August 16, 2003
4:00 PM
First Chinese Baptist Church
San Francisco, California
Order of Service
Prelude
Lighting of the Candles Ben Lee & Arpan Patel
Mothers light Candles Mrs. Lau & Mrs. Liu
Seating of Groom’s Parents—Mr. & Mrs. Koon Pak Lau by Brother Chin Lau
Seating of Bride’s Mother—Mrs. David Liu by Brother William Liu
Pastor Don, Groom Alvin, Best Man Michael Wong
Groom’s Men Ben Lee and Arpan Patel come up to the front
Processional
Bridesmaid Theresa Khoo
Bridesmaid Jennie Chen
Maid of Honor Satomi Okasaki
Flower Girl Emma Wong
Ring Bearer Gary Huang
Bride Grace Liu and Father David Liu
Greetings and Opening Prayer
We are gathered here to unite Grace Liu and Alvin Lau in marriage. Marriage is an honorable institution ordained by the church, blessed by Jesus with his presence at the marriage at Cana in Galilee, and perpetuated by faithful and honorable men and women throughout the ages. This simple ceremony and celebration is the outward token of a sacred and inward union of hearts, a union blessed by God and in keeping of God’s plan for our lives. In this simple sanctuary where Alvin has spent time experiencing the love of God, he and Grace are here today to have God’s love continue to flourish in their new life together.
At this point in our service, we invite you to mute your cell phones and pagers in order to minimize any disruptions.
Alvin and Grace, we have come here today to help you give added life to this marriage that you have chosen. Nothing is greater for two human souls than to feel they are joined together in the presence of their Creator to strengthen each other in all gladness, to be one with each other in the silent, unspeakable memories of the heart, and to let their happiness lead them into decisions and deeds that contribute to the lives of others and for a better world. We believe that your life together would reflect these qualities.
Grace and Alvin welcome you, their families and friends. Each of you has given some of yourself into their lives. They want you to know that your love, guidance and encouragement will forever be appreciated. They are delighted that you can share in this happy day.
Let us pray.
O God, we thank you for your presence among us on this joyous occasion. As Grace and Alvin give themselves to each other, we pray that they might also give themselves to you, offering their shared life in service to you and to others. In the quietness of these sacred moments, we remember that you brought unifying love to Alvin and Grace and their hearts were moved to become one. Now that they are standing before you and their families and friends, we affirm the love that has brought them together today. Amen.
Presentation Question
Acknowledging that God’s love has brought Grace and Alvin together, who today has the honor of presenting them for holy marriage?
Parents: “We do.”
Father of the Bride Mr. David Liu kisses the Bride and takes his seat.
(Alvin will raise Grace’s veil.)
Scripture Reading: Genesis 2:18-24
Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner.” So out of the ground the Lord God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field; but for the man there was not found a helper as his partner. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said,
“This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh;
this one shall be called Woman, for out of Man this one
was taken.”
Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh.
Minister’s Message
In this story, God notices that the man God created is lonely. That is a remarkable thing to say about God. Why would anyone need more than God for a companion? Yet God is not offended because Adam needs something God is not.
All manner of beasts and birds are created because God notices human loneliness. Our loneliness is very important to God. God wants us to be companions to each other. God wants us to enjoy each other. God wants us to pay attention to each other’s loneliness.
Alvin and Grace, your desire to keep each other from being lonely has brought you together this day. It is the beginning of another creation story—your marriage to each other. Grace, you first met Alvin through his resume. Now, the two of you will be creating a marriage resume together. You are keeping each other from being lonely by listening to old jazz on 91.1 FM and by going to Yoshi’s in Jack London Square or the Village Vanguard in New York.
One sure way of bringing comfort to each other is to cook together. It’s a team effort to shop for all the ingredients, coordinate the different dishes, and to celebrate your delicious creations with good friends. What you will have is filling the emptiness of life with companionship that not only fills your stomachs but fills your souls with love.
Notice that God didn’t just easily and quickly fill Adam’s need. This will be true for you sometimes. You will need to come half way at least and sometimes come all the way to meet each other’s needs. When Grace wants things to be more stable, Alvin will fill that need of stability by being strong and optimistic to face challenges during troubling times. When Alvin is frustrated when there are many chores that need to be done, Grace will lift him up with her fun-loving personality and her suggestions to resolve problems. When Adam needed companionship that God couldn’t provide for him, God didn’t just give up and went away. God was patient with Adam. We need to be patient with each other too.
When two people become one, we bring together two complete sets of families together as well. You represent many years of traditions and people who are here to support your new life together in marriage. Through you, you will need to creatively identify how each family brings God’s good gifts to the other. And in turn, our small world becomes larger and our loneliness is filled with the lives of new in-laws and new friends.
