Maui Christian Vow Renewal Ceremony


	The Christian Vow Renewal Ceremony Written & Performed by Rev. John Souter This ceremony may seem long in written form but it only takes about 12 minutes. This service is by Rev. John Souter and is a Christian vow renewal ceremony. *Introduction* Good relationships never stop growing. Like fine wine, they get better with age. CHRIS and KELLEY, you have now been married ____ years and through all the years of your journey together, you have now come to Maui, to this beautiful setting, so that you could renew your vow and commitment of love for each other. God invented marriage. He created it because He looked into the future and saw what your needs and your desires would later be for companionship, love and fulfillment. But God also knew that no marriage would ever be perfect. As you continue in this union, you already know that it will continue to take a lot of love AND work to keep your relationship an ongoing success. Many couples tend to think of marriage as a 50/50 proposition. Actually, the best relationships are 90/10. If you both will give 90%—you will have a formula likely to continue to bring both of you happiness for a lifetime. *The Bible & Marriage* The best manual ever written on the subject of marriage . . . is the Bible. Here are a few of the things that God has to say about marriage: "Each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband... A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one. Since they are no longer two but one, let no one separate them, for God has joined them together. "Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. Husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies... Each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband." (1 Cor. 7:2; Matt. 19:5-6; Heb. 13:4; Eph. 5:28,33) 1 Corinthians 13 Love is a verb. It is not just a state of being but an ACTION verb. It is not just how you feel about each other, but what you DO for each other that will keep your relationship growing and alive. The Bible has a lot to say about love. Let me read 1 Corinthians 13 from The Living Bible: "Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong. It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever truth wins out. "If you love someone you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost. You will always believe in him, always expect the best of him, and always stand your ground in defending him." KELLEY and CHRIS, in the Hawaiian language there is a term that describes how couples should treat one another: Ho'oponopono, which means: "to put things right . . . by family discussion." In other words, don't let the sun set on your anger. Talk your problems out. Make things right with each other quickly each day, before the sun disappears. That's the best way to keep small misunderstandings from growing into problems that can break down your relationship. Marriage is more than a contract. It is a commitment to take your joy deeper than happiness, deeper into the discovery of who you really are. It is a journey to a life of becoming. Marriage is even deeper than commitment. It is a covenant—a covenant that says: I love you. I trust you. I will be here for you when you are hurting. And when I am hurting, I will not leave. . . Marriage is intended to provide a sanctuary safe enough to risk loving, to risk fully living and risk sharing from the center of yourself. Expect the best from your lover and you can transform your home into a castle where love thrives. *Sandburg's Poem* While marriages are founded and built upon love, emotions are often fickle. Poet Carl Sandburg captured the essence of a love which can stand the test of time when he wrote: "I love you. I love you for what you are, but I love you yet more for what you are going to be. I love you not so much for your realities as for your ideals. I pray for your desires, that they may be great, rather than for your satisfactions, which may be so hazardously little. "A satisfied flower is one whose petals are about to fall. But the most beautiful rose is one, hardly more than a bud, wherein the pangs and ecstasies of desire are working for larger and finer growth. Not always shall you be what you are now. You are going forward toward something great. I am on the way with you and . . I love you." *His Vows* CHRIS, please take the lei and place it around KELLEY 's neck. Let these pretty & fragrant flowers that you have placed upon KELLEY remind you of the beautiful and fragile nature of your relationship with her. Is it your desire CHRIS, to continue to have KELLEY as your wife, to live together according to the Word of God? Will you continue to love and cherish her, giving her assistance in all of life's labors? Will you continue to be true to her both in sickness and health, both when things are going well and when there are difficulties? And will you continue to be faithful to her as long as you both shall live? If so, you may answer, I WILL. CHRIS, cherish KELLEY always, treating her as your princess. *Her Vows* KELLEY, take this lei and place it around CHRIS 's neck. Let the beauty & fragrance of these flowers which you are giving to CHRIS remind you of this day when you have recommitted yourself to him, to once again be his bride. Is it your desire KELLEY, to continue to have CHRIS as your husband, to live together according to the Word of? Will you continue to love him and submit to him in the Lord, and be his helper in all that comes your way. Will you continue to be true to him both in sickness and health, both when things are going well and when there are difficulties? And will you continue to be faithful to him as long as both of you shall live? If so, you may answer, I WILL. KELLEY, cherish CHRIS always, treating him as your prince. *Her Ring* CHRIS, please touch the ring that you gave to KELLEY when you were first married, now symbolically re-giving it to her. That ring was subjected to tremendous heat so that the waste could be removed and the metal purified into a fit token of your commitment of love. CHRIS, let this ring symbolize your willingness to build your character through your self-sacrificial love for KELLEY. Holding KELLEY 's hand and looking into her eyes, repeat after me as you make these vows to her: I CHRIS, renew my commitment to you KELLEY as your lawfully wedded husband. I will continue to love you I will continue to cherish you. I will continue to be true to you No matter what comes; Whether we become rich or poor Whether there is sickness or health, For as long as we both shall live, And with this ring, As a symbol of my love, I now renew my vow of marriage to you. HIS RING KELLEY, place your fingers on the ring that you gave to CHRIS when you were first married as you symbolically re-give it to him. That ring is a circle, which symbolizes eternity—because a circle has no ending. KELLEY, let the ring remind you always that you desire your relationship with CHRIS to continue for a lifetime. Repeat after me as you make these vows to him: I KELLEY, renew my commitment to you CHRIS As your lawfully wedded wife. I will continue to love you. I will continue to cherish you. I will continue to be true to you, No matter what comes. Whether we become rich or poor; Whether there is sickness or health, For as long as we both shall live, And with this ring As a symbol of my love, I now renew my vow of marriage to you. PRAYER *PROCLAMATION* Now that you CHRIS and you KELLEY have openly expressed your desire to remain united in the covenant of marriage, and as you have given each other these leis and symbolically re-given each other rings to reconfirm your vows; I, John Souter, by the power and authority granted to me as a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, do affirm before God, that the two of you have today expressed your desire to rekindle your love and passion and renew your vow of marriage. From this moment on, let all know of your desire to continue for a lifetime, as: Husband and wife in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. God has joined you together —let no one tear you apart. You may kiss your bride.
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