| A Prayer for the Bride and Groom |
The Prayer as read by Reverend William Dyer for Susan and Corky
O God of Love, Thou hast established marriage for the welfare and happiness of mankind.
Thine was the plan and only with thee can we work it out with joy. Thou hast said,
"It is not good for man to be alone, I will make a helpmate for him." Now our joys are doubled
since the happiness of one become the happiness of the other. Our burdens now are halved since we share them;
we divide the load.
Bless Corky the loving husband of Susan. Bless him as provider of nourshment and rainmaent and sustain him in all
exactions and pressures of his battle for bread. May his strength be her protection. May his character be her
boast and her pride. And may he so live that she will find in him a haven for which the heart of a woman truly longs.
Bless Susan the loving wife of Corky. Give her a tenderness that will maker her great. Give her a deep sense of
understanding and a great faith in Thee. Give her that inner beauty of soul that never fades, the eternal youth that
is found in holding fast to the things that never grow old.
Teach them both that marriage is not merely living for each other: it is two united hands and hearts and lives to
travel down the pathway of life together; it is two uniting their sacred all to serve Thee. Give them a great spiritual
purpose in life. May they seek first Thy kingdom and Thy rightousness; then the other things shall be added unto them.
My they never expect that perfection of each other, that alone belongs to Thee. May they minimize each others weaknesses.
May they be swift to praise and magnify each others points of comliness and strength. May they ever see each other through
a lover's kind and tender eyes.
Now, make such assignments to them on the scroll of Thy will as will bless them and develop their characters as they
live and labor together. Give them enough tears to keep them tender. Give them enough hurts to keep them humane.
Give them enough failure to keep their hands clenched tightly in Thine. Give them enough success to make them know
that they walk with Thee. Give them enough shadow to temper the glare of the Sun. And help them to know that all sunshine
creates a desert. May they never take each other's love for granted, but may they always experience that breathless wonder
that exclaims, "Out of all this world you have chosen me." When life is done and the sun is setting, may they be found then
as now hand in hand, heart in heart, life in life, still thanking Thee for each other.
May they serve Thee happily, faithfully together, until at last one shall lay the other safely and tenderly in the arms of Jesus.
This we ask in Thy name for the sake of Jesus Christ, their Saviour and their Lord.
AMEN
(By Dr. Louis H. Evans)
I have laid my love safely in the arms of our Lord.
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