I have probably performed over 500 weddings in my pastoral career. On each occasion, bride and groom have repeated certain very important promises, word for word. I recall one very nervous groom who said, “With this wing I thee wed.” Afterward I was never able to really regain control of that service.
The heart of the marital commitment is expressed in this promise: “I take you to be my wedded 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 and to cherish, till death us do part…”
Even as I perform these sacred ceremonies, I know that some of these marriages will fail. On the other hand, many of these marriages will be gloriously successful. Fifty years later their pictures will be featured in the Commer…