I Thee Wed Place
Suggested Readings -
Bible and Religious
One or more of the following passages from
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 consideration. You are free to consider other possibilities but should
always consult with the officiant who is presiding.
Bible Gateway is an excellent website where you
can search the Bible in many different translations and languages.
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
[Jesus] 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
Psalm 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."
Psalm 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 verse 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."
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