Andrew Lyke
Minister ID: 562717-299374 View Ordination Certificate
Courtney Easter/Steve Anderson Wedding
The Wedding of Courtney Easter & Steve Anderson, Jr.
Officiated by Andrew Lyke at The home of Phillip & Nicole in Oak Park, Illinois on July 3rd, 2021. Witnessed by Andréa Senegal and André Senegal .
ABOUT THIS WEDDING
"I’ve known Courtney since her childhood. It was my honor to officiate her wedding. She met Steve last year and both their lives have been transformed. Steve and Courtney, marriage is the most important of all human relationships. It should be entered into reverently, thoughtfully, and with a hunger for full understanding of its sacred nature. Your marriage must stand by the strength of your love and the power of faith in each other and in God. Just as two threads woven in opposite directions form a beautiful tapestry, so too your lives, merged together, will make a beautiful marriage. It is a mutual enrichment; a mingling of two personalities which diminishes neither and enhances both. Marriage is a fusion of two hearts, the union of two lives, the coming together of two rivers, which after being united in marriage will flow in the same channel in the same direction. The success of your relationship will take love. This is the core of your marriage and why you are here today. As the Scripture reading attests, love is patient and kind, love isn’t jealous and petty, love isn’t pompous, inflated, or rude, love isn’t quick tempered, self-centered, nor does it hold grudges. You might think that love is out of reach, as these characteristics of love too often elude our human tendencies. And, expanding on this Scriptural wisdom, love is difficult, love is hard work, love is sacrificing, love is humbling, love is often not fun, love is costly, and love can be painful. For sure, love isn’t for the faint of heart. It will take trust, to know in your hearts that you truly want the best for each other. It will take dedication, to stay open and honest with one another and to learn and grow together. It will take faith, to go forward together without knowing exactly what the future brings. And it will take commitment to hold true to the journey you both promise today to share together. An intimate and secure relationship is not based solely on promises, but also on trust, respect, faithfulness, and the ability to forgive. A lasting marriage is based on all of these, bound together by love. Courtney and Steve, the greatest encouragement I can give you is, when you feel your resolve to love is low or the hard work of love is too much to bear, draw strength from the Author of love. Take it to God. Allow your love for each other to reflect God’s love. Remember that true love does not come from you; it comes from God through you. And you will find courage and strength. Your life will be a fulfillment of those Scripture passages that define love. You will know firsthand that love really does bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, and endure all things. Your experiences will bear witness to the truth that love never fails. Terri and I have had the privilege to journey with you through a marriage preparation process. In this process we have had frank discussions about marriage in general and your relationship in particular. Without breaching any confidentialities, I can say this: We see clearly that yours is a relationship that has already transformed your lives. You are better people because of each other. You make each other better. While life will have its challenges, as with all lifelong, committed relationships, you have grace from God that will not only continue to give promise to your life, it will also enrich all our lives, the lives of those who you include in your circle of love, as you bear witness to God, whose love you refract outwardly. Making a promise for a lifetime in the face of an unknown future demands great courage, which flows from great faith. However, your odds for success will be in your favor because you know what it looks like. Invite successful couples into your life. They are concrete evidence that this enterprise of lifelong marriage, which you today will boldly step into, is doable. Continue to cultivate friendships with couples who strive for permanence, and healthiness, as you do. Be sources of encouragement to each other. And bear together the fruits of a good life with such associations. Yes, you make each other better . . . and we are all better because of you. Thanks be to God."
Andrew Lyke
WEDDING PHOTOS
Courtney Easter And Steve Anderson, Jr.’S Wedding Wedding Ceremony Script
Welcoming and Greeting
We are gathered here and now in the sight of God, and the presence of family and friends to celebrate Love. I greet you in the name of Love. It is love that brings us all here: the love we have for Courtney and Steve, respectively and collectively, and the love they share with each other. That love, which comes from one source, though it feels so very personal, does not come from us but through us. We refract and direct what comes from the Author of Love, God Almighty, toward our beloved. And so, because it is the love of God that brings us to this place and time, let us greet each other in the Spirit of God and the love that runs through us.
Declaration of Intent
Steve and Courtney, here in the presence of those who love you most and surrounded by God’s manifestation in the hospitality of Nicole and Phillip, and the love of family and friends, I ask you to declare your intentions.
Do you take each other as lifelong partners in marriage, joining together in spirit, offering your friendship and loving care? Do you promise to honor each other’s growth and freedom? Do you promise to cherish, honor, respect, embrace, and love each other in challenging times as well as in times of joy? [I do!]
Do you promise to have faith in each other and stand by each other always? Do you promise to listen to each other, to laugh with each other, and to hold each other close? Will you work with each other to build a life together and support each other as you continue to build your own individual, interdependent lives? Will you strive each day to make your relationship strong? And do you promise to place your friendship highest among all human relationships for all the days of your lives? [I do!]
Will you share with each other and support each other’s dreams? Do you promise to apologize, forgive, and work to resolve your differences and misunderstandings in ways that reflect the dignity into which you were both born? And do you promise to do your best to allow God’s love to reflect through you as evidence of God’s presence in our midst? [I do!]
Promise/Vows
Courtney and Steve, I invite you now to voice your covenant with each other and before this assembly.
Steve, repeat after me.
I take you, Courtney, to be my spouse,
To have and to hold from this day forward,
For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer,
In sickness and in health,
To love, honor and cherish, for all the rest of my days.
These are my unbreakable vows to you.
Courtney, repeat after me.
I take you, Steve, to be my spouse,
To have and to hold from this day forward,
For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer,
In sickness and in health,
To love, honor and cherish, for all the rest of my days.
These are my unbreakable vows to you.
Exchange of Rings
These rings have no beginning and no ending, which symbolizes God’s love that runs through you. These rings are a sign that the love that flows in you is eternal. Whenever you look at these rings, may they remind you of the promises you made today.
Pronouncement of Marriage
Steve and Courtney, since you have exchanged vows and rings, and declared your intentions for a lifelong covenant of love, and since it is deemed the will of God and the will of the people you have gathered here as witnesses and stakeholders in that covenant, it is my honor, privilege, and blessing to pronounce you Husband and Wife.
The Kiss
Courtney and Steve, you may seal your covenant with a kiss.
Closing Dedication
Steve and Courtney, may life be rich in friendships, generosity, purpose, and joy. May God continue to smile on you and walk with you in each step of your journey of Love.
The Presentation
Ladies and Gentlemen, family and friends, I present to you . . .
Mr. & Mrs. Steve and Courtney Anderson!
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