April 10, 2010
11:00 AM
First Chinese Baptist Church
San Francisco, California
The Wedding Ceremony
Prelude
Seating of the Grandmother of the Bride Jane Lee Quon by Elliot Wang
Seating of the Groom’s Parents (Right side facing the front)
Werner Straub and Evangeline Straub
Seating of the Bride’s Mother (Left side facing the front)
Linda Wang by Elliot Wang
Mothers Lighting the Single Candles on Altar
Entrance of the Groom’s Men and Groom
Pastor Don Ng, Groom Christian Straub,
Best Man Mark Ture, Groomsmen Gary Young and Ahmed Abbas
Processional
Bridesmaid Sara Cheong
Bridesmaid Sarah Tom
Maid of Honor Roxanne Bland
Flower Girl Ava Milby
(Everyone stands)
Bride Shelley Wang and Father of the Bride Peter Wang
Welcome & Opening Prayer
We are gathered to unite Christian Straub and Shelley Wang in marriage which is an honorable institution, ordained by the church, blessed by Jesus with his presence at the marriage at Cana in Galilee, and perpetuated by the faithful keeping of honorable men and women throughout the ages. This simple, celebrative ceremony is the outward token of a sacred and inward union of hearts, a union created by loving purpose and kept by abiding will. I remind you to silence your cell phones and other devices to maintain the reverence of this ceremony.
Christian and Shelley, we have assembled here to help you give added life to this marriage that you have chosen. For what is greater than for two persons to feel they are joined 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 their heart, and to let their private happiness lead them into decisions and deeds that contribute to the lives of others and for the betterment of our world. Your marriage like all marriages dedicated to God will undoubtedly make a difference in the world.
Getting married only six days after Easter reminds us that our lives are worthwhile and significant in the eyes of our Creator. Being together in marriage is testifying to the truth that the risen Lord is with us in this world as well as in our heavenly home. We want to live our lives in loving relationships just as Jesus Christ loved us on the cross.
The selection of this church for this service is signifcant because of the fact that Shelley’s grandmother remains a faithful member, her parents were married here, and both Shelley and Christian believe that they eagerly desire to seek God’s blessing for their new life together in the community of God’s household.
Christian and Shelley welcome you, their families and friends. Each of you has given something of yourself to their lives for which they are greatly grateful. They want you to know that your love, guidance and encouragement will be forever appreciated. Your presence here today helps to share this celebration of their commitment to each other to live together for the rest of their lives.
Let us pray.
Eternal and loving God, by your grace, and with the encouragement of your divine and resurrected Son, we have gathered joyfully to celebrate the union of Christian and Shelley. In the spirit of Easter, let your living spirit be truly present in our service today. May this celebration firmly seal their love, while reminding them, and us, of your self-giving, all-conquering love. We pray in the Savior’s name. Amen.
Presentation of the Bride and the Groom
Christian and Shelley deeply appreciate the rich and warm heritage of their families and especially the love and nurture that they have received from their parents. Acknowledging that God has brought them together, who has the honor of presenting them to be married today?
(Parents stand up)
Parents: “We do,”
(Shelley’s father takes his seat)
Honoring Parents—Presenting Letters
Declaration of Intent
Christian and Shelley, 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.
Christian, will you have Shelley 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?
Christian: “I will.”
Shelly, will you have Christian 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?
Shelley: “I will.”
Scripture Reading 1 Corinthians 13:1-7 Sara Cheong
Words to the Couple—Marriage is a Leap of Faith
Today, after many weeks, even months, of planning, your beautiful wedding day has come together. While maybe not everything that you had hoped for happened, it’s pretty close to what you have envisioned. You are in this church. All your family and friends are here. We’ll be enjoying a delicious and abundant wedding banquet soon. The only important detail is that you are here, together, as you will be as long as you both shall live.
As a systems engineer at Lockheed Martin and a software engineer at Oracle, both of you know how to plan ahead and orchestrate the world around you. But I have a confession to make to you: Married life won’t always happen the way you planned. When Shelley, the more fiscal conservative is trying to save and Christian, the more fiscal liberal wants to buy the new iPad, some things will happen that you didn’t envision. You both love to have children, but children may not arrive on schedule, and they may not be as you imagined. You have both made successful career plans, but you may need to adjust them as new situations arise. Both of you will find your needs and expectations changing over time. You will need to make new plans, but what’s important is that your decision to be married today is a testimony to the fact that you have learned how to cooperate, change, adapt, and adjust to reach important decisions together.
Today, you take a leap of faith. You have excellent reasons for believing you belong together. When you found each other on eHarmony after filling out those 500 questions, you realized that God has guided you to come together, to spend time discovering each other, and now to commit to each other for the rest of your lives. But even with all of those factors that point to the possibility that you are a good match, we know that there are no guarantees. Instead, you stand together, about to accept on faith the challenge of creating the future together.
