(Jeff's intro)
We now come to the part of the ceremony that holds the greatest significance for the two of you- the Vows. A vow is a sacred promise. The most valuable possession that you could ever give another person is your word.
You have lived faithfully to the promise you made to God when you committed yourselves to be his disciples. You have kept your promise to one another to uphold God's standards of purity and morality in your relationship.
This is the very foundation of rock that will enable you to keep the vows your are about to make to one another. Never forget these promises your will make to one another today. Michael & Sharon have written personal vows they would now like to express to one another.
Sharon, I love you more than words can say. I promise to always love you, always trust you, and always listen to you -- not just to the words, but to the thoughts and feelings behind them. I promise to do my best to fill your life with joy, and to comfort and be comforted when life brings sorrow. I promise to always be open with you, and to share my whole life with you: the things I am proud of, and the things I am ashamed of. I promise to apologize quickly, and to forgive quickly. I give you everything I am and have, and pledge to you my future. I will never leave you.
Michael, I have spent many years praying about today and anticipating today, while building my own life and taking care of myself. You have made it pure joy to redefine my life and my identity. I am completely convinced that God has brought us together, and I proudly take your name and a place at your side. I promise you that I will always remember the confidence I feel today, or at least I will respond quickly to a reminder :-) I will respect you and submit to you as to the Lord. I will be your biggest fan -- no matter what is happening around you or how the world is beating you down, you will always feel like a success at home. I will support and nurture your talents as you have mine. I will give you space when you need it, but not let you stew inside yourself. I will always seek to understand you, and I will share my heart and soul with you. In fact, as a symbol of giving my all to you, I now give you my Death by Chocolate recipe.
I will embrace your family as my own. I will forgive quickly, and I will apologize quickly. I will never leave you. You are my best friend -- with tenure. I love you.
Turn and face one another:
Do you Michael take Sharon to be your lawfully wedded wife. Will you love her and keep her, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others keep yourself faithful to her as long as you both shall live?
I will.
Repeat after me:
I Michael take you Sharon to be my wedded wife / I promise to faithfully love you / Through good times or bad / Through Sickness and in Health. / I will love you, Cherish you, / and forsaking all others, / I will be Faithful to you / Until God, by death, separates us. / I promise to love you as Christ loves the Church / and give myself up for you. / I will never leave you.
Do you Sharon take Michael to be your lawfully wedded husband. Will you love Him and keep him, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others keep yourself faithful to him as long as you both shall live?
I will.
I Sharon take you Michael to be my wedded husband / I promise to faithfully love you / Through good times or bad / Through Sickness and in Health. / I will love you, Cherish you, / and forsaking all others, / I will be Faithful to you / Until God, by death, separates us. / I promise to love you as the Church loves Christ / and respects and submits to Him. / I will never leave you.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 -- Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
At this time Michael and Sharon will step forward to weave a cord of three separate strands into one. Two of the three strands represent their separate lives, which they will now combine into one.
The third strand represents God. In a symbolic way they are demonstrating and being reminded that it is God who has made this day and this union possible.
In part the weaving of the third strand expresses the gratitude they feel to God for having brought them thus far. But this is more than an expression of thankfulness. They are also demonstrating and declaring that from this day forward, as they become one, God will continually be intertwined into the fabric of their hearts and their marriage.
We will now have the exchanging of the rings. Michael & Sharon have chosen to give one another rings as a token of their love for each other today.
The gold they have chosen is a symbol of the purity in their lives to this point, and of the quality of their life to come, as they live out the remainder of their days together as husband and wife.
Michael : Do you have the ring as a symbol for your love for Sharon?
Place the ring on her finger and repeat after me:
With this ring/ I thee Wed/ I commit my love to you / In the name of the Father/ and the Son/and the Holy Spirit.
Sharon : Do you have the ring as a symbol for your love for Michael?
Place the ring on his finger and repeat after me:
With this ring/ I the Wed/ I commit my love to you / In the name of the Father/ and the Son/and the Holy Spirit.
As disciples of Jesus Christ you have made these vows before God and these witnesses. You have exchanged rings in pledge of your love for one another. And so, by the power vested in me by God and in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, I am pleased to pronounce you husband and wife.
Michael, you may kiss your bride!
Ladies & Gentlemen, I present to you for the first time, Mr. & Mrs. Michel Joseph Metzger