Yerger/High Wedding

March 19, 2023
Rev. Joseph Yerger

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greetings to all of you in the precious name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and welcome.

Let us go to the Lord in prayer.

Most Holy and most merciful father, at once the God of Nature and of Grace, Creator, our preserver, and Redeemer of mankind, Fountain of Life, of love and of joy and peace, whose presence is the happiness of every condition.

We beseech you to be present and favorable to these your servants and to fill them with a sense of solemnity of the vows they are about to make.

Enable them we pray to remember and to keep these vows, looking to you for your assistance, and help them to enter into these sacred obligations in humble dependence upon your enabling Grace.

Grant this, O Father, with the Forgiveness of our sins through Jesus Christ your son, Our Savior and Lord, in whose name we pray, Amen.

Please be seated.

Well my dear dealer in the presence of God and these witnesses to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony.

God himself instituted marriage at the beginning in the Garden of Eden before sin entered into the world. He said it is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him.

Thereupon God created woman of man’s own substance and brought her to the man.

Our Lord Jesus Christ honored marriage by his presence and first miracle at the wedding in Cana of Galilee and he confirmed it as a Divine ordinance and as a union not to be severed when he declared, have you not read that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female and said for this cause shall a man leave father and mother and shall cleave to his wife; and they twain shall be one flesh.

Wherefore they are no more twain but one flesh; what therefore God hath joined together, let that man put asunder.

Moreover, the Holy Spirit sets forth the sacred and exalted nature of marriage when he likens it to the mystical Union that exists between Christ and his redeemed Bride of the church.

Saying this is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

Accordingly, God has designed marriage for the enrichment of the lives of those who enter into this estate, for the orderly propagation of the human race, for the generation of the Holy seed, and for the avoidance of sexual immorality, and all to the glory of the Covenant God.

Husbands and wives therefore thus have responsibilities befitting God’s purposes for their relationship.

The Holy Scripture says husbands love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for her.

The husband is to love his wife as his own body, to care for her and to cherish her.

The Holy Scripture says also wives submit yourselves unto your own husbands as unto the Lord; for the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church and he is the savior of the body.

Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let wives be to their own husbands in everything.

The wife is to submit to her husband, to respect him, and to entrust herself to his Loving Care.

Both husbands and wives are to be faithful to each other, to assist each other in all good things, to heartily forgive each other their sins and shortcomings, and to love each other as themselves.

Thus united in love, they were more and more reflect in their marriage the unity of Christ and his church.

And so into this holiest state these two persons, Joseph Alvin Yerger and Judith Joanna Nolan High, come now to be joined, and certainly we give God praise for such a holy Union for that which he has decreed from the very beginning that should be between one man and one woman.

Praise be to God in Jesus Christ.

And so as we consider these things, we come now to determine the lawfulness of such a matter.

And so if anyone can show Just Cause why they may not lawfully be married, let them now declare it, or else hereafter forever hold his peace.

And so I require and charge you both that if either of you know any cause as to why you should not lawfully be joined together in matrimony that you do now confess it. Amen.

And as we consider then the greatness of such a matter today, let us go for a few moments to consider more of God’s holy word.

Our first scripture reading comes from Genesis 17 verses 7 through 9, and this is the great passage describing the Covenant that God has made with Abraham and his people.

And they read in Genesis 17 verses 7 through 9: ‘And I will establish my Covenant between me and you and your Offspring after you throughout your generations for an Everlasting Covenant, to be God to you and to your Offspring after you.

And I will give to you and to your Offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.’

And God said to Abraham, ‘As for you, you shall keep my Covenant, you and your Offspring after you throughout their Generations.’

Now reading from Genesis 2:18, is the Reverend Jack High, and the Lord God spoke and said, ‘It is not good that a man be by himself; therefore I will make a Helper and that helper will be perfect for him, and he will have what he needs.’ Amen.

Amen.

And so in light of God’s plan and design for marriage, we come now to the public transfer of authority which is so well to establish the grace of God in such a union, and so I ask the question: who gives this woman to be married to this man?

Her mother and I do.

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Amen.

Joseph, will you have this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to live together after God’s ordinance in the Holy estate of marriage, and may you love her as Christ has loved the church and gave himself for her?

