A sample wedding liturgy, especially
created for a couple belong to a Korean Presbyterian Church (BCO of PCA based)
ENTRANCE
Prelude Music: All
Creatures of Our God and King
(*A traditional worship song about coming together in
praise of God.)
(Pipe Organist - Song can be played from start to finish at full length.)
Ushers seat guests and members of the Family
(Ushers - This light, softly
played instrumental should last only as long as it takes to prepare the seating.
It should then be slowly faded out.)
Lighting of the Altar
Candles – Members of each Families
Lighting of the
Candelabras – Members of each Families
Ushers seat Cord &
Veil Sponsors
/ Seat Sponsors / Seat
Groom’s Parents
Entrance of the
Wedding Party
Clergy & the Groom and Bride
Flower Girls: Children
of each Families
Matron of Honor
Best Man
(Pastor Seats audience)
GREETING - Pastor
Dear
family and friends, I welcome you to this celebration. We gather in the presence of God to give
thanks for the gift of marriage, to witness the joining together of _____ and _____ to surround them with our prayers, and to ask God’s
blessing upon them,
so that they may be strengthened for their life together and
nurtured in their love for God.
(*Although wedding is not a
sacrament, it is necessary to clarify that the beginning is God - PCA BCO 59-1.
Marriage is a divine institution though not a sacrament, nor peculiar to the
Church of Christ. It is proper that every commonwealth, for the good of
society, make laws to regulate marriage, which all citizens are bound to obey
insofar as they do not transgress the laws of God).
God created us male and female and gave us marriage so that
husband and wife may help and comfort each other, living faithfully together in
plenty and in want in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in health, throughout
all their days. God gave us marriage for
the full expression of the love between a man and a woman. God gave us marriage for the well-being of
human society, for the ordering of family life, and for the birth and nurture
of children.
(*PCA BCO 59-3. Marriage is only
to be between one man and one woman only (Gen. 2:24,25; Matt. 19:4-6, 1 Cor.
7:2), in accordance with the Word of God. Therefore, ministers in the Presbyterian
Church in America who solemnize marriages shall only solemnize marriages between
one man and one woman).
God gave us marriage as a holy mystery in which a man and a
woman are joined together, and become one, just as Christ is one with the
church. In marriage, husband and wife
are called to a new way of life, created, ordered, and blessed by God. This way of life must not be entered into
carelessly, or from selfish motives, but responsibly, and prayerfully. We rejoice that marriage is given by God, blessed
by our Lord Jesus Christ, and sustained by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, let marriage be held in honor by
all.
(*Marriage is becoming one in
Christ - PCA BCO 59-2. Christians should marry in the Lord; therefore, it is fit
that their marriage be solemnized by a lawful minister, that special
instruction be given them, and suitable prayers offered, when they enter into
this relation).
PRAYER - Pastor
Gracious God,
You are always faithful
in Your love for us.
Look mercifully upon _____ and _____,
who have come seeking
your blessing.
Let your Holy Spirit
rest upon them so that with steadfast love
they may honor the
promises they make this day.
This is the day that
the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be
glad in it
through Jesus Christ
our Savior.
Amen.
DECLARATION OF
INTENTION
(*PCA BCO 59-4. The parties should
be of such years of discretion as to be capable of making their own choice; and
if they be underage, or live with their parents, the consent of the parents or
others, under whose care they are, should be previously obtained, and well
certified to the minister before he proceeds to solemnize the marriage.)
Pastor: _____, understanding that God has created, ordered,
and blessed the covenant of marriage, do you affirm your desire and intention
to enter this covenant?
Groom: I do.
Pastor: _____, understanding that God has created, ordered,
and blessed the covenant of marriage, do you affirm your desire and intention
to enter this covenant?
Bride: I do.
AFFIRMATIONS OF
THE FAMILIES
(*PCA BCO 59-5. Parents should
neither compel their children to marry contrary to their inclinations, nor deny
their consent without just and important reasons.)
