PRELUDE
"My Heart Will Go On"
Music by James Horner, Lyrics by Will Jennings
Nathaniel, Soloist
Bill, Accompanist
GATHERING AND WELCOME - Christopher, Friend of Honor
I welcome you to the wedding of Nelson and John, who have invited you here today as witnesses to their vows of committment and love to one another. Love is the foundation of our faith in God and in our relationships with each other. History has shown that love conquers all adversities: Love is at the heart of the human experience regardless of age, race, creed or gender. "Love will never come to an end." St. Paul wrote these words at the beginning of the first millenium to the congregation in Corinth, and they are echoed at the close of the second millenium in the lyrics of Will Jennings in My Heart Will Go On.
Nelson & John met last January and, as many of you know, Celine Dion's "Theme from Titanic" served as the soundtrack for the beginning of their relationship. Their first formal date was a Winter Ball held in this ballroom, in the home of Mrs. Astor, whose son, John Jacob Astor IV, was lost in the tragedy, though his wife was one of the most famous of the survivors. The second ball they attended in Boston had a theme of sending off the Titanic on its maiden voyage. Fortunately, their love for each other has already proven to be of greater endurance than the ill-fated ship. Tonight we stand with them to wish them a long and happy life together, and that truely, their love will never come to an end.
READINGS
How Do I Love Thee?, by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
from Sonnets from the Portuguese (Read by Nelson to John)
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of every day's
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints - I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! - and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
Love, by Henry Van Dyke (Read by John to Nelson)
Let me but love my love without disguise,
Nor wear a mask of fashion old or new,
Nor wait to speak till I can hear a clue,
Nor play a part to shine in others' eyes,
Nor bow my knees to what my heart denies;
But what I am, to that let me be true,
And let me worship where my love is due,
And so through love and worship let me rise.
For love is but the heartís immortal thirst
To be completely known and all forgiven,
Even as sinful souls that enter Heaven:
So take me, dear, and understand my worst,
And freely pardon it, because confessed,
And let me find in loving thee, my best.
May, 1902.
READINGS - Celebrant
Psalm 133 (The New English Bible)
How good it is and how pleasant
for brothers to live together!
It is fragrant as oil poured upon
the head
and falling over the beard ...
... the Lord bestows his blessing,
life for evermore.
1 Corinthians 13: 4-7 (New English Bible)
"Love is patient; love is kind and envies no one. Love is never boastful, nor conceited, nor rude; never selfish, not quick to take offense. Love keeps no score of wrongs; does not gloat over other menís sins, but delights in the truth. There is nothing love cannot face; there is no limit to its faith, its hope, and its endurance."
Gospel According to John (New English Bible) Verse 15:17 Jesus: "This is my commandment to you: love one another." Verse 17: 24-26
"Father, I desire that these men, who are thy gift to me, may be with me where I am, so that they may look upon my glory, which thou hast given me because thou didst love me before the world began. O righteous Father, although the world does not know thee, I know thee, and these men know that thou didst send me. I made thy name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love thou hadst for me may be in them, and I may be in them."
THE
DECLARATION OF CONSENT
*The Celebrant addresses the two persons, saying
NELSON and JOHN: You have come here so that God may confirm and strengthen your love in the presence of this company. Therefore I ask you to declare the firm intention of your covenant. Do you believe God has called you to live together in love? Answer: WE DO.
Will you never allow any other relationship to come before the one you are now to affirm? Answer: WE WILL.
Will you nurture each other's ability to grow in maturity and wisdom within this relationship? Answer: WE WILL.
*The Celebrant then addresses each person separately, saying: NELSON, will you take JOHN to live together in a covenant in love as long as you both shall live?
*NELSON answers: I WILL.
JOHN, will you take NELSON to live together in a covenant in love as long as you both shall live?
*JOHN answers: I WILL.
* The Celebrant then addresses the congregation, saying Will all of you witnessing these promises do all in your power to uphold these two persons in their commitment. *The People answer: WE WILL. THE SOLEMN VOWS
*The two persons face each other, and in turn each takes the right hand of the other and says a solemn vow.
In the Name of God and before this community, I, NELSON, take you, JOHN, to be my loving companion in life, and I solemnly promise, here with our witnesses and God: to stand beside and with you always; in times of celebration and times of sadness; in times of pleasure and times of anger; in times of pain and times of health; I will live with you and love you; as long as we both shall live.
In the Name of God and before this community, I, JOHN, take you, NELSON, to be my loving companion in life, and I solemnly promise, here with our witnesses and God: to stand beside and with you always; in times of celebration and times of sadness; in times of pleasure and times of anger; in times of pain and times of health; I will live with you and love you; as long as we both shall live.
EXCHANGE
OF RINGS:
NELSON, I give you this ring as a symbol of my vows; receive and treasure it as a pledge of my love for you. With all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you, in the Name of God.
JOHN, I give you this ring as a symbol of my vows; receive and treasure it as a pledge of my love for you. With all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you, in the Name of God.
*Then the Celebrant joins the right hands of the two persons and says Now that NELSON and JOHN have given themselves to each other by solemn vows, with the joining of hands (and the giving and receiving of rings), I declare that they are united to one another in a solemn covenant in love, in the Name of God.
Let us pray.
PRAYER
O Lord, author of life and friend of mankind, these your servants love each other in a spirit of love from You. O Lord, Our God, You who gave the commandment to your holy apostles to love one another and forgive one otherís faults, grant that NELSON and JOHN love each other for all the days of their lives. AMEN.
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Last updated 9/21/99