Dana & John's Wedding Vows
November 18, 2000
Pastor:
DEARLY beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God, and in the face of this company, to join together this Man and this Woman in holy Matrimony; which is an honorable estate, instituted of God, signifying unto us the mystical union that is between Christ and his Church: which holy estate Christ adorned and beautified with his presence and first miracle that he wrought in Cana of Galilee, and is commended of Saint Paul to be honorable among all men: and therefore is not by any to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly; but reverently, discreetly, advisedly, soberly, and in the fear of God. Into this holy estate these two persons present come now to be joined.
Who gives this Woman to be married to this Man?
Reading: Corinthians 12:31-13:8
A reading from the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians
Be ambitious for the higher gifts. And I am going to show you away that is better than any of them.
If I have all the eloquence of men or of angels, but speak without love, I am simply a gong booming or a cymbal clashing.
If I have the gift of prophecy, understanding all the mysteries there are, and knowing everything and if I have faith in all its fullness, to move mountains, but without love, then I am nothing at all.
If I give away all the I possess, piece by piece, and if I even let them take my body to burn it, but am without love, it will do me no good whatever.
Love is always patient and kind; it is never jealous; love is never boastful or conceited, it is never rude or selfish; it does not take offense, and is not resentful.
Love takes no pleasure in other people's sins but delights in the truth; it is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope, and to endure whatever comes.
Love does not come to an end. This is the word of the Lord.
Since it is your intention to enter into marriage, join your right hands, and declare you consent before God and his church.
John:
In the name of God, I, John, take you, Dana, to be my wife,
to have and to hold from this day forward,
for better or worse, for richer or poorer,
in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish,
until we are parted by death.
This is my solemn vow.
I take you, with all your faults
and your strengths,
as I offer myself to you with my faults and my strengths.
I will help you when you need help,
and will turn to you when I need help.
I choose you as the person with whom I will spend my life.
I, John, take you, Dana, to be my wife,
and these things I promise you:
I will be faithful to you and honest with you;
I will respect, truth, help and care for you;
I will share my life with you;
I will forgive you as we have been forgiven;
and I will try with you better to understand ourselves, the world, and God;
through the best and the worst of what is to come as long as we live.
Dana:
In the name of God, I, Dana, take you, John, to be my husband,
to have and to hold from this day forward,
for better or worse, for richer or poorer,
in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish,
until we are parted by death.
This is my solemn vow.
I take you, with all your faults and your strengths,
as I offer myself to you with my faults and my strengths.
I will help you when you need help,
and will turn to you when I need help.
I choose you as the person with whom I will spend my life.
I, Dana, take you, John, to be my husband,
and these things I promise you:
I will be faithful to you and honest with you;
I will respect, truth, help and care for you;
I will share my life with you;
I will forgive you as we have been forgiven;
and I will try with you better to understand ourselves, the world, and God;
through the best and the worst of what is to come as long as we live.
Pastor (before rings):
Bless, O Lord, this Ring, that he who gives it and she who wears it may abide in thy peace, and continue in thy favor, unto their life's end; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Dana/John:
With this Ring I thee wed: In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Unity Candle
John and Dana, you have exchanged vows and rings expressing your desire to be united as one in a Christ-honoring marriage. Jesus Christ, who caused light to shine out of darkness at the beginning of creation, also made this claim: "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. You are the light of the world. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praised your father in Heaven."
As you enter marriage may the light of his presence in your life and his works through you be seen as a light in the darkness. May the truth be reflected as you know take the flames from two separate candles and blend them into the one center candle. May the Lord unite you with one faith, one hope, and one love. May you, John and Dana, be one in name, one in aim, and one in commitment to the one and only true God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
(Giving of roses to mothers: during remaining time of the song played during the Unity Candle - I Will Love You by Fisher)
Pastor:
Prayer
Those whom God hath joined together let no man put asunder.
Forasmuch as John and Dana have consented together in holy wedlock, and have witnessed the same before God and this company, and thereto have given and pledged their love to each other, and have declared the same by giving and receiving a Ring, and by joining hands; I pronounce that they are Husband and Wife, In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Amen.