PRAYERS FOR EMILY AND KATIE’S WEDDING

 

 

IT IS NOW TIME FOR OUR PRAYERS.

 

To those who do not customarily pray to God, I would ask you to simply hold in your heart and mind the people and events to which I shall refer that, in doing so, the goodness within you will become as a blessing upon them and as a gift for the world.

 

For those who speak directly to God

At the words “God, in your mercy”, please respond: “hear our prayer”

 

1. Let us give thanks for our presence here to witness the uniting of these two people whom we love and who love each other. Where love is, there is God, alive and present with us. Let us ask God to support Katie and Emily in the love they have for each other, that it will deepen and endure, until such time as they share it together in heaven.

PAUSE……(to give people time to pray)

God, in your mercy – hear our prayer

 

2.  Let us give thanks for all the loving relationships we have experienced in our lives. With our parents, our lovers, our friends, our families and Godparents……pause…….We pray and give thanks especially for Rosemary and Stephen, for Eileen and Ian, (Emily and Katie’s parents). For the foundation of love and care given to the couple during their upbringing which has prepared them for their place in the world and for this day and all the days to come.

PAUSE…..

God, in your mercy – hear our prayer

 

3.  Let us remember for a moment all the peoples and places in the world where harmony, justice and love are absent….

….in places of conflict, especially Iraq, Darfur and Israel/Palestine…..

…where people are punished for struggling to be their authentic selves, according to God’s creation, women in Afghanistan, Gay and lesbian people in the middle east and parts of Africa.

….those with disabilities all over the world….

That God will open the eyes of all oppressors, soften their hearts and sow the seeds of  understanding, tolerance and justice wherever God’s people abide.

PAUSE……..

God, in your mercy – hear our prayer

 

4. Let us thank God for our creation and the maintenance of our lives and especially for that knowledge and faith which draws us ever-onward in our vocations. As single people, as couples, as people who contribute to the world through work, retirement and by simply becoming ever more the authentic people God made, in whatever state of life we find ourselves. May this be our gift to humankind and for the good of all creation.

PAUSE……..

God, in your mercy – hear our prayer

 

 

5. Let us give thanks for the mission to serve God’s people, which is integral to the vocations of Katie and Emily, and itself a special gift from God. Called in love, they transmit God’s love in their lives and work. May God continue to be their call and their response. And when the road becomes rocky, may God smooth their path and forever be their strength.

PAUSE…….

God, in your mercy – hear our prayer

On this amazing day, I, Emily, take you, Katie, to be my partner for life.  I will love you and cherish you, support you and affirm you, share with you all that I have, and be at your side whatever life may bring us.  I promise to let you be yourself, and I promise to trust you enough to always be myself with you.  I will let our love create a space for you: a space of joy, of healing, of integrity, of inspiration and of comfort.  This I promise with my whole heart, in front of God and with God’s help, for as long as we both shall live.

 

Emily, on this day, in the presence of God, our relatives, and our friends as witnesses, I, Katie, give to you my sacred vow that as your partner, I will always be with you and support you. I promise to console and comfort you during difficult times, to respect you and to protect you from harm, to laugh with you and to grieve with you, to share with you life's simplest but most enduring pleasures, I promise to love you completely, to be truthful and honest with you and to adore you for as long as we both shall live.

 

It is really good to see so many of you here today.  Now of course, it wont be a surprise to many of you that this day has been planned to military precision.  I am surprised that I didn’t receive orders that said, start with a joke, have three points and then pray.  I didn’t.  Emily and Katie have trusted me on this one, so as we pray for God’s blessing on what I’m about to say, perhaps it is they that need to be praying hardest!  Let us pray.

 

It’s not an accident you know.  You being here now.

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all of our hearts be pleasing in your sight O Lord.  Amen

 

Well this is just wonderful isn’t it?  What a day, what a couple, what a celebration.  I mean, really. (sorry – this isn’t the joke) You two are so good together it’s a real joy to be here, and it’s a real privilege to speak for you, on behalf of you and to you.  Knowing you both, I can safely say, you were made for each other.  This day is a celebration and formal sign of the commitment you already have for each other, and on behalf of the congregation I just want to say, this is so right, this is so good, we support you.  Fantastic.      

