Burton Lee Smith

Groom walks moms

Groom walks preacher

Wedding party

Bride

Seat guests

Giving of bride

The joining of two families is a significant event. Who commends Wendy into John's care?

Proceed to alter

Opening Words:

Friends and family, we gather here today in the presence of God and this community to witness and celebrate the union of Wendy Lee Worrell and John Wesley Zimmerman in holy matrimony. Marriage is a sacred covenant, a reflection of the love that God has for His people and the love that Christ has for His church. It is also a union of friends. I asked John and Wendy to share some dirt on each other. Tell me something quirky, a characteristic you love, or an admirable trait.

John Shared:

Quirk - Phone almost always needs charged in the vehicle. I rarely get to use my own charger 😆

Trait I Love - Her word is golden. If she says it , she means it. If she says she’s going to do something , she always does. Speaks from the heart every single day.

Characteristic - The love she has for all of her family. Kids, parents, sister, cousins etc. Will go out of her way to make something happen and make life easier for all. This includes her close friends, who there are in abundance of because people just love being around her. Just like I do.

Wendy shared,

Characteristic - He is a gentle giant. Vulnerable and always willing to talk openly and honestly.

Trait I love - His generosity. You can’t outgive John. Ever. Don’t even try. He’s generous to a fault.

Quirk - The need to incessantly sanitize. (Not just a CoVid thing. He did it long before 2020) he ALWAYS has some on him ready to use and share.

Scripture Reading:

Officiant: We begin by reading from the Gospel of John, chapter 2, verses 1-11, which tells us of a miraculous event at a wedding in Cana:

(A designated reader reads the passage.)

JOHN 2

Jesus Changes Water Into Wine

1On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

4 “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”

5His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

6Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.

7Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.

8Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”

They did so, 9and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

Message:

Officiant: This story reminds us of the importance of love and the blessings that come from Christ's presence in our lives. Just as Jesus transformed water into wine, may His presence in your marriage transform your love into something even more beautiful, abundant, and joyful. People at the wedding accused the father of the bride of saving the best wine for last. Similarly you two are entering into a new chapter of your journey together. And while you now have the best, remember to not save the best in yourselves. Give the best to each other each and every day. When you get to the end, make sure you have filled each other with everything you have.

What greater thing for two people than to feel they are joined together; to strengthen each other in labor, to rest on each other in sorrow, to help each other in need, to share joy, and to be one with each other - whatever life has to offer. Both of you have faced many challenges in life, but the toughest of circumstances produce some of the strongest and most precious of outcomes. Think about diamonds. The amount of pressure, heat and time it takes to turn the most common of coal into the most precious of stones is unimaginable. Yet it happens.

John and Wendy, today begins a life of giving and sharing, nurturing and support; allowing each other the freedom to change and grow as individuals while developing your mutual spirit as time goes by. In the area of marriage, the little things are the big things. It is about establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal, dependence is mutual, and the obligation is reciprocal.

Today your family and friends are gathered together to celebrate your union. Today we are privileged to witness two very dear friends; two exceptional and driven individuals committed to sharing a lifetime together.

Marriage is perhaps the greatest and most challenging adventure of human relationships. No ceremony can create your marriage; only you can do that through love and patience; through dedication and perseverance. Through talking and listening. Helping, supporting and believing in each other. Through playfulness and exploration. Through tenderness and laughter. Through learning to forgive, learning to appreciate your differences and by learning to make the important things matter, and let go of the rest. What this ceremony can do is to witness and affirm the choice you make to stand together as partners before God.

Sand Ceremony:

Officiant: Wendy and John, today you bring together two distinct lives, symbolized by these individual containers of sand. Each container represents your unique personalities, your individual life experiences, and your families. As you pour the sand from your separate containers into one common vessel, it symbolizes the coming together of your lives as one.

[The song "Thankful for the Scars" begins to play. Wendy and John each take their individual containers of colored sand and pour them into a central container, creating a beautiful mixture of colors.]

Officiant: Just as these grains of sand can never be separated and poured again into their individual containers, may your marriage be a union that is unbreakable and inseparable.

Vows:

As you state vows to each other and exchange rings, you are putting together a tradition, a belief system; yes, a monument, a house. As you come together you are building an establishment where Christ can reign and you can serve each other and serve others for His kingdom. As God gave Adam and Eve to each other so has he given you both to go forth and be His banner of good news of God’s love and transformation. Because for those who have chosen Christ, this “building” will stand in the day of trouble and testing. This world and culture is waiting for authentic, real people to shine forth as lights in the dark. Ecclesiastes states that two are better than one and a cord of three strands is not easily broken. One author has stated that God does not give you marriage to make you happy, he gives marriage to make you holy. As you leave this holy ground today continue building this relationship, this house, you must realize that the foundation is Christ, but also invite Him in to be the Master of the house and your provider for all good things.

Wendy and John have written their vows for each other, but before they exchange them I would like to speak to the kids.

Do you, Ty, Bridget, Tobiah, Allison, and Sean, accept this union, as ordained by God and acknowledge them as One from this day forward and give your blessing and support?

John please share your vows.

Wendy please share your vows.

Officiant: Wendy Lee Worrell, do you take John Wesley Zimmerman to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do you part?

Wendy: I do.

Officiant: John Wesley Zimmerman, do you take Wendy Lee Worrell to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do you part?

John: I do.

Exchange of Rings: (Ty has the rings)

Rings:

What do you give as a token of these vows just spoken?

Every covenant has a sign or a symbol to remind each party of the responsibilities he or she brings to the covenant relationship. These rings are symbols of your love. They are precious; an unending circle which will be just the right fit. Not loose so it might be lost or too tight to hurt.

John, place this ring on Wendy's wedding finger and repeat after me:

“This ring I give to you as a symbol of my love.

I pledge to you my loyalty and devotion.

Until the end of time.

Wendy:

“I will wear this ring as an expression of my love and faithfulness to you and a sign that I am yours alone.”

Wendy, place this ring on John's wedding finger and repeat after me:

“This ring I give to you as a symbol of my love.

I pledge to you my loyalty and devotion.

Until the end of time.

John:

“I will wear this ring as an expression of my love and faithfulness to you and a sign that I am yours alone.”

Benediction:

Pastor Gordon Snell has been a huge part of John and Wendy's journey. I would like to invite him to offer the benediction and blessing on the couple. John and Wendy are part of all of us. I invite you to extend your hands in blessing and in offering your love and support for them.

Pronouncement:

For as much as you John, and you, Wendy have openly pledged yourselves to one another in love and faithfulness, in the presence of God, and before these witnesses, and having confirmed the same by each giving and receiving a ring, and by joining hands, I, as a minister of the gospel of Christ, pronounce you husband and wife.

You may kiss the bride.

Introduction:

It is my privilege to introduce to you Mr. and Mrs. John and Wendy Zimmerman!

Bride and groom leave

Wedding party leaves

The reception will start soon. Please feel free to take your places.

Ushers dismiss guests