In the book of Hebrews 11, we read, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” You marry in faith that God has called you to live as one. You promise to be faithful to one another, in big things as well as small things. Your constant faith in each other will give form and substance to the beautiful hopes you have for your future.
Faith is “the conviction of things not seen…” At times your marriage may not look anything like the vision you celebrate today. You may not feel much evidence of the love you now feel so keenly. At such a time, you must look for evidence—for reasons to hang on to—in the same faith that brought you here today: the conviction that God has called you together. In the power of God’s love and faithfulness to you, you will find the power to keep loving each other until the sun rises again and romance flowers anew.
One of the things that you do when you are about to eat is to toast or clink your food together. You don’t know what that first bite tastes like. But you have faith that the bite will be good because you have faith that if you ate together, it will be delicious. I like the way you serve each other before serving yourself. You have the faith and confidence that by doing this, the other will always watch over your welfare before his or her own. That’s faithful love.
Marriage begins with a leap of faith that says, “I do, and I will” before an unknown and unknowable future. Marriage is about being full of faith, or faithful, to one another. Faithfulness respects each other’s ideas, keeps each other’s secrets, guards each other’s dignity, and honors each other in public and in private. Faithfulness is built from those countless time when you clink your food as acts of trusting each other and trustworthiness. In such faith, you will find the fulfillment of all the hopes you have today.
God bless you both. Amen.
Exchange of Vows
Christian and Shelly will share their love for each other by publicly reciting their vows.
Christian: I, Christian, take you Shelley,
to be my wedded wife,
to have and to hold
from this day forward,
for better or for worse,
for richer, for poorer,
in sickness and in health,
to love and to cherish;
from this day forward until death do us part.
Shelley: I, Shelley, take you Christian,
to be my wedded husband,
to have and to hold
from this day forward,
for better or for worse,
for richer, for poorer,
in sickness and in health,
to love and to cherish;
from this day forward until death do us part.
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 that signifies the givers and receivers becoming one in holy marriage through the church of Jesus Christ.
Let us pray. O Lord, enable Christian and Shelley to be aware of this sacred moment when they receive evidence of their pledge of love and loyalty to one another. May we know your peace and your favor as they begin their new life together, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Christian: As a sign of my sincere love for you, Shelley,
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.
Shelley: As a sign of my sincere love for you, Christian,
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.
Lighting of the Unity Candle
Christian and Shelley’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 Christian and Shelley to this day and will no doubt continue praying for them and guiding them in the future.
Now Christian and Shelley’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.
Congregational Hymn Amazing Grace
Let us stand with Christian and Shelley in the singing of Amazing Grace.
Declaration of Marriage
Christian and Shelley, 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 all the days of your lives with the deep desire to be together—when you are both hard at work, when you are serving the Lord at your church, when you open up your home for Bible studies, when you begin to build a loving home in your townhouse.
Christian and Shelley, because you have publicly made your vows to each other today, have given and received rings as an outward sign of an inward love for each other, and have lit your Unity Candle to signify the oneness you have in Christ, I, as a Minister of the Christian Gospel now declare you to be husband and wife. Joined as one, you will continue to be blessed by the love that you share, the love you have for God and the love that God has for each of you.
Wedding Prayer
Let us pray. God of power and might, we pray for your strength on Christian and Shelley today. May they face their life ahead with eyes and hearts open wide. May they hold onto each other as you hold onto them—as precious gifts, loved beyond measure. Grant them your grace, that they may be gracious to each other. Grant them your peace, that they may offer serenity. Grant them your joy that they may offer joy to each other in the darkest of times. You, O God, are the source of our strength in every situation and so shall you be for Christian and Shelley. In the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Announcements
All family and friends are requested to remain in the sanctuary for pictures. You are invited to the reception at 12:15 at the Four Seas Restaurant that is accessible right across the street from the church.
Benediction
May you experience loving companionship in your life together
So that if one falls, one may pick the other up
So that if Shelley is cold, Christian will give her warmth
So that if one is laughing, one may share in the laughter
So that if one is dreaming of one day having children, one may share the dream
So that before every new bite is eaten, you would take the precious time to wait for each other to clink your food so that neither one would ever feel hungry
So that finally Christian will no longer fumble with his wedding ring and that it stays on his finger as a lifelong commitment to Shelley
So that Shelley will no longer have to worry that she is “Number 1” in Christian’s eye because of his vows to her today
You came as very good friends; you leave as best friends
You came as two, you leave as one.
May God bless you and keep you; May God makes his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; May God lift up the heavens and give you peace and joy and happiness this day and forevermore. Amen.
Pronouncement
It is my joy and honor to introduce to you for the very first time, “Mr. and Mrs. Christian and Shelley Straub!”
God’s force is strong with the two of you!
(Permission to kiss)
Recessional (Everyone stands)
Postlude
Wedding Coordinator: Diane Tran
Photographer: Peichi Waite
Organist: Joy Shih Ng
Officiant: Rev. Donald Ng