 

I want to take the congregation on a journey.  Just imagine God willing you walk in a burger joint and see Katie and Emily in their eighties.  They order 1 burger and an 1 order of French fries and one drink. Katie unwraps the plain hamburger and carefully cuts it in half. She places one half in front of  Emily and keeps the other half.  She carefully counts out the French fries, dividing them into two piles and neatly placing one pile in front of Emily keeping the other half for herself.  She takes a sip of the drink; Emily  takes a sip and then sets the cup down between them.   As Katie begins to eat her few bites of hamburger, the people around them keep looking over and whispering. You can tell they were thinking, "That poor old couple - all they can afford is one meal for the two of them.”  So you, full of charity and love offer to buy the loving couple another meal.  Katie says they are just fine -- they are used to sharing every thing. The surrounding people notice that Emily hasn’t eaten a bite. She sits there watching Katie eat and occasionally takes turns sipping the drink. Once again, you try in vain, This time Emily says "No, thank you, we are used to sharing everything." As Katie finishes and is wiping her face neatly with thenapkin, You again come over to ask Emily who has yet to eat a single bite of food and asks "What is it you are waiting for?" She answers...  "THE TEETH."

 

Now – your lives are similar to that of another couple, that are the cornerstone of film and culture within these small islands.  This whole thing reminds me of a film.    I remember in one film a young girl with a guitar and only one dress that the poor didn’t want.  She loved life in the hills, who was testing her call into fulltime work for God when she was challenged to move in a different direction.  And all of a sudden she fell in love with a captain with a family (the Von-Harris family spaniels) they got married and lived happily ever after (after a spell trapsing through the mountians).  I don’t know to what degree the analogy can be extended, but having had the joke, my three points are lines from songs in the Sound of Music.  You’ll be tested on them later after port.  And although this is all dressed up nicely – the theme is responsibility.  And how this is all about love, but all about the responsibilities we all accept today, being here.  It’s not an accident you being here. 

 

How do you sole a problem like Maria? – this is about your love and responsibility to each other.

Emily and Kaite.  You are blessed having found each other, and some would say lucky.  Not everyone manages to find someone, let alone the right one.  But that doesn’t make your relationship easy.  Just because two people are attracted to each other doesn’t mean that you automatically get on all of the time.  I mean, that is not a shock to anyone here.  But you have taught us all, and will continue to teach us all through your example, the importance of faith, and your faith in God which strengthens your relationship.  Keep God at the centre of all that you do; and you really have done so far.  Your choice of scripture from the gospel highlights this.  Love one another as I have loved you.  Without going into Billy Wardle mode, the love of Jesus, the love of God is parient and kind.  It rejoices in goodness.  It bears all things in hope, it is prepared to believe in all things, and all people.  It hopes always for the best.  It endures to the best of its ability, real love never ends.  Its seeds are nourished within us by God and those around us.  Other things wither and fail away – other desires, ideas, skills.  Love is self-sacrificing.  This is the love brought to us by Jesus, which is a hard act to follow, but one that you are called to seek.  The Old Testament talks about relationship and says that a cord of three strands is not easily broken; keep God at the centre.  Remain in me and you will bear much fruit, and decent stuff too (my paraphrase).  You have this love and accept this responsibility for each other.  How do you solve any problems that come your way and come between you?  How do you solve a problem like Maria?  A cord of three strands in not easily broken.  Follow the example of love given to us by Jesus in your relationship.

 

These are a few of my favourite things – this is about your love and responsibility to Katie and Emily. 

You are not here by accident.  You have been chosen and invited to this wedding feast because you are a few of Katie and Emily’s favourite things.  The point of a reception and party is not merely the alcohol.  I charge you all with the following, and as far as I have the power, I really want you to do this.  Circulate during the festivities.  Practise with me; hello – how are you connected to Katie and Enily then.  Why?  Why do I charge you with circulating and meeting new people, which for some of you isn’t a comfortable thing?  You all are, and have become Emily and Katie’s family and support.  By being here, you stand with them in times of joy and in times of difficulty.  Together, all of you, as a group, you have become a new entity – you are their family; chosen for this moment.  You are their support.  In times of difficulty they will need you, all of you.  Life is not a bed of roses sometimes.  We pray for good times, hoping to keep the bad times well hidden around that corner.  You need to speak to each other, because you may be called to support Emily and Katie together.  This moment of unity here and now, will last through this lifetime.  These are a few of their favourite things.  They simply remember their favourite things and then they don’t feel so bad.     

