Saturday, June 10, 2006
5:00 PM
The Bower Chapel
120 Moorings Park Drive
Naples, Florida
The Marriage Service
Prelude
Seating of Family
Seating of Grandparents
Seating of the Groom’s Parents (Right side facing the front.)
Bill and Kim Boynton
Seating the Bride’s Mother (Left side facing the front.)
Gloria Gulley
Lighting the Individual Candles Mothers Gloria Gulley &
from Votive Kim Boynton
Officiant comes to the front.
Processional
Groomsmen usher Bridesmaids
Maid of Honor Corin Joy Gulley
Best Man Kevin Vander Hyde
Bridesmaids
Kirsten Talbert
Stephanie Tinsley
Angela Oroszak
Ashelei Williams
Groomsmen
Joel Boynton
Kyle Boynton
Bobby Torrey Gulley
Nate Rogenbahm
Flower Girl Evi Ng
Usher Chris Rose
(Congregation stands.)
Bride Lori Lyn Gulley and Father of the Bride Robert Gulley
Welcome & Greeting
Welcome to this special day! Please be seated. For the dignity of the service, we ask that all cell phones and pagers be silent at this time. Thank you.
Friends and family loved ones, we have gathered in this holy place for a service of worship—a worship whose purpose is the uniting of Lori Lyn Gulley to Paul William Boynton in marriage. They have indicated that they wish for this to be a Christian marriage, which means that the purpose and expectations of God serve as the foundation of this union. That being true, it is therefore appropriate that we remind ourselves of the biblical concept of marriage.
When the Bible says, “What therefore God has joined together,” it implies that God himself desires to participate in this relationship. Let us then acknowledge our need for God’s presence and invite his participation in this event. May I remind you that the biblical ideal is for one woman and for one man for life. Through this expression of their love for one for another, Lori Lyn and Paul are committing themselves to this ideal. While this calls for the deepest kind of commitment, they have God’s promise to help them be faithful to it.
In the Bible, it says, “a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,” the same being true for the wife as well. This means that Lori Lyn and Paul are giving themselves to one another with a seriousness that will be stronger than any other human ties. I noticed that on your invitation, you quoted the familiar hymn, “Bless be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love, the fellowship of kindred minds is like that above.” When you trust your relationship in God’s hands, you know that it will be strong!
We come then to declare that Lori Lyn and Paul are building a new home, making this new relationship primary, and as they do so, I call upon all here present to prayerfully affirm them in this Christian concept of marriage. Marriage is the most intimate and personal of all human relationships next to our relationship to Christ himself. It is assumed that two people who come into a marriage will furnish each other with a security and stability that comes from mutual affirmation. Lori Lyn and Paul, I therefore call upon you to demonstrate intimacy, openness, tenderness, respect, appreciation, self-giving and at all times self-sacrifice for each other’s happiness. This is love shared at its best.
Now as we share in these moments before God, family, and friends, let us acknowledge that what you are about to enter into is not a human contract. Rather, you are entering into a relationship that is sanctioned by the Bible and that is a fulfillment of the deepest desires of the human heart.
Opening Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, you are among us on this summer day, just as you were years ago in Cana, where you turned water into wine. We ask you to bless us with your presence in this place, and turn the water of today’s joy into the wine of lifetime commitment for Lori Lyn and Paul. Consecrate Lori Lyn and Paul, for your glory, as they become husband and wife. In your name, we pray. Amen.
Presentation Question
Lori Lyn and Paul deeply appreciate the rich and warm heritage of their families and especially the love and nurture that they have received from their parents. Each of them came today with one set of parents; each of them will leave with two.
Acknowledging that God has brought together Lori Lyn and Paul, who has the honor of presenting them to be married today?
(Parents stand up.)
Parents: “We do.”
(Father of the Bride Robert Gulley embraces and kisses Bride Lori Lyn Gulley and sits down.)
(Bride and Groom step up with Maid of Honor and Best Man.)
Declaration of Intent
Lori Lyn and Paul, 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.
Paul, will you have Lori Lyn to be your wife, to live together in holy marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honor her in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?
Paul: “I will.”
Lori Lyn: will you have Paul to be your husband, to live together in holy marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor him in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?
Lori Lyn: “I will.”
Congregational Hymn As the Deer
Sacred Reading 1 Corinthians 13 Kyle Boynton
Thoughts of Love
Lori Lyn and Paul, the greatest love in this room is God’s love that stands together with you here today. It is the love of God that will bind your love together; you are not alone in this marriage; there is a third party. It is God who is in your relationship.
God was there when the two of you met at Calvin College. Lori and Paul, I heard that you literary walked into each other at a party that Bobby invited you to. Some people think these things to only be a matter of fate or coincidence but we know that it’s God’s work. Your relationship began on that day and we know the rest is history. Paul wanted to show you the town since he had lived there all his life and soon you discovered in each other the friendship that you don’t ever want to be without again.
In 1 John 4:16, it reads “God is love, and those who abide in love, abide in God, and God abides in them.” Abiding in God means abiding in love with each other. To abide means to dwell, to rest in God’s arms, to live in such a way that love is the driving force behind all you do and think and pray. When you are playing competitive tennis or gliding along on rollerblades or gone fishing with a picnic lunch or letting the other always break the balls when playing pool or watching movies together always mindful to let the other have the last bit of popcorn, you are dwelling together in love and respect for each other and in turn you are abiding with God.
If God is the source of love in your heart, if you are letting God be the one who directs how you live in this relationship, then this love will deepen with the years. But if this love is simply short-term romance and superficial, and does not have the love of God as its source, the road may be rockier. Abiding in God, having your anchor in God opens up new possibilities of the definition of love you will have with and for each other. You have already seen this in times of great trial and challenges. When Lori Lyn stood beside Paul last year during times of sickness, you realized that God has brought the two of you together in love. When you abide in love, God was dwelling among you bringing you a miracle of healing and wholeness. Even in times of pain and frustration, God can use these days to show through loving family, friends and especially Lori Lyn that God is a good and mighty God.
