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth,
He concluded, "It is not good for man to be alone." So, He
created woman to share in man's life--to assist in man's
striving--to satisfy man's need. He also created the woman
to be loved, honored and appreciated by man.
This is marriage,
and it is for the purpose of joining ___________ and
___________ in marriage that we have come together today.
The marriage of two Christians is viewed by God as an
occasion of great joy since it marks the beginning of a
relationship that is second only to our personal
relationship with the Lord Himself. BUT IT IS ONLY THROUGH
CHRIST that marriage becomes what God intends it to be.
Let us acknowledge His place in this ceremony and see His
blessing on this union.
Prayer
Giving Away of Bride
Pastor -- Who
presents ___________ to be joined in marriage to
___________ ?
Escort -- "I do."
Wedding Vows
The essence of any
marriage relationship is love. Much of what we call love
is really self-centered response, which will never form an
adequate foundation for marriage. Love, by its very
nature, is active and giving, not self-oriented and
self-serving.
Jesus Christ is
the true example of love, and He has commanded us to love
each other as He loves us. And how does He love us? First,
He gives all for our sake, without hesitation or concern
for Himself. In other words, love puts the needs of the
one loved ahead of the needs and desires of the lover.
Next, from
Christ's example, we see that love shares all. There are
no secret compartments, no hidden rooms, no locked closets
in a successful love relationship. There is only openness
and, as a result, trust, when husband and wife truly love
each other.
Finally, the Lord
Jesus teaches us that love provides all. It provides
security, it seeks to develop ability, and it shares the
common purpose of obtaining what is best for the one
loved. Such love is not merely impossible, it is
supernatural. ONLY JESUS CHRIST can love this way, and we
can only love this way if we submit to Him and depend on
His Spirit to love through us.
Therefore, as
marriage partners, you must continually allow Christ to
exercise His Lordship in your lives because He, and His
indwelling Spirit, will enable you to be a proper husband
and good wife. Earlier I said that the essence of any
marriage relationship is love, but when we understand what
love really is, we must recognize that the essence of any
marriage relationship is our spiritual relationship with
the Lord Jesus Christ, because without Him there is no
real love.
The Apostle Paul
gives us an additional description of love in God's Word:
"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 men when truth prevails. Love knows no limit
to its endurance; no end to its hope. It can outlast
anything. It is, in fact, the only thing that still stands
when all else has fallen." (I Corinthians 13)
Pastor to Bride --
We must also realize that marriage is designed to be a
picture of Christ and His relationship with those who
believe in Him. In this picture, you ___________, as you
give yourself in submission and dependence to
____________, portray the role of the Christian who also
gives himself in submission and dependence to Christ.
Pastor to Groom --
On the other hand ___________, as you love and keep
___________ , you portray the love of the Lord Jesus as He
expressed it toward the Christian. In view of this
picture, there are specific instructions to both husbands
and wives.
Pastor to Bride --
To the wife God says, "Wives, be subject to your own
husbands as to the Lord, for the husband is the head of
the wife as Christ is the Head of the church.."
___________, this is the command of God in His Word and is
designed to make your marriage relationship a thing of
beauty and joy. So, in acceptance of this principle of
God's Word, do you now commit yourself to ____________, to
be his wife, to join your lives together in living,
permanent union as Christ is to His church?
Bride -- "I do."
Pastor to Bride --
Then repeat after me: "I commit myself to you ___________,
before God, to be your faithful and loving wife for all
the years of our earthly life, to cherish our relationship
in Christ and God's order for the family."
Pastor to Groom --
__________, the command of God to husbands is, "Husbands,
love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave His
own life for it." Loving as Christ loved is the key to the
enjoyment of all that God designed marriage to be. Without
His love the fullness you seek will turn into emptiness,
the satisfaction into dissatisfaction. Therefore, do you
willing express your desire and intent to fulfill God's
command to husbands, counting on the enabling ministry of
the Spirit of God, and do you now commit yourself to
___________ to be her husband?
Groom -- "I do."
Pastor to Groom --
Then repeat after me: "I do commit myself to you,
__________, before God, to be your faithful and loving
husband for all the years of our earthly life, to seek to
love you even as Christ loves the church which is His
bride."
Prayer
Ring Vows
As you exchange
rings let them be to each of you a constant reminder of
these commitments you have made.
Pastor to Bride --
Please repeat these words after me: "I give you this ring,
___________ , as a symbol of my love, and with it pledge
my loyalty and devotion as long as we both shall live."
Pastor to Groom --
Please repeat these words after me: "I give you this ring,
___________ , as a symbol of my love, and with it pledge
my loyalty and devotion as long as we both shall live."
Exchange Kiss
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