 

I’ve always longed for adventure – to do the things I never dared.  – this is about your responsibility in turn to us and to those around you. 

I chose you to bear fruit – fruit that will last.  If Jesus is devine – we must be de branches (sorry, I just had to do that)  It is by grace you have been saved, through faith.  And this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.  For we are God’s workmanship – created in Christ Jesus to do good works.  Commit your lives together to this end.  Sharing this news – that all people are God’s handiwork.  And that is your responsibility to us.  With your strong love for each other, and your support for us, we expect some return on this!  And I’m not talking in some God-bothering way.  You are a special couple.  Your ministry and gifts to us and to others are high powered.  As you commit yourselves in love to each other, and as you receive the support from your friends and family, you will be able to continue to offer and share your gifts with us and those around you.  God chose you to bear fruit, and fruit that will last.  To all of us, love comes with a responsibility.  At this time of rejoicing in what Emily and Katie have, we thank God for what exists already, and ask God for guidance and support for the happy and well-turned out couple today that their love and happiness may last through this life and go skipping into the next.  I’ve always longed for adventure, to do the things I never dared.  A life lived following God and building the kingdom here on earth is full of wonderful and interesting moments.   

 

Well I was thinking of a few other lines too; but they seemed less appropriate.  I don’t know if you know the sound of music.

When I’m with her I’m confused, out of focus and bemused.

Totally unprepared am I to face a world of men.    

 

We rejoice in love and gladly take the responsibility.

God, be with Katie and Emily as they publicly affirm their love and accept responsibility for each other.

Help us rejoice in them, and help us support them when they need us

And build them up so they can in turn support us and others.

The family of Katie and Emily, the family of God.

My heart will be blessed by the sound of music!

 

Amen.

 

 

 

 

The blessing of our union:

 

Introduction:

 

Welcome to the Metropolitan Community Church in Newcastle today, for the Blessing of the Union of Emily and Katie. The Metropolitan Community Church is a world-wide Christian denomination founded within the gay and lesbian community.  We aim to bring Christ’s message of love and liberation to all people, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, age, ability or any other detail of identity.

Katie and Emily would be grateful if you could refrain from taking photos during the service and also from throwing confetti afterwards. 

 

 

Would you stand as you are able to welcome Emily and Katie.

 

Music – Stephen organ.

 

Opening words

Please be seated.

 

Welcome to this place, chosen by you to celebrate your love for each other and to ask God’s blessing on your life together. By virtue of what happens here among us and before God, this becomes a special place for you, and for all of us who gather to offer our respect and support for what you have found together. In the new journey that goes on from here, may you find strength and joy in recalling this place and all that it comes to mean.

 

Loving God, we gather before you, to celebrate the bond of love that Katie and Emily have found in each other, to show our respect and offer our support, to affirm our faith in them and what they share together. May the words and symbols, the thoughts and prayers we offer here, serve to strengthen the commitment and trust that Emily and Katie now know, and may the experience of the love they share grow ever richer and deeper.

 

Let us join together to sing our first hymn - Praise with joy the world’s creator

Please stand as you are able

 

Please be seated for our readings

 

Libby - Ephesians 2: 4-10

Michael L - John 15:1-17

 

Please stand as you are able to join us for our next hymn - Amazing Grace

 

Mikee – Sermon

 

Please remain seated for our next hymn - Be still for the presence of the Lord

 

 

 

 

Ceremony

 

Emily and Katie you are about to make a solemn promise. Do you believe that God has called you to live together in love?

 

Yes

 

Do you promise to be loyal to each other, never allowing any other relationship to come before the one you are now to affirm?

 

Yes

 

Do you give yourselves wholeheartedly and without reserve?

 

Yes

 

Will you, under God, recognise each other’s freedom to grow as individuals and allow each other time and space to do so?

