Today our youngest son, Justin, married his sweetheart, Tessa.
It was a cool but sunny day, and the wedding plans went through beautifully, with family and friends witnessing, participating, and celebrating. Needless to say, our grandchildren were giddy beyond words. And they played their roles marvelously, with youthful joy and excitement.
The focus in the ceremony was on Jesus Christ and His love for His children, a love we – by His grace – manifest to one another as members of His bride, the church. We are humbly thankful Justin and Tessa share this love of Christ and have chosen to found their marriage on that faithful, enduring love.
As they start their lives together, we share two prayers for them – one written by Luther and the other by Calvin – both taken from the little prayer book, Prayers of the Reformers (compiled by Clyde Manschreck and published by Epworth Press in 1958).
O Lord God, who hast created man and woman and hast ordained them for the marriage bond and hast typified therein the sacramental union of thy dear Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the church, his bride: We beseech thy groundless goodness and mercy that thou wouldest not permit this thy creation, ordinance, and blessing to be disturbed or destroyed, but graciously preserve the same through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. ~ M. Luther, 1529
O God, almighty, all-good, and all-wise, who from the beginning didst see that it was not good for a man to be alone, and therefore didst create for him a companion, and didst ordain that the two should be one:
We beg of thee, and humbly request, that since it hath pleased thee to call these persons to the holy estate of marriage, thou wouldest of thy grace and goodness bestow on them thy Holy Spirit, in order that they may in holiness abide in faith, true and firm, according to thy good will, surmounting all bad affections, living purely, and edifying each other in all honesty and chastity.
Give thy blessing as thou didst to thy faithful servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that through their children they may praise and serve thee, teaching them and bringing them up to thy praise and glory, and the good of their neighbor, through the advancement and exaltation of thy holy gospel.
Hear us, Father of mercy, through our Lord Jesus Christ, thy very dear Son. Amen. ~ J. Calvin, 1542
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