In 1 John 4:12, it reads “No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.” What an amazing calling this is! Your marriage is the source of God’s love perfected and fulfilled for the world to see. When you begin a family, your children would be symbols of your love for each other as well as God’s love perfected.
This is the beginning of your lives abiding in love with each other. May the love you know today pale compared to the years to come as your relationship survives times of trials and comes out stronger than ever before. Bless you and may God’s love be with you always.
Exchange of Vows
Paul: I, Paul, take you, Lori Lyn,
to be my wedded wife,
to have and to hold,
in sickness and in health,
in joy and in sorrow,
through laughter and tears.
Promising to faithfully love,
honor, and cherish you,
from this day forward,
as long as we both shall live.
Lori Lyn: I, Lori Lyn, take you, Paul,
to be my wedded husband,
to have and to hold,
in sickness and in health,
in joy and in sorrow,
through laughter and tears.
Promising to faithfully love,
honor, and cherish you,
from this day forward,
as long as we both shall live.
Exchange of Rings
For many centuries, a wedding ring has been 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.
Let us pray. O Lord, enable Lori Lyn and Paul to be aware of this sacred moment when they receive evidence of their pledge of love and loyalty to one another. May they know your peace and your favor as they begin their new life together, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Paul: As a sign of my sincere love for you, Lori Lyn,
I give you this ring.
Wear it in the knowledge that I cherish you
With all of my heart and will,
With God’s help, I will live up to my promises
I make to you today.
Lori Lyn: As a sign of my sincere love for you, Paul,
I give you this ring.
Wear it in the knowledge that I cherish you
With all of my heart and will,
With God’s help, I will live up to my promises
I make to you today.
Holy Communion
Just as we learn of Christ’s ministry when it began at the marriage feast in Cana of Galilee, so also we learn of Christ’s ministry and love for us in his death at Calvary. As Lori Lyn and Paul partake of their first Communion as husband and wife, let us thoughtfully remember the meaning of his suffering for us. May the selfless love of Christ be for us a model by which we pattern our own lives.
Let us pray. We thank you, O God our Creator, that you create, love and care for all that is. We praise you that in Jesus, you satisfy the needs of the human heart, that you bring to us the peace which passes understanding, that you fill us with the Holy Spirit, empowering and equipping us for your service in the world. We are grateful for the Cross of Jesus Christ, which stands as an eternal reminder of your great love for us all. Bless these moments in which Lori Lyn and Paul remember the suffering of your Son, Jesus Christ. Through the gifts of the bread and wine, link them to yourself as they follow your will, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
On the same night of his betrayal, Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying: “Take and eat, this is my body broken for you.”
Likewise, Jesus took the cup of blessing and said: “This cup is the cup of the new covenant in my blood, poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Drink this in memory of me.”
Give out the bread and cup to Lori Lyn and Paul.
Let us pray. Gracious God, pour out your blessing on Lori Lyn and Paul. May the love which they have for each other be the sacrificial love with which your Son Jesus loved us. May they daily experience the power of the cross in their lives, learning that in giving one receives, and in dying one is born to eternal life. Through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.
Lighting of the Unity Candle
Lori Lyn and Paul’s mothers lit individual candles to symbolize the precious gift of life that they were given when their children were born. Spanning across the years, they along with their fathers supported Lori Lyn and Paul to this day and will no doubt continue supporting and guiding them in the future!
Now Lori Lyn and Paul’s individual lives are joined in marriage symbolized by the Unity Candle. They declare that their life together will shine in the world with warmth and brightness for many. The Unity Candle, a keepsake for them to relight on their anniversaries now burns, signifying their new, shared married life.
Wedding Prayer
Holy Lord, you teach us that two are better than one. If one falls down, a friend can help him up. Also if two lie down together, they will keep warm. Two can defend themselves better than one. Because you have taught us these things, we know that the choice that Lori Lyn and Paul make today is a good one. May they help one another if they falter. May they make a new home in Fort Lauderdale where there is joy and peace. May they protect and defend each other as each of them pursues careers and jobs that will bring favor to your sight. May they intertwine their lives together with you as a strong cord of three strands that will hold firm whatever may come. Give them all that can be theirs because of this commitment they are making. Give them the grateful hearts to understand the blessings they have received. In Jesus’ name, your Son most holy, we pray. Amen.
Announcements
Lori Lyn and Paul have requested that all family members return to the chapel for wedding pictures.
They invite you to proceed to the Vineyards Country Club where you would have appetizers and cocktails at 6:00 PM.
Presentation of Couple
Lori Lyn and Paul, you both came to this ceremony today because of the love that you share. With sincerity you have made sacred promises to each other in the presence of your family, your friends and your God. Live your life together with the hope and dreams that you will continue to grow together in your relationship with God and that God will be the center of your marriage and that God will hold you together just like the way he led you to meet each other in the beginning.
Because Lori Lyn and Paul have publicly made their vows to each other today, have given and received rings as an outward sign of this love for each other, and have received Holy Communion to testify that they believe in the grace of God and salvation from Christ Jesus, I as a Minister of the Christian Gospel now declare them to be husband and wife together. Joined as one, Lori Lyn and Paul, you will continue to be blessed by the love you share, the love you have for God and the love God has for each of you.
It is my joy and honor to introduce to you for the very first time, Mr. and Mrs. Paul and Lori Lyn Boynton.”
(Permission to kiss.)
Recessional
Postlude
Officiant: Rev. Don Ng