Invocation (Prayer) These are the words through which you call on God, or whatever outside, higher, or more radiant presence you choose to acknowledge and bear witness to your ceremony. The purpose of the invocation is to put you and your guests in a more meditative and reflective frame of mind, to focus your attention on the fact that what you are undertaking is serious, life-changing, and powerful.
__________________________________________________________________________________________ God of Light God of light, who gives us longing for love and the capability of loving, we give thanks for Bride and Groom, for their open hearts and willing spirits, and for the example of love that they embody here in our presence. Be with them on this joyous occasion of showing their love and making their vows; and be with us, their witnesses, that we may all be changed by what is said and witnessed here. Bless this Couple Our God at this sacred moment in the quiet of your house, we pray for Your blessing up these Your children. They come into Your presence with precious gifts: their youth, their love, their hopes and dreams, their faith in each other, and their trust in You. As they consecrate these gifts to Your service, we pray that they may find life’s deepest meaning and richest happiness. Bind their lives together, O God, in sanctity and devotion. Teach them to ennoble life as they share their love together. Blessed are you who come here in the name of God. Serve God with gladness, come before God with singing. O God, supremely blessed, supreme in might and glory, guide and bless this bridegroom and this bride. Great Creator, Mother Earth and elements Great Creator in heaven above, please protect the ones we love. We honor all you created as we pledge our hearts and lives together. We honor Mother Earth and ask for our marriage to be abundant and grow stronger through the seasons. We honor fire and ask that our union be warm and glowing with love in our hearts. We honor wind and ask that we sail through life safe and calm as in our father's arms. We honor water to clean and soothe our relationship -- that it may never thirst for love. With all the forces of the universe you created, we pray for harmony as we grow forever young together. Amen
Bless This marriage (~Rev. J. Lynn James) Creator God, Who encircles each of us in a love as enduring and unbroken as the wedding rings which encircle Bride and Groom’s fingers, we give You thanks for the love which has enfolded them, binding their hearts together. Bless their dreams, oh God, and their hopes when they are discouraged, send them compassion to soften their anger, and help them to create beautiful memories which bring them joy. God of grace, we have glimpsed Your Light as we look upon the love shining from the faces of this couple. Be with each of us now that we, like them, might be carriers of Your Light and Your Love into our magnificent world. Amen.
First Corinthians Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not selfseeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves. And now these three remain; faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. May God Bless You (~Robert Fulghum) May God bless and keep you; May the sun of many days and years shine upon you; May the love you have for one another grow and hold you close: May the good true light within you guide your way on together; May your dreams come true, and when they don’t, may new dreams arise. And long, long years from now, may you look at one another and be able to say,
“Because of you, I have lived the life I always wanted to liveBecause of you I have become the person I longed to be.” God bless, God bless, God bless.
Celtic Above you are the stars, below you are the stones. As time passes, remember- like the star should your love burn brightly; like the stone should your love be firm. Be close, yet not so close that you restrict one another. Possess one another, yet grant each other the freedom to grow. Be understanding and compassionate, and have patience with each other, for storms may come, but they will quickly pass. Be free in giving affection and warmth. Fear not, lest the ways or words of the unenlightened give you unease, for the Lady and Lord are with you, now, and always.
