|
One or more of the following passages from the Bible (Holy
Scripture) may be read. Between the readings, a Psalm, hymn, or anthem
may be sung or said. Appropriate Psalms follow the Bible readings. (American
Standard Version) Other passages may also be appropriate, and several
are offered for your consideration. You should always consult with the
officiant who is presiding.
Suggested Scripture Combinations
-
Genesis (1:26-28); I Corinthians (13:1-13); Matthew
(7:21, 24-29)
["The greatest of these is love"]
-
Genesis (2:15-24); Ephesians (5:1-2, 21-33); Mark
(10:6-9, 13-16)
[" . . . a man shall leave his mother and a woman shall leave
her home . . . "]
-
Isaiah (25:1, 4a, 6-9); Revelation (19:6-9); John
(2:1-11)
[Wedding feasts -- The Wedding at Cana]
Genesis 2:15-24
The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of
Eden to till it and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying,
"You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree
of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that
you eat of it you shall die." Then the LORD God said, "It is
not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for
him." So out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the
field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what
he would call them; and whatever the man called every living creature,
that was its name. The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds
of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for the man there was
not found a helper fit for him. 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 which 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 leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they
become one flesh.
I Corinthians 13:1-13
"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels,
but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have
prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and
if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am
nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned,
but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love is not
jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist
on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice
at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all
things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends; as for
prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for
knowledge, it will pass away. For our knowledge is imperfect and our prophecy
is imperfect; but when the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away.
When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned
like a child; when I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we
see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then
I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood. So faith,
hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love."
I Corinthians 13 (excerpts from the J. B. Philips'
paraphrase)
“If I speak with the eloquence of men and of angels,
but have no love, I have become no more than blaring brass, or crashing
cymbal. If I have the gift of foretelling the future, and hold in my mind
not only all human knowledge, but [even] the very secrets of God, and
if I also have that absolute faith which can move mountains, but have
no love, I amount to nothing at all. If I dispose of all that I possess...but
have no love, I achieve precisely nothing. 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 keep account
of evil, or gloat over the wickedness of other people. On the contrary,
it shares the joy of those who live by the truth. Love knows no limit
to its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading of its hope; it can outlast
anything. Love never fails...In this life we have three lasting qualities
-- faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
Proverbs 31:10-31 (New International Version)
“A wife of noble character, who can find? She is worth
far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks
nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.
She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the
merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. She gets up while it is still
dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls.
She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.
She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out
at night. In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with
her fingers. She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the
needy. When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them
are clothed in scarlet. She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed
in fine linen and purple. Her husband is respected at the city gate, where
he takes his seat among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments
and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes. She is clothed
with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks
with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over
the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her
children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises
her: "Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all."
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the
LORD is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her
works bring her praise at the city gate.”
Ephesians 5:1-2, 21-33
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And
walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant
offering and sacrifice to God. Be subject to one another out of reverence
for Christ. Wives, be subject to your husbands, as to the Lord. For the
husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his
body, and is himself its Savior. As the church is subject to Christ, so
let wives also be subject in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love
your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that
he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with
the word, that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without
spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without
blemish. Even so husbands should love their wives as their own bodies.
He who loves his wife loves himself. For no man ever hates his own flesh,
but nourishes and cherishes it, as Christ does the church, because we
are members of his body. "For this reason a man shall leave his father
and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh."
This mystery is a profound one, and I am saying that it refers to Christ
and the church; however, let each one of you love his wife as himself,
and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
Colossians 3:12-17
"Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved,
compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience, forbearing one
another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other;
as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all
these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were
called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell
in you richly, teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and sing
psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts
to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name
of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
I John 4:7-16
"Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of
God, and he who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love
does not know God; for God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest
among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might
live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved
us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins. Beloved, if God
so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No man has ever seen God;
if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in
us. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has
given us of his own Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father
has sent his Son as the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus
is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we know and believe
the love God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides
in God, and God abides in him."
Matthew 5:1-10
Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when
he sat down his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught
them, saying:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."
"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they
shall be satisfied."
"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
Matthew 7:21, 24-29
"Not every one who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall
enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who
is in heaven. Every one then who hears these words of mine and does them
will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock; and the rain
fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house,
but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And every
one who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a
foolish man who built his house upon the sand; and the rain fell, and
the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it
fell; and great was the fall of it." And when Jesus finished these
sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them
as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
Mark 10:6-9, 13-16
"But from the beginning of creation, 'God made them
male and female.' For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother
and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So they
are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together,
let not man put asunder." And they were bringing children to him,
that he might touch them; and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus
saw it he was indignant, and said to them, "Let the children come
to me, do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly,
I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child
shall not enter it." And he took them in his arms and blessed them,
laying his hands upon them.