Will you comfort her, honor and cherish her, and forsaking all others keep yourself only unto her as long as you both shall live?

And please answer by saying, ‘I will.’

I will.

Judith, will you have this man to be a lawfully wedded husband, to live together after God’s ordinance in the Holy estate of marriage, and may you love him, comfort him, respect and submit to him even as the church submits to Christ?

And forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto him as long as you both shall live?

And please answer by saying, ‘I will.’

Amen.

This time we come to the exchange of vows, and I would like to encourage you both as well as to remind all of those in attendance of the significance of the vows that are about to be exchanged.

That these are just that: these are vows; these are promises within the context of Covenant; that there’s real substance to these vows, and these vowels ought not to be taken and then forsaken, but rather to be adhered to, and all of this in the presence of these witnesses and before God.

So my dear brother, please repeat after me: ‘I Joseph take you Judith to be my wedded wife.’

Hi Joseph, you take you Judith.

And I do promise and Covenant before God and these Witnesses

to be your loving and faithful husband

in sickness and in health,

in plenty and in want,

joy and in sorrow,

as long as we both shall live.

As long as we both shall live. Amen.

Judith, I would ask that you would repeat after me: ‘I Judith take you Joseph to be my wedded husband.’

And I do promise and Covenant before God and these witnesses

to be your loving and faithful wife

in sickness and in health,

in plenty and in want,

in joy and in sorrow,

as long as we both shall live.

Amen.

I’ve been asked also at this time to share with you some thoughts regarding two very important passages of scripture.

The first passage is from Ecclesiastes 4, verses 7 through 12.

And this is the word of God and what it reads:

‘Again I saw vanity Under the Sun: one person who has no other either son or brother; yet there is no end to all his toil, and his eyes were never satisfied with riches so that he never asks for whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure.

This also is vanity and unhappy business.

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil; for if they fall, one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up.

Again, if two lie together, they keep warm; but how can one keep warm alone?

Indeed this describes the true beauty of friendship, of companionship, and of being about the other.

And generally this is true for the various relationships in our lives, whether that be between husband and wife, parent and child, employer and employee, and all of the rest.

But these truths are particularly true as we consider marriage this day.

For we know that our God and Creator instituted marriage at the beginning to be a blessing to mankind; for it was not good that man should be alone.

There is no helper suited for the man.

And so the woman was made from the word of man, and that man proclaimed that the woman was born of his bone and flesh of his flesh.

What God has joined together, nor man may separate.

Thus the glory, goodness, and kindness of the Creator is revealed in marriage.

Man should not be alone, but have a helper well suited for him.

And today we give praise to our God and creator.

And yet there is a deeper truth conveyed in holy matrimony.

The depiction of the true friendship between husband and wife is ultimately patterned after a greater friendship, and that is between Christ and his church.

For the Apostle Paul has written in his letter to the Ephesians: “Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”

This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.

And so we consider the greater example that in Revelation chapter 19.

In Revelation 19, this is a chapter of great doxological praise of God for the Redemption purchased in Jesus Christ.

In chapter 19, we read about the prayers of God for the final judgment against sin and against the enemy of God’s people; but we also read about the praise of the arrival of the Lamb who receives his bride.

In Revelation 19, we see a picture of the redeemed people of God, the church, the bride of Christ.

This bride having been made ready to be received by her husband, and this bride is described in incredibly beautiful language.

She is dressed in fine linen, having been cleansed by the sprinkling of Christ’s blood, clothed with his righteousness and their obedience to him.

Indeed, Revelation 19 is a clear picture that Jesus has loved his people, he has loved his bride, and this is a grand picture of true friendship between Christ and his church.

The Divine husband receiving his bride into his glorious presence, this is the consummation.

So, what is the application of this to us as we stand here today?

Marriage between husband and wife is patterned after this; it is patterned after the greater mystery which is Christ’s love for the church.

But you see this is the wisdom of God in marriage: that this marriage is not merely to be about Earthly matters but is to reflect the Divine matters, Heavenly matters.

And so marriage is not a mere social construct, but instituted at the very beginning of creation and patterned after a greater reality.

In other words, there is an actual substance to marriage, and in our day, marriage is taken very lightly.

