Invite Jesus to Your Wedding

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

“Dear woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied, “My time has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

“Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, and 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 and 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.”

“This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.” John 2: 1-11

Goals for Your Wedding Day

1.  We will make our wedding a worship experience by…making Jesus the very first person we invite.

2.  Resolving to make it a worship service, rather than a production.

3.  Setting our goal to be married, not just to get married.

4.  Praising the Creator, rather than calling attention to us.

5.  Setting a budget to honor God rather than to impress people.

6.  Publicly honoring our parents and grandparents.

7.  Remembering it is Christ, not the pastor who really marries you.

8.  Call attention on your wedding day to our true future hope – the second coming of Christ (the wedding supper of the Lamb.)  “Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory!  For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.” Revelation 19:7

Some Serious Questions to consider:

Will people remember Jesus more than the two of you when the day is over?

Is the presence of Christ truly welcome in all your festivities including at the reception?

Will the people who attend catch a glimpse of heaven?

Remember, marriage is for better for worse for keeps.

Hosting a Bridal Shower

Laura Leathers
Copyright 2005

The Invitation:

(Insert the Name of Bride) is the Bride-to-Be.

It’s a time of celebration you see.

A Bridal Blessing Tea is planned for Three,

On (Insert Date) at the home of (Insert Location) it will be.

So write from your heart to hers, your best marriage advice,

It can be a note in a book or simply a card would be nice.

For in the years to come, there are sure to be times that are trying.

And your wit and wisdom may have her laughing till she is crying.

A special wooden box will be given to hold these special treasures,

Placed in her new home, the blessings it holds will bring great pleasure.

About nine years ago, I was invited to speak and cater a tea for a new bride.  The hostess asked me for some ideas and I suggested she call the bridal shower a Bridal Blessing Tea.  In addition to the gifts the guests were to bestow upon the bride, I recommended she purchase a special box and ask each guest to share a piece of marriage wisdom–something they had learned through their marriage.  The guests were given special instructions on how this could be accomplished.  They could buy a book, place a small gift in the box, or write a short note or a lengthy letter.

This special box was presented to the bride at the very end of the shower.  She opened each card, book, and little gift.  We laughed and even cried as she shared bits and pieces of what each woman had written.  It was truly a special time for all who attended and it truly a memory-making moment.  Afterwards the bride gave me a big hug and said this was the best gift she had received.

I wonder what special treasures the box holds today?  Maybe there are more love letters from her husband, locks of hair from her children, perhaps pictures of special moments, or a child’s first drawing.  How many times has she gone back to read the wise words of her mother, aunt, grandmothers, relatives, and friends?  I hope it has been a source of blessing to her.

(Look for a wooden box at antique stores, craft stores, and furniture stores.)

Showering the Bride with Prayer

Molly Evert
Counter Cultural Mom

A bridal shower is a special opportunity to cover a new bride with loving prayer.  Ask the bride for any specific requests she has.  Then read each of the following prayer points aloud, and ask for a volunteer to pray for each request.  After each request has been assigned, pray through them as the Spirit leads.  The Bride-to-Be will feel showered, indeed.

Pray for her relationship with her husband-to-be for pre-marital counseling sessions, for clear communication, for unity and for grace as they approach their wedding day.

Pray for her relationship with her parents, as she “leaves and cleaves,” moving physically and emotionally from her parents’ home into her husband’s.

Pray for peace and a godly attitude as she finalizes wedding details.

Pray God’s blessing on her womb, that she would be fruitful.  Pray that the Lord will prosper her husband’s work.  Pray that they will be given opportunities to minister together, and that the Lord will use them in a mighty way to accomplish the work of His Kingdom.

Pray scripture, such as Proverbs 31 and 1 Peter 3, for her.  Speak these words of truth and grace into her life, praying that the Lord would bring her to maturity in Christ, that she would be a fitting help mate to her husband and that God would be glorified in her Christ-like service as a wife and mother.

Pray for the various stages of her life: that God would give her patience and gentleness as a young mother, that He would help her to train and guide her children wisely during their teen years, and that her relationship with her husband would grow stronger and richer with each passing year.  Pray for her as she ages, that her children will “arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her.”  Pray that she will leave a godly legacy for her children’s children, and that God would pour out His love on her family for a thousand generations (Exodus 20: 6).

