so so so so so so Yeah. so so so so Yeah. so so Yeah. Yeah. so Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. so StSq3 3.30 (-0.99") In that first wedding in Eden, God brought the woman to the man and gave her to him. Who gives this woman to be married to this man? My wife and I do. I'll ask you to remain standing while I read from Ephesians chapter 5 where Paul explains to us the weight of what we're doing today as he explains the picture of the gospel that we have in this marriage covenant. So in Ephesians chapter five and verse 20, he begins, giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God, 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 the wives be to their own husbands and everything. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of the water by the word, that he might present to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church. For we are members of his body, and of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and the two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless, let every one of you, in particular, so love his wife, even of himself, and the wife see that she reverence her husband. Please be seated. Just take your hand while you look at me. There you go. It certainly is a wonderful privilege to gather here today and witness the marriage covenant between Kelly Nicole Recod and Jeffrey Brandon Wadsworth. What God is doing here today is of great significance. The marriage relationship was ordained by God on the sixth day of creation when God created Adam, and from Adam he fashioned Eve to be a helper that was suitable to him. Kelly, Adam was alone and incomplete, and so God brought Eve to Adam to be his completer, to take up where he left off. And that's what God is doing today for Jeff. He's bringing you to him so that you can be his completer. And that you can take up where he leaves off. I'll tell all of you here, Jeff and Kelly are here today because they believe that they can do a better job of glorifying their God together than they can apart. And that's why they've come today to this ceremony. So what a privilege to be used of God in this way. What a responsibility as well. And so Paul helps us in this passage understand the weight of what we're doing here as he explains to us that this Marriage is a picture of the relationship between Christ and His church. It's a distinct relationship, and that's why he quotes Genesis chapter two when he says, therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and the two become one flesh. So what we're gonna do here today is we're gonna witness a leaving. It's not just a physical leaving. There is, you won't go back to your own homes. Kelly, you won't go back to the same bedroom. I guess there are sisters maybe who are rejoicing in that today. At least one maybe. But it's just not just a physical but an emotional leaving as well. This relationship now is gonna interrupt everything else in your life. Every relationship that you have now will be different as you leave here. And it's because you are pledging one another devotion and faithfulness. And so there is certainly a leaving that we see here. And there is a cleaving. You're going to leave here together, and you'll be one family unit. We're trusting the Lord will bring children to glorify Himself down the road, but when you leave here today, God has set you aside as a unit to serve Him. And then certainly a cleaving, as you get to know one another better, and love one another more, and your lives wind together. There's a weaving of those lives today. But let's be clear on the lessons being taught. This marriage is an illustration of Christ's love for the church. And so that's why he says, husbands, love your wives just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it. There was a time when this man set his eye on this woman and determined that he would pursue her as his wife. And those of you that know Jeff, right after he made that decision, he stressed, prayed, cleaned something, stressed some more, vacuumed the floor, and prayed a little bit more, I would imagine. But after he got through all of that, by the way, if cabin cleanup is any judge on how clean your home will be, you should be in great shape. I don't know that Jeff ever lost that except for when he was sabotaged by those who overran his room. But there was a time when this man set his eye on this woman and determined he would pursue her, and that's exactly what Christ has done. He has pursued us, the sinner. And through his work, through his life and death, burial and resurrection, he has secured us. And so, as this relationship progresses, Jeff, Kelly should better understand how Christ loves her as she sees you loving her. So you should be ministering the gospel to her. She will understand more about what Christ has done because of the way that you treat her and protect her and love her. And then together, as you interact and as you minister, as I know you're determined to do, to minister together, those around should understand the gospel better because of what you are doing and the way that you are treating one another and responding to one another because this relationship, as it does for every marriage relationship, illustrates the gospel. So what we do here today is of immense significance and we certainly rejoice but we do it reverently because we need to be mindful of the grace and the majesty and the purpose of God and of Christ's love for his church. So Jeff and Kelly, it's really my privilege to be here. It's really my privilege to call you friends and to know you well, to spend these last number of weeks together as we were preparing for these things, crunching numbers and talking about how things were going to work, but also always the emphasis not just from me, but from you as well, was how can we serve? We wanna be in a position to serve and to be able to help and to glorify Christ. And so, all of us here are rejoicing. Know that everyone that stands here today, we're rejoicing and trusting that God is gonna pour out his richest blessings on your lives together. In a moment, Jeff and Kelly are going to pick up this sand, which is Lake Waccamaw sand, for which I'm proud of. And they're going to pour that together. And the sand is a symbol of what Jeff and Kelly are doing today. Again, the Bible teaches that in marriage, two become one. Until coming together today, their lives have been lived independently, and they've sought to follow God's will and live for Him, but believing that they can follow the Lord and serve Him more perfectly together, they're saying goodbye to their