Wedding of Abby Butler and Jens Herman
Prelude 6:45-7:10
Procession 7:10 AM
Emily & Jens- enter from the right
Seating of the mothers
Inge, escorted by Bjorn, Su
Ann, escorted by Judge & Kyle
Bridal Processional 7:13 AM
- Abby & Dad
Welcome
Let us give thanks to the
Lord, for he is good.
His steadfast love endures
forever.
What a gift to be together
on the beach this morning for this glorious celebration!
(Please be seated)
Welcome to this service
celebrating the marriage of Abby Leigh Butler and Jens Micah Herman, these two we treasure for the beauty
they add to the world, for the way they point to hope for all of us, for their
authentic kindness, for their playful spirits, and for their true grit, depth
and love. (My list could go on and
on.)
Those who follow after
Christ believe that marriage is a joyful gift of the Lord himself. And
it’s Jens and Abby’s desire that
this day be a day of worship, a day that celebrates and delights in the Lord.
It’s their desire that first their wedding and then their life
together bear witness to something far bigger than themselves: that is
-to the One who lived unto
death for us,
-to the One whose love
teaches us what it means to love.
So they come before the
Lord to be married, to be made one in Christ.
But they don’t come alone.
They come before God to be
married as persons who have known the encouragement and challenge and nurture
of friends, family, and church.
They have gathered together
their favorite people in the world and those who have seen them through so much
of their journey:
-you who have rocked them
to sleep and taught them to drive and seen them grow in faith
-you who have cared for
them and encouraged them;
-you who have prayed for
them and held them up in challenging times and pointed them to the deep
well of God’s love for them;
-you who have shared the
story of their love for each other.
... They come before the Lord
together with you who will love them still when marriage gets
hard and they’re in need of laughter and perspective and the refreshment of
God’s Word spoken to them.
Abby and Jens are so grateful to have
all of you stand by them in their marriage— and they invite you to stand
now to make that promise today... (Invite everyone to stand. Abby & Jens turn to see everyone
standing)
—that you would commit yourselves to
stand by them in plenty and in want, in sickness and in health, in
joy and in sorrow your whole lives long.
Will you do that? If so, let
them hear you say “We will.” [We will.] (Say it again: Will you?)
And so we as a community of
faith are gathered in the presence of God to give thanks for the gift of
marriage, to witness the joining together of Abby and Jens, and to surround them with our prayers and love.
(audience remain standing through opening prayer, Abby and Jens
stay facing them through that)
Opening Prayer
Let’s pray:
Gracious God,
We do give you thanks for
Abby and Jens. We thank you for
the goodness and grace you have lavished upon them and for all that overflows
our hearts because they have loved us. And we thank you for the joy they have
found in each other. Fill them with your hope, Father. Give their relationship
a deep center and a high calling grounded in Jesus’ Story. Let your Holy Spirit
rest upon them so that with steadfast love they may honor the promises they
make this day, through Christ we pray, Amen.
(invite everyone to be seated , Abby & Jens turn back around.)
Declaration of Intent
Jens, hearing a call to
marriage, understanding your relationship with Christ to be the
grace-giving center of your life with Abby, and forsaking all other women,
do you affirm your desire to enter this covenant of forever love with her and
with the Lord? Do you? [I do.]
Abby, hearing a call to
marriage, understanding your relationship with Christ to be the
grace-giving center of your life with Jens, and forsaking all other men,
do you affirm your desire to enter this covenant of forever love with him and
with the Lord? Do you? [I do.] //
Scripture Reading The Scripture passage Abby and
Jens have chosen for their wedding comes from the book of Colossians 3.12-17.
(Jason reads)
12 Since God chose you to be the
holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy,
kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each
other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave
you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with
love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the
peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body
you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. 16 Let the
message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel
each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns
and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 17 And whatever you do
or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through
him to God the Father. Colossians 3:12-17 New Living Translation
Wedding Message
(see earlier blog post this morning for the text of the message)
Exchange of Wedding Vows
Jens, Abby
I now want to invite you to
turn to one another, to join hands,
and with promises
before
God and the family of faith,
be bound together as husband
and wife.
Jens, repeat after me:
I, Jens Micah, take you,
Abby Leigh, to be my wife. I promise before God to be your loving and
faithful husband. I promise to cherish, honor, and love you, in every season:
In tears and in laughter
In trials and in celebration
In sickness and in health
In sorrow and in joy
All of my days
Now Abby:
I, Abby Leigh, take you,
Jens Micah, to be my husband. I promise before God to be your loving and
faithful wife. I promise to cherish, honor, and love you, in every season:
In tears and in laughter
In trials and in celebration
In sickness and in health
In sorrow and in joy
All of my days
Exchange of Rings
May I have the Bride’s ring?
The wedding ring is an unending circle. It’s a visible symbol of God’s unending love and
faithfulness, and the unending love and faithfulness you promise each other
today.
Wear your rings as a reminder of God’s steadfast love and forgiveness, his circle of
grace, so that you might be free to be grace-givers to each other.
Jens repeat after me:
Abby, with this ring, I thee
wed.
I give it as a sign of our
covenant;
and a token of my love;
a love that knows its
beginning and end
in the extravagant and
gracious love of God;
in the name of the Father;
and of the Son;
and of the Holy Spirit.
Now Abby:
Jens, with this ring, I thee
wed.
I give it as a sign of our
covenant;
and a token of my love;
a love that knows its
beginning and end
in the extravagant and
gracious love of God;
in the name of the Father;
and of the Son;
and of the Holy Spirit.
Wedding Prayer:
Let’s pray:
Loving God,
We pray that you might pour
out your Spirit upon Abby and Jens so that, in their belonging to you, they
might belong to each other all their days. We pray that day by day and decision
by decision their marriage might become more and more a reflection of your
self-sacrificial love. Be always at the center of their marriage. Give them strength when
the road seems too long, and give them flexibility, perseverance and laughter
in times of disappointment. Bless them with a deep well of hope and joy as they
enter into this new chapter. Build
them up in areas that are weak and help them to love each other well. Surround
them with friends, family and church to cheer them on. Bless these two-become-one, Lord, and guide them by your Word to
serve you all of their days. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
Declaration of Marriage
Before God and in the
presence of their friends and family, Abby and Jens have made their promises to
one another and confirmed those promises by the giving and receiving of rings.
Therefore, I now pronounce them husband and wife, in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. As Jesus said: “What God has joined
together, let no one separate.”
You may kiss the bride.
Benediction
(turn toward the
congregation)
Abby and Jens, Brothers and
Sisters, Friends:
I pray that out of his
glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I
pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together, to grasp how wide and long and
high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that
surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the
fullness of God. Now to him who is
able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine be glory
in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and
ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:16-21
Presentation of Couple
I would now like to present
to you for the first time as a married couple:
Abby Butler and Jens Herman
Recessional
Recessional- Abby & Jens
Song
Emily then announces
1. As you know, Abby & Jens have requested an
"all guest" photo, so stay where you are and listen to Sara, the
photographer's directions.
2. Following that, the group photos will begin, so
listen for your group number/name for your photo with the couple.
3. We invite you to enjoy coffee, OJ, and donuts
poolside. You will find a schedule of events
there for the day, as well as the guest book. Feel free to take yours to go or
stay. Please note that the house will "close" at 8:30.