Prayers & Blessings with the Bride-to-Be

Teresa Snipes
I started doing bridal showers differently several years ago.  I wanted to have a bridal shower for a dear friend’s soon to be daughter-in-law who lived in another state.  I prayed and asked God to give me an idea of how to make her feel welcome and a way for her to see how many people had been praying for her for years since we had been praying for her fiance.

God gave me an idea for a bridal prayer tea/shower.  Everyone came into a typical tea where scones with Devonshire cream and preserves and fruit were served. White and pale colors on the tables with tea lights made everything glow.  I set out enough tea sets to serve those coming with my tea chest centrally located so people could choose their tea and pick out a pretty cup.  At each tea set was a teapot with hot water, cream, and sugar so people could be spread out as they fixed their cup of tea.

After everyone had visited for a while, we gathered in the great room where all the gifts were piled onto a center table, with some overflowing onto the floor.  Three chairs have been set up.  The bride was in the middle chair bookended by her mother and soon to be mother-in-law.

I previously asked the bride to come up with a list of things for which she would like the group to pray. I added to this list since most brides do not have a clue as to all they should praying for!  I reworded the prayer requests to make sure the bride and groom’s names were on each request. For example:  For Tom and Joy to make a home where Christ is the center and their home is built upon that solid rock.

I printed off the prayer requests and cut them into strips with one request on each slip.  The slips were folded and placed in a basket. As women arrived, they were asked to pull a prayer request from the basket.

As the bride began opening gifts, the giver was pointed out as is typical at most bridal showers.  If the giver had a prayer request, I asked them to tell a little about how they knew the bridegroom and mother or tell a funny story about the bridegroom that the bride may not know.  The giver then prayed a short prayer for what was on her slip of paper.

As we progressed through gifts and prayers there was lots of laughter, some tears of joy, and lots of fun and memorable moments.  There is a bonding that happens when we pray for people that changes everything.  When the gifts were all opened, I asked the bride to kneel in the middle of the floor with the mothers on either side of her.  I shared with everyone the Old Testament blessing from Numbers 6 that my husband and I have given our children each night for the last 13 years and why.  I then asked the guests to pray the blessing with me over the bride.  Afterwards, I asked each lady to please take a candle and candle holder from the tray at the front door as they left. I asked them to put it in a special place such as their sink so when they see the candle they will be reminded to pray for this couple once again.

Letter to a New Bride

My younger sister found an old letter from me this week, full of advice about her upcoming marriage.  I was a young wife myself when I penned the letter, having only been married four years at the time.

I wrote, “Christians must commit themselves to marriage ‘as long as we both shall live’.  You two are the kind of people who will work to make your marriage last—with God’s help!  The first part of a lasting marriage is commitment—which you have. Decide from the outset that there is no option for divorce, for that is half the battle.  Then you’ll have to work out your problems because you know you’ll be together for life.

In addition to your pre-marital counseling, I hope you’ll read a couple of excellent marriage books before the big day!  The best book I’ve ever read on marriage is Naked and Unashamed: Recapturing Family Intimacy by Bill Mills.  We try to read one marriage book per year, so we’ll keep growing as a couple.

We were counseled before our marriage to take one year out of ministry.  We attended church and Bible study, but we did not lead anything. This was excellent advice, as we weren’t under pressure to run all over the place or to focus on others.  Instead, we had time and energy to pour into growing our marriage.

We took the television out of the home for that first year.  It can become too easy to just watch TV and not spend time communicating, laughing, being intimate, praying together, playing games, and the like.  Putting the TV away gave us a lot more time to build our foundation.

One more piece of advice from your big sis…get a few good cookbooks!

I hope this advice is helpful to you.  We love marriage and we would never go back.  There are times when it is very hard and you will, no doubt, experience those times…but God is gracious and He helps us to say (and mean) those most important words, “I’m sorry”, and “I love you”.

With love from your big sis,

Molly”

By God’s grace, my sister is celebrating her 14^th wedding anniversary this month.  I’ll soon celebrate my 18^th.

Designer Placemats

Loi Palmer

With just five, six-inch straight stitches you can make these functional place mats.

Materials needed: tea towel, 34-inch ribbon, sewing machine.
Fold the end of the tea towel up

to form a six-inch pocket. Stitch along the edges. Stitch a three-inch pocket on the left side for the silverware pocket. Stitch a five-inch pocket on the right side for the napkin pocket. Fold ribbon in half and stitch to the top of the right napkin pocket.

Optional: Personalize the place mat with the initial of your last name. If you don’t have access to an embroidery machine, you can purchase iron-on embroidery initials.