former individual lives and uniting this two lives into one. So from now on, they'll devote themselves to the Lord as one, living in companionship and harmony with each other, and together finding ultimate joy in their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. There must be a God I believe it's true, cause I can see his love when I look at you. And he must have a plan for this crazy life, because he brought you here and placed you by my side. And I have never been so sure Of anything before Like I am in this moment here with you Now for better or for worse Are so much more than only words And I pray every day will be the proof That I mean what I say when I say I do I mean what I say when I say I do You see these hands you hold will always hold you up When the strength you have just ain't strong enough And what tomorrow brings Only time will tell But I will stand by you In sickness and in health Cause I have never been so sure Of anything before Like I am in this moment here with you Now for better or for worse Are so much more than only words And I pray every day will be the proof That I mean what I say when I say I do. Yes, I mean what I say when I say. Take my hand and take this ring. And know that I will always love you through anything. And as the years march on like a beating heart I will live these words till death do us part Cause I have never been so sure of anything before Like I am in this moment here with you Now for better or for worse Are so much more than only words And I pray every day will be the proof That I mean what I say when I say I do Yeah, I mean what I say when I say I do. Kelly, do you take Jeff to be your husband, to live with him in the covenant of marriage? Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live? I do. Jeff, do you take Kelly to be your wife? to live with her in the covenant of marriage? Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live? I do. Jeff, repeat these words after me, but speak them to Kelly. Kelly, in God's perfect will. Kelly, in God's perfect will. And in the presence of these witnesses. And in the presence of these witnesses. I take you to be my wife. I take you to be my wife. And I promise to be your faithful husband. And I promise to be your faithful husband. From this day forward. From this day forward. For better, for worse. For better, for worse. For richer, for poorer. For richer, for poorer. In sickness and in health. In sickness and in health. To guide and protect. To guide and protect. To love and to cherish. To love and to cherish. As long as we both shall live. as long as we both shall live. According to God's holy ordinance. According to God's holy ordinance. Through the power of the Holy Spirit. Through the power of the Holy Spirit. And thereto I pledge to you my faithfulness. And thereto I pledge to you my faithfulness. Kelly, repeat these words after me, but say them to Jeff. Jeff, in God's perfect will. Jeff, in God's perfect will. And in the presence of these witnesses. And in the presence of these witnesses. I take you to be my husband. And I promise to be your faithful wife. And I promise to be your faithful wife. From this day forward. From this day forward. For better, for worse. For better, for worse. For richer, for poorer. For richer, for poorer. In sickness and in health. In sickness and in health. To love and to cherish. To love and to cherish. As long as we both shall live. As long as we both shall live. According to God's holy ordinance. According to God's holy ordinance. Through the power of the Holy Spirit. Through the power of the Holy Spirit. And thereto I pledge to you my faithfulness. Jeff, what symbol do you give to Kelly as a token of your covenant with her? A ring. A ring which has no beginning and no end symbolizes today the enduring love and faithfulness that you're pledging to one another. So Jeff, place this ring on her finger. Repeat these words to Kelly. Kelly, I give you this ring. Kelly, I give you this ring. In token and pledge. In token and in pledge. Of the vow that I have made to you. Of the vow that I have made to you. With this ring. With this ring. I take you to be my wife. I take you to be my wife. In the name of the Father. In the name of the Father. And of the Son. And of the Son. And of the Holy Spirit. And of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Amen. Kelly, what symbol do you give to Jeff as a token? Place this on Jeff's finger and repeat these words to him. Jeff, I give you this ring. Jeff, I give you this ring. In token and pledge. In token and pledge. Of the vow that I have made to you. Of the vow that I have made to you. With this ring. With this ring. I take you to be my husband. I take you to be my husband. In the name of the Father. In the name of the Father. And of the Son. And of the Son. And of the Holy Spirit. And of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Amen. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for the truth of the gospel. We pray now that you would use this couple to give a picture to the sinner of your love for us, your sacrifice for us, but we pray also, Lord, that you would use this couple to witness, to make much of you and to share the good news to all around them. We thank you for leading them to this day. We thank you that we can rejoice in this union that you have brought along these two and their relationship with you. And you've been merciful and gracious. We thank you for their desire to glorify you. So, Lord, we pray now that you would lend to them overpowering strength, that you would grant them overwhelming success. And, Lord, that you would give to them unimaginable blessing as they seek to serve and glorify you with their lives. Now we pray in Jesus' name, amen. Jeff and Kelly, in as much as you have covenanted together during this ceremony to become husband and wife and have committed your lifelong devotion to each other according to the will of God and the presence of Christ in this church, I now pronounce you husband and wife. in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Jeff, you can kiss your wife. And now it's my privilege to introduce to you Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Wadsworth. so ♪ Peace on earth, peace on heaven ♪ Peace on earth, peace on heaven ♪ Peace on earth, peace on heaven ♪ Peace on earth, peace on heaven Yeah. Thank you. ♪ Sleep in peace ♪ Sleep in peace ♪ Sleep in peace ♪ Sleep in peace and and and Jeff and Kelly will come back and dismiss you a row at a time. And then they would like for you to come over to the chapel and have hot chocolate and cupcakes. You can be seated.