The Christian wedding ceremony is only completed after the call to worship has been said by the priest and the people. This is considered to be an act of worship in front of god.
The opening remarks of the Christian ceremony usually begin with the Dearly Beloved, which is known as the call or invitation to the worship of God.
These remarks help in inviting the guest to the wedding & become a witness to the marriage along with the bride and groom and worship God.
History of Call to Worship
The Christian prayer has been in practice for the past many centuries.
This particular tradition is used in Christian weddings and other such sacramental and ceremonial worships which are practiced in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches.
A great deal of emphasis is laid on this particular practice as they save guard and depict the various doctrinal beliefs of the community.
Different types of worship gatherings play a vital role in improving the mental and emotional state of the body and if this worship is done in a gathering.
Then it increases the amplitude and the frequency of the prayer which is made to the lord and pierces through the hearts and minds of the devotees.
The reciting of a call to worship is used in Christian weddings as they believe that God is himself present in the wedding ceremony.
They also believe that this particular event of the wedding is witnessed by the people in heaven just like the people of the earth participating in it.
The guests who are invited to this wedding are more than just the observant as they participate in reciting the call to worship and ask for the blessings and mercy of Jesus Christ.
Call to Worship Samples
Given below are some of the most commonly used prayers which are recited in the churches during the Christian weddings.
You can use these prayers to worship samples as a reference during the weddings of your loved and dear ones.
The four samples of the Christian prayer are as follows:
Call to Worship – 1
Dear friends and family, with great affection for ___ and ___ we have gathered together to witness and bless their union in marriage.
To this sacred moment, they bring the fullness of their hearts as a treasure and a gift from God to share. They bring the dreams which bind them together in an eternal commitment.
They bring their gifts and talents, their unique personalities and spirits, which God will unite together into one being as they build their life together.
We rejoice with them in thankfulness to the Lord for creating this union of hearts, built on friendship, respect, and love.
Call to Worship – 2
Dearly beloved, we are gathered here in the presence of God, to join this man and this woman in holy marriage, which is instituted by God, blessed by our Lord Jesus Christ, and to be held in honor among all men.
Let us therefore reverently remember that God has established and sanctified marriage, for the welfare and happiness of mankind.
Our Saviour has instructed that a man shall forsake his father and mother and cleave to his wife.
By his apostles, he has instructed those who enter into this relation to cherish a mutual esteem and love, to bear with each other’s’ infirmities and weaknesses;
to comfort each other in sickness, trouble, and sorrow;
in honesty and industry to provide for each other and their household in temporal things;
to pray for and encourage each other in the things which pertain to God, and to live together as heirs of the grace of life.
Call to Worship – 3
Dearly beloved, we are gathered here in the sight of God, and in the presence of these witnesses, to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony; which is an honorable estate, instituted of God.
It is, therefore, not to be entered into unadvisedly, but reverently, discreetly, and in the fear of God. Into this holy estate, these two persons come now to be joined.
Call to Worship – 4
We are gathered here in the sight of God and these witnesses to unite ___ and ___ in holy matrimony.
As followers of Jesus Christ, they believe that God created marriage. In Genesis, it says, “It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
___ and ___, as you prepare to take these vows, give careful thought and prayer, for as you make them you are making an exclusive commitment one to the other for as long as you both shall live.
Your love for each other should never be diminished by difficult circumstances, and it is to endure until death parts you.
As God’s children, your marriage is strengthened by your obedience to your Heavenly Father and His Word. As you let God be in control of your marriage, He will cause your home to be a place of joy and a testimony to the world.
The flow of a Christian Wedding
The marriage ceremony in the Christian tradition is a five-step process that starts with the sitting of the parents in the church.
After the parents are seated, then the bridal procession takes place which is then followed by the wedding march of the bride and the groom.
The wedding march is then followed by the opening remarks which are done by reciting the call to worship by the people who are gathered in the church which is then followed by the opening prayer.
The final part of the marriage ceremony in Christianity is giving away of the bride to the family of the groom.
Significance of the Prayer
The call to worship has a lot of significance in the Christian culture and tradition. Without the reciting of the call to worship the wedding ceremony is not considered to be complete.
This particular practice brings not only the bride and groom but all the people who are gathered together for the wedding close to each other and invoke the feeling of faith and love towards the almighty Jesus Christ.
Reciting of this worship prayer also results in amplifying the quantity of energy of the prayer which is made to God and the effect is also multiplied.
This particular practice results in increasing the faith and the love of Jesus Christ in those people who are not very close to God or are unaware of the effects of the divine power.
Christian Wedding Prayers
Some of the wedding prayers which are said on the day of the Christian wedding are given below:
1. Wedding Prayer
Most gracious God, we give you thanks for your tender love in sending Jesus Christ to come among us, to be born of a human mother, and to make the way of the cross to be the way of life.
We thank you, also, for consecrating the union of man and woman in Jesus’ name.
By the power of your Holy Spirit, pour out the abundance of your blessing upon this man and this woman.
Defend them from every enemy.
Lead them into all peace.
Let their love for each other be a seal upon their hearts, a mantle about their shoulders, and a crown upon their foreheads.
Bless them in their work and their companionship; in their sleeping and their waking; in their joys and their sorrows; in their life and their death.
Finally, in your mercy, bring them to that table where your saints feast for ever in your heavenly home; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, forever and ever.
Amen.
–Book of Common Prayer (1979)
2. Wedding Prayer for Marriage
Hand in hand, we come before you, O Lord.
Hand in hand, we are stepping out in faith.
We, who are gathered here, ask that you would take this couple into your hands. Help them, O Lord, to keep firm in the commitments they have just made.
Guide them, O God, as they become a family, as they each change through the years. May they be flexible as they are faithful.
And Lord, help us all to be your hands if there be a need. Strengthen, tenderly all of our commitments, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Conclusion
The practice of call to worship in the Christian wedding ceremonies are being practiced from the past many centuries.
It involves the reciting of different calls to the gods which are done by the gathering which has come to bless the bride and the groom and also to take the blessing from Jesus Christ.
Various prayers are recited in the churches all around the world. These have different languages and stanzas but the essence and the crux of every call to worship remain the same.
People Also Ask (FAQs)
How long is an average call to worship prayer in a Christian wedding?
On average, a prayer which is recited in a Christian wedding lasts for a span of about 3 to 5 minutes. It also depends upon the pace at which the gathering along with the bride and groom are singing or reciting it in front of the god.
Who recites the call to worship?
The prayer is recited by the gathering who has appeared in the church for blessing the bride and the groom and also by the priest and the bride and groom themselves.
It there any fixed language of the call to worship?
Yes, a fixed language is present for the prayer which is recited in a Christian wedding ceremony. Slight variations are present in these worships but the main essence or the crux remains the same.