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An Interfaith Marriage Ceremony

We would like to credit and thank the Swedenborgian Church of San Francisco for this collection of readings. It is a beautiful place to be married, and welcomes all faith traditions.

Dear Friends: We have come together here this day to share in the celebration of a marriage. _____________ and  _____________, desiring to enter the holy relationship of a marriage, now present themselves before God and this fellowship of friends and relatives that their mutual consent to be united as husband and wife may be heard, witnessed and consecrated.

Dearly beloved: The One who made heaven and earth, and created all people as his children, has whispered deep within the human heart that he is the one God of all people. We may call him by different words, rituals and customs. We may seek his presence in church, mosque or synagogue, or in the inmost recesses of our being, yet he is still the one God of all people.

Far beyond outward differences of creed and theology, far beyond seeming differences of race, color or language is a deep recognition that we are all children of the same God; that spiritually we are brothers and sisters of one another as, each according to his or her best insights, seeks to love and serve God and live in harmony with all humankind.

This one God is goodness itself and has endowed us with a  capacity for love that can reach exquisite heights and can supply the strength to face the most rigorous challenges. To honor and respect its great purposes, God would have us sanctify this most intimate relationship so that we may find the joy and the happiness with which God can endow it. Therefore, we approach now this most ancient and most modern of institutions, in the spirit of divine hope and in the knowledge of God's sustaining grace.

_________________ and ___________________, your marriage relationship offers you the highest and most intimate experience of love. A growing bond of affection, trust and mutual concern can bring you into a fuller life than either of you can achieve alone. As you share with each other your creative differences, your life together can become richer, more complete and more soul-satisfying. Marriage in this high sense is a uniting on all levels of your being: body, mind, heart and spirit. The longer you live together - the more you grow and develop as individuals - the more you will have to contribute to your marriage.

The very nature of love is to want to give to another to give ever more fully, feeling Joy in the Joy of another. How true this is of the marriage love that brings you together! This love calls forth the best qualities in each of you, seeking to break down the barriers of selfishness and mistrust, and all that would keep you apart. This love opens the way to a deeper understanding and sensitivity, enabling you to respond more fully to the desires and needs of each other. In this mutual growing together you can gain an increasing respect for each other as persons, for marriage love never seeks to dominate or possess.

As you stand here, in this high moment, remember that love, loyalty and trust are the foundations of a happy and lasting marriage. As you strive to fulfill the commitment you make here today, your life together can be increasingly full of joy, of satisfaction and of peace. I pray that in all the events of life you will hold fast to the vision and promise of this, your wedding day.

_________________, in light of this vision of life together, will you take this woman as your wife, that you may live together in the holy bond of marriage? Will you strive to love, honor and comfort her, and will you be faithful to her so long as you both shall live?  (Answer: I will.)

___________________, in light of this vision of life together, will you take this man as your husband, that you may live together in the holy bond of marriage? Will you strive to love, honor and comfort him, and will you be faithful to him so long as you both shall live?  (Answer: I will).

Who presents _______________ in marriage  to ______________?  

Will each one of you here today do all that is in your power to support and encourage ______________ and ______________ in fulfilling the promises they make here today - if so, please respond by saying, 'We will.'

I, ___________________ take you, _________________, to be my wedded wife: to have and to hold from this day forward; for better, for worse; for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health; to love and to cherish; so long as we live; and thereto I pledge you my faith.

I, ______________________ take you, ____________________, to be my wedded husband: to have and to hold from this day forward; for better, for worse; for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health; to love and to cherish; so long as we live; and thereto I pledge you my faith.

The Blessing: O Lord, our God, we ask for your blessing to be upon these rings that they may always be symbols of love and devotion.
(Repeating) With this ring, I thee wed; and pledge my faithful love.


Eternal God, Creator and Preserver of all life, Giver of grace: look with favor upon the world you have made, and especially upon ______________ and_______________ , whom we bless in your name. Give them wisdom and devotion in the ordering of their common life, that each may be to the other a strength in need, a comfort in sorrow, and a companion in joy. Grant that their wills may be so knit together in your will, and their spirits in your spirit, that they may grow in love and peace with you and with one another all the days of their life. Give them grace, when they hurt each other, to recognize and acknowledge their fault, and to seek each other's forgiveness and yours. Give them such fulfillment of their mutual affection that they may reach out in love and concern for others. And grant that all persons who have witnessed these vows may find their lives strengthened and their loyalties confirmed. And give to all who seek it the comfort of your abiding presence. Amen.

Our Father, who art in heaven; hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever.  Amen.

Forasmuch as you ____________ and you _____________ have consented together in marriage, and have pledged your love and your commitment each to the other in the presence of God and of this company, I do now pronounce that you are husband and wife.  

May the God of all people bless, preserve and keep you: may God mercifully look upon you and fill you with all spiritual benediction and grace, that your love for each other may grow and deepen all the days of your life. Amen.

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