Reading Selections
Scriptures
Various versions of Corinthians:
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
(4) Love is patient. Love is kind. Love does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. (5) It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. (6) Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. (7) It always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. So Faith, Hope and Love abide these three; But the Greatest of these is Love!
1 Corinthians 13:1-8
(1) If I am without love, it will do me no good whatever. Set your heart on the greater gifts. Now I will show you the way, which surpasses all the others. If I speak with human tongues and angelic as well, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong, a clanging cymbal. (2) If I have the gift of prophecy and with full knowledge, comprehend all mysteries, if I have faith great enough to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. (3) If I give everything I have to feed to the poor and hand over my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
(4) Love is patient; love is kind. Love is not jealous, it does not put on airs, and it is not snobbish. (5) Love is never rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not prone to anger, and neither does it brood over injuries. (6) Love does not rejoice in what is wrong but rejoices with the truth. (7) There is no limit to love's forbearance, to its trust, its hope, its power to endure. (8) Love never fails. This is the word of the Lord.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
(4) Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud. (5) Love is never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand it's own way. Love is not irritable or touchy. Love does not hold grudges and will hardly notice when others do it wrong. (6) Love does not delight in wrong, but rejoices in the truth. (7) If you love someone, you will be loyal to them, no matter what the cost. You will always believe in them, always expect the best in them, and will always stand your ground defending them.
(8) For love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. So Faith, Hope and Love abide these three; but the Greatest of these is Love!
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
(1) If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a nosy gong or a clanging cymbal. (2) 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. (3) If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
(4) Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; (5) it is not arrogant or rude. (6) 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.
(7) Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. (8) Love never ends; as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. (9) For our knowledge is imperfect, but when the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away.
(10) When I was a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I gave up childish ways. (11) For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. (12) Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood.
(13) So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
St. Paul left us with the words about one of God's greatest gifts to us…Love! (1) I may speak in the tongues of men, even angels; but if I lack love, I have become merely a blaring brass or a cymbal clanging. (2) I may have the gift of prophecy, I may fathom all mysteries, know all things, have all faith- enough to move mountains; but if I lack love, I am nothing. (3) I may give away everything that I own, I may even hand over my body to be burned; but if I lack love, I gain nothing.
(4) Love is patient and kind, not jealous, not boastful, (5) not proud, rude or selfish, not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. (6) Love does not gloat over other people's sins but takes its delight in the truth. (7) Love always bears up, always trusts, always hopes, and always endures. (8) Love never ends; but prophecies will pass, tongues will cease, knowledge will pass. (9) For our knowledge is partial, and our prophecy partial; (10) but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass. (11) When I was a child, I spoke like a child, thought like a child, argued like a child; now that I have become a man, I have finished with childish ways. (12) For now we see obscurely in a mirror, but then it will be face to face. Now I know partly; then I will know fully, just as God has fully known me. (13) But for now, three things last; trust, hope, love; and the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:7-8
Love knows no limit to its endurance, no end to its trust. And love still stands when all else has fallen!
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor.
If one falls down, his companion can lift him up. But pity the man who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up. Again, if two lie down together they will keep warm. But how can one be warm alone? Though another may overpower one, two can defend themselves. And a cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
John 15:9-2
Jesus said to his disciples:
"As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you.
Live on in my love, if you keep my commandments, even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and live in his love. All this I tell you that my joy may be yours and your joy may be complete.
This is my commandment: Love one another as I have loved you."
This is the gospel of the Lord.
Mark 10:6-9
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. Then they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let not man separate.
Colossians 3: 12-15
This is the Word of God, as recorded for us by the Apostle Paul.
Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, kindness, meekness, compassion and patience, forbearing one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgive 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. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.
The Prophet Kahlil Gibran
You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days.
And, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God. But let there be spaces in your togetherness, and let the winds of the heavens dance between you.
Love one another, but make not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. Fill each other's cup but drink not from on cup.
Give one another of your bread but eat not the same loaf. Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each other be alone. Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music. Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping. For the hand of Life can contain your hearts. And stand together yet not too near together; for the pillars of the temple stand apart, and the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.
Remember that love gives nothing but from itself. Love possesses not, nor would it be possessed, for love is sufficient unto love. And think not that you can direct the course of love. For love, if it finds you worthy, will direct your course.
Psalms 23
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures, He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul, He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me, Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies; Thou anoints my head with oil, my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
From the Book of Psalms 138
I thank you, O'Lord with all my heart, for you have heard the word of my lips,
Before the gods I will sing your praises.
I bow down towards your holy temple and give thanks to your name,
For your love and faithfulness, for you have exalted our promise above all.
You answered me when I called; you made me strong and bold.
O'Lord, all kings on earth will give your praise, when they have heard your words.
The ways of the Lord they will celebrate, for the glory of the Lord is great!
From above, the watches over the lowly, but the proud he knows from afar.
Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you give me life. With outstretched arm,
You save me from the wrath of my foes, with you right hand you deliver me.
The Lord will do everything for me. Your love, O' Lord, endures forever.
Forsake not the work of your hands.
In the Old Testament, as written by King Solomon in Proverbs 3: 5 & 6.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Prayers
The Lord's Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallow be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory forever.
Amen
The Apache Prayer
Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter for the other. Now you feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth for the other. Now there will be no loneliness, for each of you will be companion to the other. Now you are two persons, but there are three lives before you, His Life, Her life and Your life together. May beauty surround you both in the journey ahead and through all the years. May happiness be your companion and your days together be good and long upon the earth.
