Our Vows

We are met in the presence of God to unite this man and this woman by the sacreties of matrimony. Let us pray:
God, be merciful unto us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Becoming more sacred in the estimation of men marriage has existed from the beginning of human history. It has the sanction of heaven, having been instituted by God and honored by Jesus of Nazareth, and it should have the commitment and dedication of us all. From it, “founded in reason, loyal, just and pure, have sprung all the sweet charities of family and home, and the uplifting and refining influences that flow out from them. “

Those who take its vows are brought into the closest and most sacred of human relationships. Their lives are blended into one as the waters of two streams are mingled, and thenceforth, they must share the joys and sorrows of life. And from this close and intimate relationship spring obligations of the most solemn and lasting character. The husband is under obligation to throw around the wife his protecting care, to shield her from the rough storms of the world, to cling to her with unfaltering fidelity, to cherish her with unfailing affection, and to guard her happiness with unceasing vigilance. And the wife is under obligation to love and cherish her husband, to honor and sustain him, and to be true to him in all ways. Each is under obligation to fulfill the love ordained of God as recorded in I Corinthians 13.

This love of which I speak is slow to lose patience--it looks for a way of being constructive. It is not possessive; it is neither anxious to impress nor does it cherish inflated ideas of its own importance. Love has good manners and does not pursue selfish advantage. It is not touchy. It does not compile statistics of evil or gloat over the wickedness of other people. On the contrary, it is glad with all good men with Truth prevails, Love knows no limit to its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading of its hope; it can outlast anything. It is, in fact, the one thing that still stands when all else has fallen (I Corinthians 13: 4-7, Phillips).

And now, if you, knowing of nothing either legal or moral to forbid your union in marriage, wish to take its vows and assume its obligations, indicate that wish by joining your right hands.
Will you, Ken, have this woman, Patty, whose hand you hold, to be your wedded wife, and solemnly promise that you will loyally fulfill your obligations as her husband to protect her, honor her, love her, and cherish her in adversity as well as in prosperity and keep yourself unto her alone, so long as you both shall live?
“I will.”
Will you, Patty, have this man, Ken, whose hand you hold, to be your wedded husband and solemnly promise that you will be unto him a tender, loving, and true wife through sunshine and shadow alike, and be faithful to him so long as you both shall live?
“I will”.

Let us Pray: Almighty God, heavenly Father of mankind, whose nature is love; Look with favor upon this man and this woman who desire now to make their vows before Thee. Grant this to be more than an outward union, but rather the blending of hearts and spirits and purposes. Bless each with the inward qualities of loyalty, honor, purity, self control, trust, cooperation, and forgiveness, that they may keep faithfully this Holy Covenant, and may live together all their days in true love and perfect peace, through Jesus Christ the Master of the art of living, and our Saviour. Amen.

We read in the old testament that when God made a covenant with Noah, He set a bow in the cloud as a token thereof, and said, “I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant.” From this we may learn that it is well for us, when we enter into solemn agreement one with another, to set apart some reminder of what we have promised. As tokens of your marriage covenant, you have selected a ring of gold.
Gold, precious among metals, fittingly represent the precious ties that unite husband and wife. This ring, endless until broken by outside forces, is a fit symbol of the unbroken partnership of marriage which should continue until broken by death. Let it be unto you a constant reminder of your obligations to each other, and mute incentives to their fulfillment.

Forasmuch as the husband imparts to his wife his name and receives her into his care and keeping, I give you this ring. “I, Ken, give this ring to you, Patty, and by this act declare, in the presence of these witnesses, that I will be unto you a faithful husband until death shall part us.”
”I, Patty, accept this ring from you, Ken, and thus declare, in the presence of these witnesses that you are the husband of my choice, that I will be faithful to you until death shall part us.”

Thus, you are to wear this ring as the enclosing bond of reverence and trust. You both are to fulfill the perfect circle of unity that makes you one. As you hope for happiness in your married life, I charge you to be true to the vows you have taken. With your marriage, you begin life under new conditions and with larger responsibilities; and it is only by faithfully performing the duties and fulfilling the obligations of the new relation that true and lasting happiness can be found.
Forasmuch as you, Ken, and you, Patty, have openly declared your wishes to be united in marriage, and in the presence of God and before these witnesses have pledged love and fidelity each to the other and have confirmed the same by each giving and receiving a ring, and by joining hands, I, as a minister of Christ’s church, pronounce now that you are Husband and Wife.

To you Ken, Guard well this woman who now commits herself to your keeping, and strive so to live that no word or deed of yours shall cloud her brow with sorrow or dim her eyes with tears or grief. To you Patty, You strive to retain by your virtues the heart you have won by your graces. To you both: Let not your voices lose the tender tones of affection. Let not your eyes forget the gentle ray they wore in courtship’s smiling day, so you will find in your union an unfailing source of joy, being one in name, one in aim, and one in happy destiny together.
Entreat me not to leave you or to return from following you; for where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God (Ruth1:13).
The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.
Amen.