Friday, May 6, 2016

Wedding Vows with a Twist






The original wedding vows, as printed in The Book of Common Prayer, start out with:
Groom: I,____, take thee,_____, to be my wedded Wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, 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 plight thee my troth.
Bride: I,_____, take thee,_____, to be my wedded Husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, cherish, and to obey, till death us do part, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I give thee my troth.

Today, I was at the funeral of my Uncle Jack.  It was a military funeral to honor his time in the US Navy during the Korean Conflict.   I knew most of what I would participate in at that portion of the service.  I was prepared for the flag ceremony, I was prepared for the gun salute, I was expecting the beautiful and kind words.  What caught me off guard and really made me think was the reading of a portion of the wedding vows.  At a funeral? 


But after the explanation, it made perfect sense in a way that I had never thought before.  I just wanted to share this idea with you.  Tell me what YOU think about this idea. 

The Groom goes first.  I Jesus Christ,  take thee,  fill in your own name,  to be my Bride, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish, till death do us part, according to God's holy ordinance: and thereto I give thee my troth. 

Then His Bride answers:

I, Sherry, take the, Jesus Christ, to be my wedded Husband (and Lord and Savior), to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, cherish, and to obey, till death do us part, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I give thee my troth.

If you put your own name in there and think:  I pledge my life to You, my Lord and Savior, for you to have and to hold when I am at my best or worst, no matter if I am rich or poor, when I am in ill health or the best, I will love You, and believe in your love for me.  I will cherish our relationship until death we do part, (which is impossible as You are God, and you give Me Eternal Life with you)  according to God's holy ordinance as written in His word; and thereto I give You my pledge. 

Have you pronounced your Vow as part of the Bride of Christ?  Would you take your vow this seriously?  It IS that serious. 


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