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Mixing of Sand
The Bible teaches that marriage is to
be a permanent relationship of one man and one woman freely and totally
committed to each other as companions for life. Our Lord declared that
man shall leave his father and mother and unite with his wife in the
building of a home, and the two shall become one flesh.
______ and _______ the Bible has much to say about marriage- directly
and indirectly. The very first people of creation were brought together
by God who saw that it was not good for man to be alone. Eve was created
to be Adams companion and his helper in all things. Jesus performed his
first miracle at a wedding. Some of His most famous parables flow out of
the context of marriage.
As you stand here today, it is your desire that this ceremony not only
reflects your commitment to one another but your individual and shared
commitment to Christ. Marriage is the clasping of hands, the blending of
hearts, the union of two lives becoming one. This marriage will stand by
the strength of your love and the power of faith you have in one another
and also in God.
I want to ask you to turn and face one another now.
_______, please take _____’s hands and hold them palms up so that you
may see them for the gift which they are to you.
These are the hands of your best friend. They are young and strong and
vibrant with love- these hands, which are resting in yours on this
wedding day, are the hands of the one whom is promising to love you for
all the remaining days of your life. These are the hands, which will
work along side you and will build your future, as you laugh and cry as
you share your innermost secrets and dreams. These are the hands, which
will be placed against your womb with expectant joy when he feels the
child stir within you. These hands, which appear so large and strong
today, will be soft and gentle as he holds your baby for the first time.
These hands will work long hours for you and your new family and they
are the hands which will passionately love and cherish you throughout
the years- the same hands will wipe away tears of sorrow and tears of
joy from your eyes. These are the hands which will comfort you in times
of illness and which will hold you when grief intrudes your home. These
are the hands, which will tenderly lift your chin and brush your cheek
as they raise your face to look into his eyes - eyes that will be filled
with passion for you.
_____ would you please take _______’s hands, palms up, so that you may
see them for the gifts, which they are to you.
These hands are the hands of your best friend, smooth, young, and
carefree which are holding yours on this wedding day as she pledges her
love and commitment to you for all the days of her life. These are the
hands, which will hold your children in tender love, soothing them
through illness and hurt, supporting and encouraging them along the way
and knowing when it is time to let go. These are the hands which will
hold you tight as you struggle through difficult times- they are the
hands which will comfort you when you are sick and will console you when
you grieve. These are the hands, which will passionately love you and
cherish you through all the years for a lifetime of happiness. These
same hands will support you as you pursue your dreams of all that God
has enabled you to be and become. Together, as a team, her hands in
yours, your wishes will be realized.
It is our prayer that God, bless these hands that you see before you on
this day. May they always be held by one another and may they find the
strength to keep holding on when the storms of worry, distress, anxiety
and fear attack their home. May these hands remain tender and gentle as
they nurture one another in their wondrous love. May these hands
continue to build a relationship founded in Your grace, rich in caring
and devoted to reaching for Your perfection of them.
The home is built upon love. In the 13th chapter of 1 Corinthians the
Bible says:
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.
Marriage is a companionship, which involves mutual commitment and
responsibility. You will share alike in the responsibilities and the
joys of life. When companions share a sorrow the sorrow is halved, and
when they share a joy the joy is doubled.
You are asked to dedicate your home to your Creator. Take His Word, the
Bible, for your guide. Give loyal devotion to His church and live your
lives, as His willing servants, and true happiness will be your reward.
_____ will you take _______ to be your wife; will you commit yourself to
her happiness and her self-fulfillment as a person, and to her
usefulness in God’s Kingdom; and will you promise to love, honor, trust,
and serve her in sickness and in health, in adversity, and prosperity,
and to be true and loyal to her, so long as you both shall live?
_______ will you take _____ to be your husband; will you commit yourself
to his happiness and his self-fulfillment as a person, and to his
usefulness in God’s Kingdom; and do you promise to love, honor, trust,
and serve him in sickness and in health, in adversity and prosperity,
and to be true and loyal to him, so long as you both shall live?
The wedding ring is a symbol of marriage in at least two ways: the
purity of gold symbolizes the purity of your love for each other, and
the unending circle symbolizes the unending vows which you are taking,
which may be broken honorably in the sight of God only by death. As a
token of your vows, you will give and receive the rings.
_____, you will give the ring and repeat after me:
_______ with this ring I pledge my life and love to you, in the name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”.
_______ you will give the ring and repeat after me:
_____ with this ring I pledge my life and love to you, in the name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”.
Mixing Of The Sand
The Bible teaches that in marriage two become one flesh. Because of your
love of God’s wondrous creation we felt it appropriate today that
instead of a unity candle that _______ and _____ you should mix sand. It
is important to notice that once this sand has become one no one will
ever be able to separate again. In the same manner today you become one
and no power on earth will be able to separate this bond. In symbolism
of this you will now mix the sand.
“What therefore God has joined together let no man separate.”
_____ you may kiss your bride.
Let me introduce to you Mr. and Mrs. _________ __________
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