Cherokee Vows Great Creator in heaven above, please protect the ones we love. We honor all you created as we pledge our hearts and lives together. We honor Mother Earth and ask for our marriage to be abundant and grow stronger through the seasons. We honor fire and ask that our union be warm and glowing with love in our hearts. We honor wind and ask that we sail through life safe and calm as in our father's arms. We honor water to clean and soothe our relationship -- that it may never thirst for love. With all the forces of the universe you created, we pray for harmony as we grow forever young together. Amen Sioux Indian (~Black Elk) Hear me, four quarters of the world-- a relative I am! Give me the strength to walk the soft earth. Give me the eyes to see and the strength to understand, that I may be like you. With your power only can I face the winds. Great Spirit...all over the earth the faces of living things are all alike. With tenderness have these come up out of the ground. Look upon these faces of children without number and with children in their arms, that they may face the winds and walk the good road to the day of quiet. This is my prayer' hear me! Native American Prayer (~John Yellow Lark) O Great Spirit, whose voice I hear in the winds, and whose breath gives life to all the world, hear me! I am small and weak. I need your strength and wisdom. Let me walk in beauty, and make my eyes ever behold the red and purple sunset. Make my hands respect the things You have made and my ears sharp to hear Your voice. Make me wise so that I may understand the things You have taught my people. Let me learn the lessons you have hidden in every leaf and rock. I seek strength, not to be greater than my brother, but to fight my greatest enemy—myself. Make me always ready to come to You with clean hands and straight eyes. So when life fades, as the fading sunset, my spirit may come to you without shame. Be praised, my Lord, through all your creatures! Brother Sun… Sister Moon… Brother Wind… Sister Water… Be praised, my Lord, for Sister Earth!
Family Blessing/Gathering Father in Heaven, We praise You and Thank you for all our many blessings. Bless us all as we gather here today, (tonight) And let us live happily in Your love. Hear our prayer, loving Father, For we ask this in Jesus' Name. Amen. Food Blessing Short Bless us, O Lord, and these your gifts, which we are about to receive from your bounty. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. or
May the peace and blessing of God descend upon us as we receive of his bounty, and may our hearts be filled with love for one another. Amen.
Food Blessing This food is the gift of the whole universe - the earth, the sky, and much hard work. May we live in a way that makes us worthy to receive it. May we transform our unskillful states of mind, especially our greed. May we take only foods that nourish us and prevent illness. We accept this food so that we may realise the path of practice.
May We Appreciate and Remember (- Beliefnet member LisetteFC) Today may we appreciate this food and remember those who are hungry. May we appreciate our family and friends and remember those who are alone. May we appreciate our health and remember those who are sick. May we appreciate the freedoms we have and remember those who suffer injustice and tyranny. Peace on earth.
A Thanksgiving Prayer (~Tom Barrett) In the spirit of humility we give thanks for all that is. We thank the great spiritual beings who have shared their wisdom. We thank our ancestors who brought us to where we are now. We are grateful for the opportunity to walk this planet, to breathe the air, to taste the food, to experience sensations of a human body/mind, to share in this wonder that is life. We are grateful for the natural world that supports us, for the community of humankind that enables us to do many wonderous things. We are grateful that we are conscious, that as intelligent beings we can reflect upon the many gifts we have been given.
For Unity of Faiths (~Thomas Merton 1915-1968) O God, we are one with you. You have made us one with you. You have taught us that if we are open to one another, you dwell in us. Help us to preserve this openness and to fight for it with all our hearts. Help us to realize that there can be no understanding where there is mutual rejection. O God, in accepting one another wholeheartedly, fully, completely, we accept you, and we thank you, and we adore you, and we love you with our whole being, because our being is your being, our spirit is rooted in your spirit. Fill us then with love, and let us be bound together with love as we go our diverse ways, united in this one spirit which makes you present in the world, and which makes you witness to the ultimate reality that is love. Love has overcome. Love is victorious.
African American Prayers (~O God, Slow Us Down by George Thomas) O God, slow us down and help us to see that we are put in charge of our lives, but with Thy help. Help us to get in tune with the rhythm that makes for life. We keep moving, even though we know that we are made to center down, as well as to be actively engaged in the business of life. We compete for things and make those things more important than they ought to be. We eat what we ought not to eat. We neglect and misuse our bodies. We fail to discipline our minds and to be still and know that thou art God and that we are the temple of the Most High. Yet we often complain about our misfortunes and our hard luck, when at times it is we who are guilty of disregard. Help us to know that we can be broken by life only if we first allow the victory of evil over our spirits. May our hope and strength and faith be grounded in you; and may we recall the strength of our model, our brother and your Son. Amen.