And one last thought is that equality is necessary for a genuine partnership, and for our loneliness to be filled. God could not fill Adam’s loneliness because God was clearly superior. The animals could not fill Adam’s loneliness, because they were inferior. Only Eve could fill Adam’s need for a partner because she was equal, made by the same God in the same way. And Adam could be her companion, because they were equal.
Alvin and Grace, God’s love has brought the two of you together and may his love bless you in this new creation that you are making in holy marriage.
Declaration of Intent
Alvin and Grace, here in the presence of God and your family and friends, I ask you to declare your intention to enter into covenant with each other through the grace of Jesus Christ.
Grace, will you have Alvin to be your husband, to live together in holy marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?
Grace: “I will.”
Alvin, will you have Grace to be your wife, to live together in holy marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?
Alvin: “I will.”
(Grace gives her bouquet to Satomi.)
Exchange of Vows
(Alvin & Grace hold hands.)
Alvin: Grace, I take you to be my wedded wife.
To have and to hold from this day forward,
For better, for worse,
For richer, for poorer,
In sickness and in health,
To love and to cherish,
So long as we both shall live.
With my whole heart
And with my complete devotion,
I pledge my love to you.
Grace: Alvin, I take you to be my wedded husband,
To have and to hold from this day forward,
For better, for worse,
For richer, for poorer,
In sickness and in health,
To love and to cherish,
So long as we both shall live.
With my whole heart
And with my complete devotion,
I pledge my love to you.
(Grace gives her bouquet to Satomi.)
Exchange of Rings
(Take rings from Best Man Michael Wong.)
For many centuries, a wedding ring has become a symbol of a pledge that those who give a ring intend to live up to the vows and promises made at the time of marriage. A ring is a visible sign of an inward grace which signifies the givers and receivers becoming one in holy marriage through the church of Jesus Christ our Lord.
(Give ring to Alvin.)
Alvin: Grace, with joy I am putting this ring on your finger.
It is a symbol of my great love for you
And my pledge of faithfulness to you.
Wear this ring with confidence
That I will be present for you
As I am sure you will be present for me.
I make this vow before God.
(Alvin puts ring on Grace.)
(Give ring to Grace)
Grace: Alvin, with joy I am putting this ring on your finger.
It is a symbol of my great love for you
And my pledge of faithfulness to you.
Wear this ring with confidence
That I will be present for you
As I am sure you will be present for me.
I make this vow before God.
(Grace puts ring on Alvin.)
Let us pray. O God, you have brought us to this happy day, this hour of joy, when we celebrate the wedding of Grace and Alvin. As they make their vows and give their rings as a constant reminder that they will never be alone, may we know your loving presence and be assured that you have joined them together in marriage. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.
Unity Candle
Alvin and Grace will now light the Unity Candle. The two smaller candles lit by their mothers represent their individual lives, each burning apart from the other. They will together light the larger Wedding Candle, signifying that the flame that once burned alone is now joined by the other’s brightness and warmth in the unity of marriage. And every year when they take out this Wedding Candle and light it to celebrate their anniversary, they will always remember the blessings of love and support that they received from their parents and now have united them in holy marriage.
The Scriptures said, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one.”
Wedding Prayer
Loving God, we thank you for Grace and Alvin as they join their hearts and lives in marriage. We are thankful that in the first moments of their marriage, they have acknowledged your presence. We pray that they may continue to lean upon your strength and resources throughout life. When they laugh for joy, may they give you the praise; when they sink in sorrow, may they find in you comfort; when they labor at their dreams, may they find their hope in you. Challenge them to grow gracefully and in grace; move them to reach beyond their faith; remind them that in serving others, they serve you. May this marriage be a channel of blessing, not only for them, but for others who will be touched by their lives. Amen.
Announcements
To capture the memories of this beautiful day, Alvin and Grace would like to have their family and friends remain at the church for pictures. They invite you to proceed to the Gold Mountain Restaurant for the Chinese Banquet where they will greet you.
Charge & Benediction
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 for the other;
Now there is no more loneliness
For each of you will be companion for the other—watching movies like, “When Harry Met Sally;”
Now you are still two bodies
But there is only one life before you;
Go now to your dwelling place
To enter into the days of your togetherness,
And may your days be good and long upon the earth;
In the name of God the Creator, God the Redeemer, and
God the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Presentation of the Bride and the Groom
Now it is my privilege and joy to introduce to you for the very first time, Alvin and Grace Lau!
(Embrace & kiss)
Recessional
Alvin and Grace
Michael and Satomi
Ben and Jennie
Arpan and Theresa
Emma & Gary
Mr. and Mrs. Koon Pak Lau
Mr. and Mrs. David Chien-Shun Liu
Postlude
Officiating Minister: Rev. Donald Ng
Organist: Joy Shih Ng