Welcome to the Wedding of

Matthew and Sarmone

at

All Saints Chapel

on

Saturday 20 September 1997

Celebrant

Reverend Deacon

Gary Stone

Bridal Party

Bride

Sarmone Gillen

Bridegroom

Matthew Shultz

Groomsman

Christian Becks

Bridesmaid

Sharlmane Gold

Flower Girl

Erin Carson

This day…………… I will marry my friend

Deacon: May God,  the almighty Father,  give you his joy and bless you

May the only Son of God have mercy on you and help you in good times and in bad.

May the Holy Spirit of God always fill your hearts with his love. And may almighty God bless you all,  the Father,  and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

ALLAMEN

Go now in the peace of Christ.

ALL  –  Thanks be to God.

 


 RECESSIONAL

“Wedding March”


Matt and Sarmone wish to thank you all for your presence today and your support for them.

Lord’s Prayer

 DEACON Gary: Let us pray with confidence to the Father in the words Jesus gave to us:

 ALL: 

Our Father who are in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

They kingdom come,

Thy will be done on earth,

as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.  AMEN.

Solemn Blessing (Please stand)

DEACON Gary: The Lord be with you.

ALL:   And also with you

DEACON Gary: Bow  your heads and pray for the Lord’s blessing.

 


BRIDAL PROCESSION (Please stand)


Introductory Rites

Deacon   Gary

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

ALL    Amen.

Deacon  Gary

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

ALL :And also with you.

 

Welcome

 Deacon Gary

 Opening Prayer

DEACON Gary

Father, you have made the bond of marriage as holy mystery,  a symbol of Christ’s love for all his Church.  Hear our prayers for Sarmone and Matthew.

With faith in you and in each other they pledge their love today. May their lives always bear witness to the reality of that love.

We ask you this through our Lord Jesus Christ, you Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.    AMEN

Liturgy of the Word

FIRST READING

A reading from the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians.

Be ambitious for the higher gifts.  And I am going to show you a way 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 that 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 offence, 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.

ALL: Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm (Ps33)

The words of the Lord are true,  and all his works are dependable.

The Lord loves what is righteous and just;  his constant love fills the earth.

The Lord watches over those who obey him, those who trust in his constant love.

He saves them from;  he keeps them alive in times of famine.

We put our hope in the Lord,  he is our protector and our help.

We are glad because of him;  we trust in his holy name.

May your constant love be with us, Lord,  as we put our hope in you.

Nuptial Blessing

O God of love,   we now ask you to send your Holy Spirit down upon this couple. Fill them with your spirit Lord,  that they may experience the fullness of life lived with you.

Bless this husband.   Bless him as provider and sustain him in all the pressures of life.   May his strength be her protection,  his character be her boast and pride,  and may he also live that she will find in him the haven for which the heart of woman truly longs.

Bless this loving wife.  Give her tenderness that will make her great,  a deep sense of understanding and a great faith in You.   Give her that inner beauty of soul that never fades,  that eternal youth that is found in holding fast the things that never age.

May they minimise each other’s weaknesses, be swift to praise and magnify each other’s points of goodness and strength,  and see each other through a lover’s kind and patient eyes.

Give them strength to keep the vows they have made to be loyal and faithful to each other throughout their lives,  may they bear each other’s burdens and share each other’s joys.

With Sarmone and Matthew we thank You for the love and care of their parents who have guided them to maturity and prepared them for each other.   We ask you to bless too their parents that this moment they may find new happiness as they share their children’s joy.

We ask this through Christ out Lord.   Amen.

Reader

Lord bless Sarmone and Matthew’s family and friends and help them to support and encourage them in their lives together.   LORD HEAR US

ALL  –  Lord hear our prayer.

Reader: May Sarmone and Matthewt’slove be patient and gentle,  ready to trust and endure whatever comes.   LORD HEAR US.

ALL – Lord hear our prayer.

Reader

Help Sarmone and Matthew’s love grow stronger and help them to share this love with their children.   LORD HEAR US.

ALL  –  Lord hear our prayer.

Reader

Help Sarmone and Matthew to make a home together and fill it with laughter, hospitality, friendship and love.  LORD HEAR US.

ALL  –   Lord hear our prayer.

DEACON Gary

Through the joys and sacrifices of their married life may be bound together by an ever deeping love for each other.  LORD HEAR US.

ALL  –  Lord hear our prayer.

DEACON Gary

We offer these prayers we have spoken and those unspoken,  through Christ our Lord.

ALL  –  AMEN

Gospel Reading (Please Stand)

 DEACON Gary

The Lord be with you.

ALL

And also with you.

DEACON GARY

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John.

ALL

Glory to you Lord.

DEACON GARY

‘As the Father has loved me,

so I have loved you.

Remain in my love.

If you keep my commandments

you will remain in my love,

just as I have kept my Father’s Commandments

and remain in His love.

I have told you this

so that my own joy may be in you

and your joy be complete.

This is my commandment:

love one another

as I have loved you.”

ALL

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ

Homily (Please sit)

Sacrament of Marriage

SARMONE AND MATTHEW, you have come together in this church so that the Lord may seal and strengthen your love in the presence of the Church’s minister and this community.  Christ abundantly blesses this love.  He has already consecrated you in baptism and now he enriches and strengthens you by a special sacrament so that you may assume the duties of marriage in mutual and lasting fidelity.  And so, in the presence of the Church,  I ask you to state your intentions.

 DEACON Gary

Sarmone and Matthew have you come freely and without reservations to give yourself to each other in marriage?

Sarmone and Matthew:   We will.

Will you love and honour each other as man and wife for the rest of your lives?

Sarmone and Matthew:   We will.

Will you accept children from God, and bring them up according to the law of

Christ and his Church?

Sarmone and Matthew:   We will.

Consent

Since it is your intention to enter into marriage,  join your right hands,  and declare your consent before God and his Church.

The Bridegroom says:

I, Matthew, take you Sarmone to be my wife.   I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad,  in sickness and in health.  I will love you and honour you all the days of my life.

The Bride says:

I, Sarmone, take you, Matthew to be my husband.  I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad,  in sickness and in health.  I will love you and honour you all the days of my life.

Reception of Consent

Receiving their consent,  the Deacon says:

You have declared your consent before the Church.  May the Lord in his goodness strengthen your consent and fill you both with his blessings.

That God has joined,  people must not divide.

Blessing and Exchange of Rings  

DEACON Gary                                   

Lord, bless and consecrate Sarmone and Matthew in their love for each other.

Bless these rings to be a symbol of their true faith in each other, and always remind them of their love.   Through Christ our Lord.

ALL  –  AMEN

The bridegroom places his wife’s ring on her ring finger.  He says:

Sarmone take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity.   In the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

The bride places her husband’s ring on his ring finger.  She says:

Matthew take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity.  In the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

ALL–  AMEN

BRIDAL  KISS

Prayers of the Faithful

DEACON Gary

Now that we have heard God’s word in the Bible and experienced the Lord’s presence in this exchange of vows,  let us present these prayerful petitions for people in the world today.

READER

LORD,  may Sarmone and Matthew always remember those, past and present, who have enriched their lives and helped them on their way.

LORD HEAR US.

ALL  –  Lord hear our prayer.