Instrument of Peace (~Lord, St. Francis of Assisi 1181-1226) Make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; Where there is injury, pardon; Where there is doubt, faith; Where there is despair, hope; Where there is darkness, light; and Where there is
sadness, joy. O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console; To be understood, as to understand; To be loved, as to love. For it is in giving that we receive--- It is in pardoning that we are pardoned; And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
All People (~Jewish Liturgy ) For cities and towns, factories and farms, flowers and trees, sea and sky--- Lord we praise You for the world and its beauty. For family and friends, neighbors and cousins--- Lord, we thank You for friendship and love. For kind hearts, smiling faces, and helping hands--- Lord, we praise You for those who care for others. For commandments that teach us how to live--- Lord, we thank You for those who help us to understand your laws. And for making us one family on earth, the children of One God--- Lord we praise You, who made all people different, yet alike. Cannot See the Road (~Thomas Merton) Dear God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself...and the fact that I think that I am following Your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe this: I believe that the desire to please You does in fact please You. I hope I have that desire in everything I do. I hope I never persist in anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this You will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it at the time. Therefore I will trust You always, for though I may be lost - and in the shadow of death - I will not be afraid, because I know You will never leave me to face my troubles all alone.
Buddha's Discourse on Good Will (~Sutta Nipata) May all beings be filled with joy and peace. May all beings everywhere, The strong and the weak, The great and the small, The mean and the powerful, The short and the long, the subtle and the gross: May all beings everywhere, Seen and unseen, Dwelling far off or nearby, Being or waiting to become: May all be filled with lasting joy. Let no one deceive another, Let no one anywhere despise another, Let no one out of anger or resentment Wish suffering on anyone at all. Just as a mother with her own life Protects her child, her only child, from harm, So within yourself let grow A boundless love for all creatures. Let your love flow outward through the universe, To its height, its depth, its broad extent, A limitless love, without hatred or enmity. Then as you stand or walk, Sit or lie down, As long as you are awake, Strive for this with a one-pointed mind; Your life will bring heaven to earth.
Prayer of Thanks (- Ralph Waldo Emerson) For each new morning with its light, For rest and shelter of the night, For health and food, For love and friends, For everything Thy goodness sends. Father in heaven, We thank thee.
A Prayer for Couples by Marianne Williamson Dear God, Please make Bride and Groom’s relationship a great and holy adventure. May their joining be a sacred space. May the two of them find rest here, a haven for their souls. Remove them from any temptation to judge one another or to direct one another. May they surrender to You their conflicts and their burdens. We know that You are our Answer and our rock, help them not to forget. Bring them together in heart and mind as well as body.
Remove from them the temptation to criticize or be cruel. May they not be tempted by fantasies and projections, but guide them in the ways of holiness. Save them from darkness. May this relationship be a burst of light. May it be a fount of love and wisdom for them, for their families, for their community and for the world. May their bond be a channel for Your love and healing, a vehicle of Your grace and power. As lessons come and challenges grow, let them not be tempted to forsake each other. Let them always remember that in each other they have the most beautiful woman, the most beautiful man. The strongest one, the sacred one in whose arms they are repaired. May they remain young in this relationship. Bring them what You desire for them, and show them how You would have them be. Please bring them big life and big love, deep life and deep love. May they see each other’s greatness and invoke each other’s light. May they surrender all the ways, both those they are aware of and those that remain unconscious, in which they block their love for each other. May they surrender their defenses. May they be ready to bring forth the holiest vibrations of love and healing between them. Where they are afraid to love, where they have built walls in front of their hearts, may they be healed and set free. Where they are needy or do not know how to behave or tend to control or to judge or to fix or be dishonest, please, dear God, show them another way. May they surrender themselves to love. May they surrender their love to You. May it serve Your purposes. May it receive Your blessing and carry Your power. May they never forsake each other. Thank you dear God. Amen.