Pastor: (Names of family members), do you give your blessing
to _____ and _____, and promise to do everything in your power to uphold them
in their marriage?
The Families: We do.
AFFIRMATIONS OF
THE CONGREGATION
(*PCA BCO 59-6. Marriage is of a
public nature.)
Pastor: Will all of you witnessing these vows do everything in
your power to uphold _____ and _____ in their marriage?
The Congregation: We will.
PRAYER
Pastor: Loving God, we
thank you for all families whose special spirit remains so vividly a part of _____’s
and _____’s lives. We thank you also for
those who stand with this couple as they establish a new home. By your Holy Spirit continue to transform
their lives day by day, so that they may grow in the grace and love of our
Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
A HYMN OR SPIRITUAL
MUSIC MAY BE SUNG – All Together
Without Love (*The song references I Corinthians 13)
READING FROM
SCRIPTURE AND SERMON - Pastor
Genesis 2:18-25 - *“Home Made in Heaven”
18 The Lord God said, “It is
not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.
* BECAUSE GOD INITIATED
19 Now the Lord God had formed
out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought
them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called
each living creature, that was its name.
* BECAUSE GOD GAVE WORK
20 So the man gave names to all
the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found.
* BECAUSE GOD GAVE SUITABLE HELPER
21 So the Lord God caused the
man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the
man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh.
* BECAUSE GOD CREATED
22 Then the Lord God made a
woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
* BECAUSE GOD BROUGHT
23 The man said, “This is now
bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she
was taken out of man.”
* BECAUSE OUR VOWS ARE RECORDED BY
HEAVEN
24 That is why a man leaves his
father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.
* BECAUSE GOD TOLD THEM TO LEAVE
AND BECOME ONE
25 Adam and his wife were both
naked, and they felt no shame.
* BECAUSE THERE’S NO SECRET, IT’S
A HOME MADE IN HEAVEN.
EXCHANGE OF VOWS
Pastor: _____ and _____ since it is
your intention to marry, join your right hands, and with your promises bind
yourselves to each other as husband and wife.
(The bride and groom face each other and join right
hands.)
Couple Repeats After Pastor
“I, (_____ / _____), take you
to be my (wife / husband) and I promise, before God and these witnesses, to be
your loving and faithful (wife / husband); 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 ordinance And thereto I pledge you my faith.
Exchange of Rings
Pastor:
The circle has long been a symbol of God. Without beginning or end and no point
of weakness, the circle is a reminder of the eternal quality of God and of
unending strength. Thus, these rings serve to remind us of the relationship
which _____ and _____ have with God as well as the relationship which they
have with one another The rings are symbols of covenant and should serve as reminders
of our need to be faithful in all of our relationships.
As Each Ring is Given, the One Giving the Ring Says:
This ring I give you, as a sign
of our constant faith and abiding love, in the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Prayer
Pastor: Gracious God, we thank
you for confirming the union of _____ and _____ in the covenant of marriage. May these rings be to _____ and _____ symbols of unending love and faithfulness, reminding them of the covenant they
have made this day, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
THE LORD’S PRAYER
ANNOUNCEMENT OF MARRIAGE
Pastor: Before God and in the
presence of this congregation, now, that _____ and _____ have made their
solemn vows to each other. They have
confirmed their promises by the joining of hands and by the giving and
receiving of rings. Therefore, I
proclaim that they are now husband and wife.
Blessed be the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit now and forever.
COUPLE MOVES TO CENTER
Introduction of the Newlyweds
Pastor: It is with great joy that I present to you the
new husband and wife – Mr. & Mrs. _____.
Couple Seals Ceremony with a Kiss.
SENDING FORTH
Postlude Music: Wedding March (Mendelssohn)
(Full-length songs can be played for the entire postlude
regardless of whether it is just a couple of tunes after the recessional, or
music that will carry you through a receiving line and photos.)
