prayers

PRAYERS

1) Dear God, thank you for the beauty of this wonderful occasion.  Today we celebrate the love of Bride and Groom.  We ask that you would bless their relationship and the new family which is being created. May they both remain steadfast in their promises to each other, and live with the sure knowledge of your ongoing care and guidance for life. Amen.

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2) God of Love, who gives us the longing for and capacity to love, we give you thanks for Bride and Groom, for their open hearts and willing spirits, and for the example of love they embody here in our presence. Be with them on this joyous occasion of showing their love and sharing their vows; and be with us, their witnesses, that we may all be changed by what is said and witnessed here. Amen.

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3) Today, as your two hearts unite, may God consecrate the love that brings you here. May you build together a lasting home, not of wood and stone and glass, but a mansion made of many rooms, filled with shared experiences and furnished with shared love. And in your house of many rooms, may you remember to keep a place where each of you can grow and share in contemplation and prayer. And from this day forward may God remain with you always, to keep your love eternally young, and your faith forever strong. Amen.

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4) Dear Father in Heaven, you ordained marriage for your children, and you gave us love. We present Bride and Groom, who come this day to be married. May the covenant of love they make be blessed with true devotion and spiritual commitment. We ask that you, God, will give them the ability to keep the covenant they have made. When selfishness shows itself, grant generosity; when mistrust is a temptation, give moral strength; when there is misunderstanding, give patience and gentleness; if suffering becomes a part of their lives, give them a strong faith and an abiding love. Amen.

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5) “An Irish Blessing” (author unknown)

May the road always rise to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your home, and the rains fall soft upon your fields. And the light of friendship guide your paths together. May you be poor in misfortune, and rich in blessings. May you know nothing but happiness from this day forward. May green be the grass you walk on. May blue be the skies above you. May pure be the joys that surround you. May true be the hearts that love you. And when eternity beckons, at the end of a life heaped high with love, may you know the hand of a friend was always near. And today, may the Spirit of Love find a dwelling place in your hearts. Amen.

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6) "A Marriage Prayer" by Bud Henry Bowmen (adapted)

Bless this marriage, O God, as Bride and Groom begin their journey down the road of life together. We don't know what lies ahead for the road turns and bends. But help them to make the best of whatever comes their way. Help them to hug each other often, and to talk and laugh a lot. Help them to continue to enjoy each other as they did when they first met. Help them to realize that nothing and no-one is perfect, and to look for the good in all things and all people, including themselves. Help them to respect each other's likes and dislikes, opinion and beliefs, hopes and and fears. Help them to learn from each other and to help each other to grow mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Help them to realize that there is design and purpose in their lives as in the world, and if they will hold onto each other, they will know that things have a way of working out for the good. Help them to create a peaceful, stable home of love as a foundation on which they can build their lives. But most of all, dear God, help them to keep lit the torch of love that they now share in their hearts so that by their loving example they may pass on the light of love forever. Amen.

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7) The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed 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 debts, as we forgive our debtors. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

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8) Apache Wedding Prayer

Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter for the other. Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to 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. Go now to your dwelling place to enter into your days together. And may all your days be good and long upon the Earth.

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