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Introduction

The Welcome

God is love, and those who live in love live in God

and God lives in them.

1 John 4.16

All   God of wonder and of joy:

grace comes from you,

and you alone are the source of life and love.

Without you, we cannot please you;

without your love, our deeds are worth nothing.

Send your Holy Spirit,

and pour into our hearts

       that most excellent gift of love,

that we may worship you now

with thankful hearts

and serve you always with willing minds;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Hymn

Preface

In the presence of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we have come together

to witness the marriage of N and N,

to pray for God’s blessing on them,

to share their joy and to celebrate their love.

Marriage is a gift of God in creation

through which husband and wife may know the grace of God.

It is given that as man and woman grow together in love and trust,

they shall be united with one another in heart, body and mind,

as Christ is united with his bride, the Church.

The gift of marriage brings husband and wife together in the delight and tenderness of sexual union and joyful commitment to the end of their lives.

It is given as the foundation of family life

in which children are [born and] nurtured

and in which each member of the family,

in good times and in bad,

may find strength, companionship and comfort, and grow to maturity in love.

Marriage is a way of life made holy by God, and blessed by the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ with those celebrating a wedding at Cana in Galilee.

Marriage is a sign of unity and loyalty which all should uphold and honour.

It enriches society and strengthens community.

No one should enter into it lightly or selfishly but reverently and responsibly in the sight of almighty God.

N and N are now to enter this way of life.

They will each give their consent to the other and make solemn vows,

and in token of this they will [each] give and receive a ring.

We pray with them that the Holy Spirit will guide and strengthen them,

that they may fulfil God’s purposes for the whole of their earthly life together.

The Declarations

The minister says to the congregation

First, I am required to ask anyone present who knows a reason why these persons may not lawfully marry, to declare it now.

The minister says to the couple

The vows you are about to take are to be made in the presence of God,

who is judge of all and knows all the secrets of our hearts;

therefore if either of you knows a reason why you may not lawfully marry,

you must declare it now.

The minister says to the bridegroom

N, will you take N to be your wife?

Will you love her, comfort her, honour and protect her,

and, forsaking all others,

be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?

He answers

I will.

The minister says to the bride

N, will you take N to be your husband?

Will you love him, comfort him, honour and protect him,

and, forsaking all others,

be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?

She answers

I will.

The minister says to the congregation

Will you, the families and friends of N and N,

support and uphold them in their marriage

now and in the years to come?

All We will.

The Collect

The minister invites the people to pray, silence is kept and the minister says the Collect

God our Father,

from the beginning,

you have blessed creation with abundant life.

Pour out your blessings upon N and N,

that they may be joined in mutual love and companionship,

in holiness and commitment to each other.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

All Amen.

Reading(s)

(These are some possibilities. For more, click here)

1 Corinthians 13.1-13

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Mark 10.6-9,13-16

Jesus said, “At the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female’. ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”

People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.

John 2.1-11

On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

“Dear woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.”

His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.

Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.

Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”

They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realise where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed in Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.

Address

The Marriage

The couple stand before the minister.

The Vows

The minister introduces the vows

N and N, I now invite you to join hands and make your vows,

in the presence of God and his people.

The bride and bridegroom face each other. The bridegroom takes the bride’s right hand in his, and says

I, N, take you, N,

to be my wife,

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,

till death us do part;

according to God’s holy law.

In the presence of God I make this vow.

They loose hands.

The bride takes the bridegroom’s right hand in hers, and says

I, N, take you, N,

to be my husband,

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,

till death us do part;

according to God’s holy law.

In the presence of God I make this vow.

They loose hands.

The Giving of Rings

The minister receives the rings, and says

Heavenly Father, by your blessing,

let these rings be to N and N

a symbol of unending love and faithfulness,

to remind them of the vow and covenant

which they have made this day

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

All Amen.

The bridegroom places the ring on the fourth finger of the bride’s left hand and, holding it there, says

N, I give you this ring

as a sign of our marriage.

With my body I honour you,

all that I am I give to you,

and all that I have I share with you,

within the love of God,

Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

They loose hands and the bride places a ring on the fourth finger of the bridegroom’s left hand and, holding it there, says

N, I give you this ring

as a sign of our marriage.

With my body I honour you,

all that I am I give to you,

and all that I have I share with you,

within the love of God,

Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The Proclamation

The minister addresses the people

In the presence of God, and before this congregation,

N and N have given their consent

and made their marriage vows to each other.

They have declared their marriage by the joining of hands

and by the giving and receiving of rings.

I therefore proclaim that they are husband and wife.

The minister joins their right hands together and says

Those whom God has joined together let no one put asunder.

The Blessing of the Marriage

The husband and wife kneel

Blessed are you, O Lord our God,

for you have created joy and gladness,

pleasure and delight, love, peace and fellowship.

Pour out the abundance of your blessing

upon N and N in their new life together.

Let their love for each other be a seal upon their hearts,

and a crown upon their heads.

Bless them in their work and in their companionship;

awake and asleep,

in joy and in sorrow,

in life and in death.

Finally, in your mercy, bring them to that banquet

where your saints feast for ever in your heavenly home.

We ask this through Jesus Christ your Son, our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

All Amen.

The minister says to the couple

God the Father,

God the Son,

God the Holy Spirit,

bless, preserve and keep you;

the Lord mercifully grant you the riches of his grace,

that you may please him both in body and soul,

and, living together in faith and love,

may receive the blessings of eternal life.

All Amen.

Hymn

Prayers

Faithful God,

holy and eternal,

source of life and spring of love,

we thank and praise you for bringing N and N to this day,

and we pray for them.

Lord of life and love:

All hear our prayer.

May their marriage be life-giving and life-long,

enriched by your presence and strengthened by your grace;

may they bring comfort and confidence to each other

in faithfulness and trust.

Lord of life and love:

All hear our prayer.

May the hospitality of their home

bring refreshment and joy to all around them;

may their love overflow to neighbours in need

and embrace those in distress.

Lord of life and love:

All hear our prayer.

May they discern in your word

order and purpose for their lives;

and may the power of your Holy Spirit

lead them in truth and defend them in adversity.

Lord of life and love:

All hear our prayer.

May they nurture their family with devotion,

see their children grow in body, mind and spirit

and come at last to the end of their lives

with hearts content and in joyful anticipation of heaven.

Lord of life and love:

All hear our prayer.

The prayers conclude with the Lord’s Prayer

As our Saviour taught us, so we pray

(The traditional form of the Lord’s Prayer will be used if the following text does not appear on the Order of Service)

All Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,

and the glory are yours
now and for ever. Amen.

The minister says

God the Holy Trinity make you strong in faith and love,

defend you on every side, and guide you in truth and peace;

and the blessing of God almighty,

the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,

be among you and remain with you always.

All Amen.

Hymn (optional)

The Registration of the Marriage

Copyright acknowledgment (where not already indicated above): The Collect (Marriage): © International Committee on English in the Liturgy