Solemnization of Marriage – Form 1

The following announcement may be made on the previous Sunday:

The Consistory announces that __________ and __________ have indicated their intention to enter into the holy bond of marriage, according to the ordinance of God. They desire to begin this holy state in the name of the Lord and to complete it to His glory. If no lawful objection is brought forward, the ceremony will take place, Lord willing, on __________.

The officiant shall say:

We are assembled here in the presence of God for the purpose of joining in marriage __________ and __________. Since the Consistory has received no lawful objections, we may now proceed to the solemnization of their marriage in the name of the Lord. Therefore, let us reverently call to mind what the Word of God teaches us about marriage.

Instruction

The holy bond of marriage was instituted by God at the very beginning of history. He created man in His own image, supplied him with many blessings, gave him dominion over all things, and said: “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him” (Gen. 2:18). “So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, ‘This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.’ Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Gen. 2:21–24). We therefore believe that in marriage God gives a man and a woman to each other as husband and wife, and, as an institution of God, it must be held in honor among all. Since they are united by His hand, nothing shall separate them in this life.

Our Lord Jesus honored marriage by His presence at the wedding in Cana, and confirmed it as an institution of God, as an honorable state, and as a lasting bond when He declared, “What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate” (Matt. 19:6). God has made marriage a strong bond, He “hates divorce” (Mal. 2:16), and our Lord Jesus Christ explains in these words: “Whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery” (Matt. 19:9). Since the Lord forbids immorality, “each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband” (1 Cor. 7:2), so that our bodies may be preserved as “a temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 6:19) and we may “glorify God in [our] body” (1 Cor. 6:20). The apostle Paul shows the exalted nature of marriage when he calls it a symbol of the mystical union of the Savior and the church, His redeemed bride, commending it as a state honorable among all.

The Word of God also teaches us the purpose of marriage. First, husband and wife shall live together in sincere love and holiness, helping each other faithfully in all things. Secondly, by marriage the human race is to be continued and increased. Thirdly, by marriage the advancement of the kingdom of God is to be promoted. This purpose calls for loving devotion to each other and a common responsibility for the nurturing of children in the true knowledge and fear of the Lord, which the Lord may give them as His heritage and as parties to His covenant.

For the home which marriage establishes, the Lord ordained that the man should be the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church, and that he should protect her and provide for her in love—a love which, if exercised in the Spirit and after the example of Christ, will be conducive to mutual happiness. God also ordained that the wife should be subject to the husband in all things according to His Word, showing him respect even as the church does to Christ. Thus the liberty of both husband and wife is glorified by mutual loyalty to God’s law. A home so begun in the name of the Lord and regulated by His commandments becomes the very foundation of a Christian society and affords a foretaste of the eternal home.

Marriage, then, is a divine ordinance intended to be a source of happiness, an institution of the highest significance to the human race, and a symbol of the union of Christ and his church. We may, therefore, as Christians, look with confidence for grace in the discharge of our mutual responsibilities and for guidance and help in our common difficulties and trials.

Statement of Intent

And now, __________ and __________, having heard from the Word of God the teaching concerning marriage, do you agree with it, and do you desire to enter into this holy state of marriage as ordained by God?

Groom: I do.

Bride: I do.

May the Lord confirm the desire and purpose of your hearts, and may your beginning be in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

Vows

To the groom (repeating after the minister):

I, __________, take you, __________, to be my wife. I promise before God, and all who are present here, to be your loving and faithful husband. I will love you and give myself up for you, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in riches and in poverty, in sickness and in health. I will serve you with tenderness and respect, and encourage you to develop the gifts that God has given you, and never forsake you, as long as we both shall live.

To the bride (repeating after the minister):

I, __________, take you, __________, to be my husband. I promise before God, and all who are present here, to be your loving and faithful wife. I will love you and submit to you, as the church loves and submits to Christ. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in riches and in poverty, in sickness and in health. I will serve you with tenderness and respect, and encourage you to develop the gifts that God has given you, and never forsake you, as long as we both shall live.

Ring Ceremony

To the groom:

Do you give this ring as a symbol of your constant faithfulness and abiding love?

Groom: I do.

Optional: I give you this ring as a symbol of my constant faithfulness and abiding love.

To the bride:

Do you give this ring as a symbol of your constant faithfulness and abiding love?

Bride: I do.

Optional: I give you this ring as a symbol of my constant faithfulness and abiding love.

Pronouncement

I now pronounce you, _________ and _________, husband and wife, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. What therefore God has joined together, let no one separate. From this day forward, as you travel life’s pathway together, may the Father of all mercies, who of His grace has called you to this holy state of marriage, bind you together in true love and faithfulness and grant you His blessing.

__________ and __________, since we cannot expect anything from ourselves, you shall kneel before the Lord and we shall pray with you and for you that He may enable you to fulfill your vows and grant you His blessing.

Prayer

Most merciful and gracious God, of whom the whole family of heaven and earth is named, we ask You to set your seal of approval upon the marriage which our brother and sister have begun this day. Give them Your fatherly benediction; grant them grace and Your Holy Spirit to fulfill with pure and constant affection the vow and covenant made between them. Guide them in the way of righteousness and peace, that, loving and serving You with one mind and heart all the days of their life, they may be abundantly enriched with the tokens of Your everlasting favor in Christ Jesus our Lord.

In all of life’s experiences, lift up Your countenance upon them, that they may be thankful in prosperity and patient in adversity. May their marriage be fruitful. Grant them wisdom and strength to build a home which shall be to the glory of Your name and the coming of Your kingdom. May they live together many years, and in the hour of death may they part in the blessed hope of celebrating forever with all the saints of God the marriage of Christ and the church He loved. Hear our prayer in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray, saying:

Congregation:

Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.