 

Yes

 

Emily will you give yourself wholly to Katie, sharing your love and your life, your wholeness and your brokenness, your joys and sorrows, your health and sickness, your riches and poverty, your success and failure?

 

I will

 

Katie will you give yourself wholly to Emily, sharing your love and your life, your wholeness and your brokenness, your joys and sorrows, your health and sickness, your riches and poverty, your success and failure?

 

I will

 

Vows

 

On this amazing day, I, Emily, take you, Katie, to be my partner for life.  I will love you and cherish you, support you and affirm you, share with you all that I have, and be at your side whatever life may bring us.  I promise to let you be yourself, and I promise to trust you enough to always be myself with you.  I will let our love create a space for you: a space of joy, of healing, of integrity, of inspiration and of comfort.  This I promise with my whole heart, in front of God and with God’s help, for as long as we both shall live.

Emily, on this day, in the presence of God, our relatives, and our friends as witnesses, I Katie, give to you my sacred vow that as your partner, I will always be with you and support you. I promise to love you completely, to console and comfort you during difficult times, to respect you and to protect you from harm, to laugh with you and to grieve with you, to share with you life's simplest but most enduring pleasures, I promise to love you completely, to be truthful and honest with you and to adore you for as long as we both shall live.

 

Rings (Alice brings forward)

 

We give you praise O God, for your enduring love and faithfulness. Bless these simple rings as a symbol of your eternal love and the love and unity of those who wear them.

Amen.

 

Katie in accepting this ring I join my life with yours.

 

Emily in accepting this ring I join my life with yours.

 

 

Charge to the congregation

 

And now I have question for you who are gathered here today.

Will you the family, friends and faith community of Emily and Katie promise to honour and uphold them in their life together, giving them your love, understanding and support during both good times and bad?

 

We will.

 

Katie and Emily Kneel

Let us pray

John places hands on E and K’s heads.

 

Most loving God, send your blessing upon these your servants, Emily and Katie, that they may so love, honour, and cherish each other in faithfulness and patience, in wisdom and true Godliness, that their home maybe a haven of blessing and peace. Bless them in their work and their companionship, in their sleeping and in their waking, in their joys and in their sorrows, in their life and in their death, through Jesus Christ our Saviour, who lives, and reigns with you, and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

 

 

Please stand as you are able for the declaration of the union

Emily and Katie you have proclaimed your commitment and received God’s blessing, in this place, before this community. I invite everybody to join me in the confirmation of your union.

 

All:  In the presence of this congregation, by the power of your love, because you have exchanged vows of commitment, we recognise you as united.

 

(Clapping/kiss etc)

 

I now invite the singers to come forward

Choir sing – Rutter “For the Beauty of the Earth”

 

Judith – Prayers

 

Would you stand as you are able to sing the hymn - Tell out my soul

 

Please be seated. I now invite Emily and Katie and their witnesses to come forward to sign the church register.

(Jonnny and Stephen play a piece of grown up music)

 

 

Signing register

(Choir Re-assemble at end)

 

Final blessing

Would you all please stand for the final blessing.

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of Her hand.

May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all ever more. Amen

 

Choir starts singing unaccompanied, then congregation joins in

 

Walk out to We are marching in the light of God

We hear from the Gospel according to John chapter 15 verses 1 to 17.

 

1      "I am the true vine, and my Maker is the gardener.  ²He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.  ³You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.  ⁴Remain in me, and I will remain in you.  No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.  Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5      "I am the vine; you are the branches.  If human beings remain in me and I in them, they will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.  ⁶If anyone does not remain in me, they are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.  ⁷If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.  ⁸This is to my Maker's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

9      "As the Maker has loved me, so have I loved you.  Now remain in my love.  ¹⁰If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Maker's commands and remain in my Maker’s love.  ¹¹I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.  ¹²My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

 13   Greater love has no one than this, that they lay down their life for their friends.  ¹⁴You are my friends if you do what I command.  ¹⁵I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know their employer's business.  Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Maker I have made known to you.  ¹⁶You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last.  Then the Maker will give you whatever you ask in my name.  ¹⁷This is my command: Love each other.

This is the gospel of Christ – may God bless to us these readings of the Word.