Friday, February 14, 2014

Father of the Bride's Charge & Wedding Vows

Michael says these were given publicly and it's o.k. to publish them.
BreAnne's vows

Michael's Charge to Izaak - notes

Stradivarius to a gorilla - "I told you when you asked to court BreAnne  giving your daughter to a man is like giving a Stradivarius violin to a gorilla. That's still true." (Everyone laughed.)

First born child

Remember her leadership in the home - shaped much of the family dynamics

This day I am placing into your care one of our nine greatest treasures on this earth.

Bless her with your words and your deeds every day.

How she responds to you will merely be a reflection of how you love and care for her.

Taking the time to listen is a gift that will be greatly appreciated

As Bre enters into this new covenant with you, I am giving you the symbol of her faithful completion of the first covenant.  The essence of this old covenant was to live her life in a manner pleasing to The Lord without exception.   She was faithful to that old covenant.  She will be faithful to this new covenant.

I charge you to live together in a manner worthy of The Lord.

I charge you to be the servant leader of the home.

I charge you to cherish, to hold close, to tenderly care for my little girl.

I charge you to care for her and love her as Jesus does - Laying down your life for her each and every day.

I charge you to remember that the greatest gift you can give her is that you have first given yourself to the Lord. 

Izaak and BreAnne did the traditional "I Do" and then shared personal vows they had written for each other. 

Izaak's Vows
BreAnne, my greatest wish is to be your husband. God's Word tells us about true love...Christ's love. It's a love of action. "Love is patient, love is kind, it's not jealous; it doesn't brag and it isn't arrogant it doesn't act unbecomingly; love doesn't seek its own; it's not provoked, it doesn't take into account a wrong suffered and it doesn't rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things." This is the love that I will forever strive to have for you until my passing day. It's with an overwhelming joy that I receive you into my life so that the two of us would serve Christ together as one. I promise you my deepest love, my fullest devotion and my tenderest care. I promise to you that I will live first unto God rather than others or even you. I promise that I will lead our lives into a life of faith and hope in our Savior Jesus Christ, always honoring God's guidance by His Spirit through His Word no matter what may lie ahead of us. So today, in front of God, you and these witnesses I pledge to you my very life as your loving and faithful husband. 

BreAnne's Vows (And now you'll understand the keys everywhere)
Izaak,

Years ago, I gave God the key to my heart. I told Him that I would leave it in His hands and not try to take it out of His hands to give it away. I told Him I would wait until the right man took it up with Him and got the key to my heart from Him. I have come to the conclusion and declare in front of all these witnesses that you are that man. You, my Dearest Beloved, have won the key to my heart. I do believe that God has given it to you. I kept this key on my hope chest to remind me that I had given God the key to my heart. Today, I want to give it to you as a symbol of what has taken place spiritually, emotionally, and mentally.

After much prayer and thought, I declare to you and all that are here today that with all my heart I love you! I've always loved you. I just didn't always know who you were. Now that I do, from this day forward I promise to love you with a love that is more than mere emotion.  I promise to love you with a love that puts you first. I promise to love you with a love that will be there through the good, the bad, and the mundane. I promise to love you with a love that supports you and the vision that God has placed on your heart. I promise to love you with a love that submits to your leadership in our home. I promise to love you with a love that stands beside you and takes on life with you as your best friend. I promise to love you with a love that causes me to be your greatest fan. I promise to love you with a love that forsakes all others over you. I also promise to love you with a love that will keep us sweet through our days. I promise to honor and respect you as my husband from this day forth. “Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the Lord do to me if anything but deaths parts you and me” (Ruth1:16-17, NASB).  I love you, Izaak D!

I must add - at the end of the ceremony - Michael said, "Izaak - you are my son; you are not a gorilla." 

Choosing Joy!
©2013 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

3 comments:

Linda said...

So beautiful!

Anonymous said...

Wow, that is just beautiful. Thank you for sharing.

Kristine

berrypatch said...

Amazingly beautiful. All of it. I love how Michael gave Izaak a charge. Just beautiful.