John 2:1-11
On the third day there was a marriage at Cana in Galilee,
and the mother of Jesus was there; Jesus also was invited to the marriage,
with his disciples. When the wine failed, the mother of Jesus said to
him, "They have no wine." And Jesus said to her, "O woman,
what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come." His mother
said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." Now six stone
jars were standing there, for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding
twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, "Fill the jars with
water." And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, "Now
draw some out, and take it to the steward of the feast." So they
took it. When the steward of the feast tasted the water now become wine,
and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn
the water knew), the steward of the feast called the bridegroom and said
to him, "Every man serves the good wine first; and when men have
drunk freely, then the poor wine; but you have kept the good wine until
now." This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee,
and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
John 15:9-12
"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you;
abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love,
just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These
things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your
joy may be full. This is my commandment, that you love one another as
I have loved you."
Genesis 1:26-28
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after
our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and
over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth,
and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth." So God
created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male
and female he created them. And God blessed them, and God said to them,
"Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and
have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and
over every living thing that moves upon the earth."
Ruth 1:16-17
But Ruth said, "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; where
you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the LORD do so to
me and more also if even death parts me from you."
Song of Solomon 2:10-13
My beloved speaks and says to me: "Arise, my love,
my fair one, and come away; for lo, the winter is past, the rain is over
and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come,
and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree puts
forth its figs, and the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance.
Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away."
Song of Solomon 8:6-7
"Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon
your arm; for love is strong as death, jealousy is cruel as the grave.
Its flashes are flashes of fire, a most vehement flame. Many waters cannot
quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man offered for love all
the wealth of his house, it would be utterly scorned."
Suggested Psalms
Psalms 127:1-5
"Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build
it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman
stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late
to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved
sleep. Lo, sons are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a
reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the sons of one's youth.
Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them! He shall not be put
to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate."
Psalms 128:1-6
"Blessed is every one who fears the LORD, who walks
in his ways! You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall
be happy, and it shall be well with you. Your wife will be like a fruitful
vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around
your table. Lo, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the LORD. The
LORD bless you from Zion! May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all
the days of your life! May you see your children's children! Peace be
upon Israel!"
Suggested Benedictions
Numbers 6:24-26
“The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make His face shine upon thee,
and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up His countenance upon thee,
and give thee peace.”
I Timothy 1:17
“Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor
and glory forever and ever, Amen.”
Hebrews 13:20-21
“Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that
great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
make you perfect in every good work, working in you that which is well
pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to Whom be glory forever
and ever, Amen.”
Jude v. 24
“Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless
before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise
God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and
ever, Amen.”
Other suggested Bible readings:
Supplemental Readings
Saint Augustine
"We cannot love unless someone has loved us first.
The source of our love for God can only be found in the fact that God
loved us first. This love is not something we generate ourselves; it comes
to us through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."
From "Waiting on God", by Simone Weil
"Before all things, God is love. Before all things,
God loves himself. This love, this friendship of God, is the Trinity.
Between the terms united by this relation of divine love there is more
than nearness; there is infinite nearness or identity. But, resulting
from the Creation, the Incarnation and the Passion, there is also infinite
distance. The totality of space and the totality of time, interposing
their immensity, put an infinite distance between God and God.
Lovers or friends desire two things. The one is to love
each other so much that they enter into each other and only make one being.
The other is to love each other so much that, having half the globe between
them, their union will not be diminished in the slightest degree. All
any human being desires here below is perfectly realized in God. We have
all these impossible desires within us as a mark of our destination.The
love between God and God, which in itself is God, is this bond of double
virtue; the bond which unites two beings so closely that they are no longer
distinguishable and really form a single unity, and the bond which stretches
across distance and triumphs over infinite separation. It is only necessary
to know that love is a direction and not a state of the soul."
From "The Strength to Love", by Martin
Luther King, Jr.
"The meaning of love is not to be confused with some
sentimental outpouring. Love is something much more than emotional bosh.
An overflowing love which seeks nothing in return, is the love of God
operating in the human heart. Love is the most durable power in the world
. . . the most potent instrument available in mankind’s quest for
peace and security. The great military leaders of the past have gone,
and their empires have crumbled and burned to ashes. But the empire of
Jesus, built solidly and majestically on the foundation of love, is still
growing."
|