The vows in the Covenant which is made, as if this is just a nominal construct, but there is a substance to marriage.

Yes, we should not and ought not take it lightly.

And so, as I close this portion of the ceremony, I would like to encourage a bride and the groom and to encourage all of you as well: my dear groom and bride, love one another; love her as Christ has loved the church.

My dear sister, love him and submit to him as the church loves her head Jesus Christ, and revel in the Mystery that your marriage is not an end of itself but it’s patterned after a greater reality, that of Christ’s love for his church.

And the Beautiful reality about that is that he has loved you.

Well, your marriage is patterned after this, and praise be to God for it.

And to those in attendance, do not think marriage to be an empty institution; remember that there is substance to this.

God has instituted this very thing to be a blessing not only to your family individually but to mankind as a whole.

And so pray, pray for these two as they begin their married life together, and pray for your own marriages, for those that you know who are married, for your children who will seek a spouse in life.

Pray that their marriages will reflect that which they are patterned after: Christ’s love for his church.

So to this end, we give God praise for his kindness to us in this institution.

Let’s pray.

Our Great and Mighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we give you praise.

O Father, we are thankful for your infinite, eternal, and unchangeable wisdom, and that you gave marriage to be a blessing to mankind.

And so, Father, we also thank you that marriage is not an end of itself, that it is patterned after a greater reality that of Christ’s love for his church.

And so, Father, we ask that your spirit would humble us today, and that our minds would be lifted up to the greatness of the matter before us.

That you would receive all praise and glory, and that we all gathered here today will be in prayer for these two as they begin their married life.

But help us, above all things, to see your glory present in this; help us, Father, to encourage them and to pray for them often.

Lord, be with us now as we continue our time together.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

And at this time the bride and groom, the braiding of the cross.

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we’ve come now to the time of the exchange of the Rings.

Are we ready for this Reverend Yerger?

What symbol do you give as a pledge that you will faithfully perform these vows?

I have this ring, please.

And please place it on her left hand and repeat after me:

This ring I give to you as a token and pledge.

This ring I give to you as a token and pledge of constant faith and abiding love.

Constant faith and abiding love.

Very good.

And you, Judith, what symbol do you give as a pledge that you will faithfully perform these vows?

Please place it on his left hand and repeat after me:

This ring I give you as a token and pledge of constant faith and abiding love.

Amen.

Let’s pray.

Most merciful and gracious God, from whom the whole family in Heaven and earth is named, we beseech you to set the seal of your approval upon the marriage into which our brother and sister have entered this day.

Grant them your fatherly blessing; work in them the grace of your Holy Spirit; enable them to fulfill with pure and constant affection the vow and covenant made between them.

Guide them in the way of righteousness and peace that in loving and serving you with one mind and heart all the days of their life they may be abundantly enriched with the tokens of everlasting favor in Christ Jesus our Lord.

In all of life’s experiences, lift up your confidence upon them that they may be thankful in prosperity, patience in adversity, and may their marriage be fruitful for this life and for the life to come.

Grant them wisdom and strength to build a home that will be to the glory of your name and the coming of your kingdom.

And may they live together many years, and in the hour of death may they part in the Blessed hope of celebrating forever with all the saints of God the marriage of Christ and the church he loved.

Hear our prayer in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

At this time I would ask that Reverend Larry Yerger please rise to read Ephesians 5:22-32.

Welcome to the church at Ephesus.

Rise.

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Christ is that of the church, his body, and is himself its savior.

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Amen.

So we’re convinced that what the Bible teaches about these things is true, correct?

Correct. Amen.

So then, by virtue of the authority committed unto me as a minister of the Church of Jesus Christ, I now pronounce you husband and wife according to the ordinance of God in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

And now I would ask if you weren’t already to hold and join hands.

But I will ask you to hold and join hands just a little harder, and I will declare again what God’s word teaches: that what God has joined together let no man put asunder.

You may now seal your commitment with a kiss.

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my dear brother and sister, please now receive God’s blessing.

May the Lord our God fill you with his grace and grant that you may live long together in all godliness and holiness.

And God’s people said, Amen.

And now it gives me great pleasure to present to you all for the first time, Reverend and Mrs. Yerger.

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