The Cherokee Prayer
God in heaven above please protect the ones we love. We honor all you created as we pledge our hearts and lives together. We honor mother earth and ask for our marriage to be abundant and grow stronger through the seasons; We honor fire and ask that our union be warm and glowing with love in our hearts; We honor wind and ask we sail through life safe and calm as in our father's arms; We honor water to clean and soothe our relationship, that it may never thirst for love; With all the forces of the universe you created, we pray for harmony and true happiness as we forever grow young together.
Steve's Wedding Prayer
Copyright © 2003-2004 All Rights Reserved - Steve Green/Weddings Performed™
Used with Permission from Minister Steve Green
Dear Lord, We would like to thank you for your goodness and grace, for this wonderful wedding, and for the special joy that (Groom's Name) and (Bride's Name) have found in each other. But also, we'd like to thank you for the trials and tribulations that you, in your wisdom have sent (Groom) and (Bride) in the past. For the trials of the past, which weighed so heavily on their backs but have strengthened their legs, so that they may stand firm, as they carry the next generation of the their family on their shoulders. For this strength, born of hard work, Lord, we thank you!
And for the compassion born of heartbreaks, Dear Lord, we also thank you. For those who mourn, not only are comforted, they learn how, and when to give love and comfort to those around them in need.
So on this Special Day, Dear Lord, celebrating the creation of a new family, we want to thank you for the joys and sorrows you have sent (Groom) and (Bride), which have given them the love, strength and wisdom, to bring new lives into your world, and nurture them into the kind, wise, loving beings you intended to inhabit your creation.
Amen
The Marriage Prayer
Bless our marriage O God, as we begin our journey down the road of life together. We don't know what lies ahead, for the road turns and bends. But help us to make the best of whatever comes our way. Help us to hug each other often, laugh a lot, take more and argue less. Help us to continue to enjoy each other as we did when we first met. Help us to realize that nothing or no one is perfect, and to look for the good in all things and all people including ourselves. Help us to respect each other's likes and dislikes, opinions, and beliefs, hopes, dreams and fears, even though we may not always understand them. Help us to learn from each other and to help each other grow mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Help us to realize that there is design and purpose in our lives as in the world and now matter what happens, we will hold onto each other and know that things have a way of working out for the good. Help us to create a peaceful, stable home of love on which we can build our lives together. But most of all, dear God, Help us to keep lit the torch of love that we now share in our hearts. Amen
The Couple's Prayer
Lord, they stand before you happy and hopeful. We believe you brought them together and that you are one with them now. We also know that the road ahead will have both good times and hard times. We ask now that you bless them and be with them in the following days.
Help them to live up to vows they made/make to each other today. Keep their love fresh, alive, and growing. Remind them always to approach each other with gentleness and patience. Teach them how to communicate and trust more completely. Never let them take one another for granted.
Guide them as they strive to hear you speaking to them through their religious traditions. Make them faithful to yourself, as well as to each other. May their life together be a sign to others that people can live together in peace in spite of differences.
Make their home a place of peace and growth where people are always welcome. Help them reach out to others to share the love and blessings they themselves have experienced.
With the children they are blessed with, make them good and loving parents. Help them always to remember that they are first of all your children. Guide them as they try to raise them to be full and complete human beings aware of your love, and help them to step aside when it is time to let go.
Thank you for their family and friends, both those present and those unable to be with us today. Their love and friendship had led them to be what they are today. May their celebration strengthen their awareness ofyour love and their commitment to love others.
Amen
The Prayer of St. Francis
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred... Let me sow love,
Where there is injury... pardon. Where is doubt...Faith,
Where there is despair... Hope, where there is darkness... light,
Where there is sadness... Joy. O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled... as to console,
To be understood... as to understand,
To be loved... as to love, for it is in giving we receive
It is in pardoning, that we are pardoned,
It is in dying... that we are born to eternal life.
Amen
The Balloonist Prayer
The winds have welcomed you with softness. The sun has blessed you with its warm hands. You have flown so high and so well, That God has joined in your laughter And set you gently back again into the loving arms of Mother Earth.
Bear Creek Balloons ™
Poems
Why Marriage?
Because to the depths of me, I long to love one person, with all my heart, my soul, my mind, and my body...
Because I need a forever friend to trust with the intimacies of me, who won't hold them against me, who loves me when I'm unlikable, who sees the small child in me, and looks for the divine potential of me...
Because I need to cuddle in the warmth of the night with someone who is thankful, with someone I feel blessed to hold...
Because marriage means opportunity to grow in love in friendship...
Because marriage is a discipline to be added to a list of achievements...
Because marriages do not fail, people fail when they enter into marriage expecting another to make them whole...
Because knowing this, I promise myself to take full responsibility for my spiritual, mental and physical wholeness...
I create me, I take half of the responsibility for my marriage, and together we create our marriage...
Because with this understanding the possibilities are limitless.
- Mari Nichols-Haining, 1995.
"It Comes From the Heart"
It’s the kiss goodnight
Whether you know it or not.
The time we spend, together or apart
Our bond we share gives more each day.
It’s a learning curve that is paved along the way.
And, it comes from the heart!
Our time in this life is time to be shared
Together we can build happiness uncompared.
From the love in your touch, or the concern on your face,
It demands the attention of all time and space.
And, it comes from the heart!
Memories are made through moments in life,
And each one with you, makes the path more precise.
Your love for me, makes me a better man.
It’s that love that you will have until the end.
And, it comes from the heart!
By James Robert Lillard
November 24, 2006