I realized what I was up against early in my ministry. At one of my first weddings, I noted that the bride and groom had several sets of parents, stepparents, grandparents, and step-grandparents each. It was a daunting task for a novice preacher to "line up" the extended wedding party in order of importance. This task was necessary so that the older generation could be properly ushered into the sanctuary. The wedding sermon is an excellent opportunity for the preacher to remind people who attend weddings about the sacred nature of covenants. Moreover, because each wedding is unique, pastors have the opportunity to tailor messages to suit the specific wedding occasion and the people involved with it.

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Choosing a Text

Therefore, the choice of texts is vital. In most Protestant denominations there is a book of worship or book of services. Generally these resources are excellent places for pastors to turn. They not only provide rubrics for the service itself, but many suggest two dozen or more biblical texts appropriate to the occasion of wedding covenants. If a situation presents itself where the couple's marriage will create a blended family, a text on forgiveness or divine love might well be appropriate (see for some of many examples: Matthew 18:15-35; John 13:34; Romans 5:1-5, Romans 12:10, 13:8; Colossians 3:12-17; 1 Peter 1:22; 1 John 3:17-24).

However, if the couple is relatively young, a pastor might want to focus on the nature and substance of promises, focusing on covenant in the Christian understanding of that sacred word (Genesis 6:18-22, 17:1-8; Psalm 18:25-33; Acts 2:37-39). These examples merely serve as an illustration of the wide variety of biblical texts that a preacher can employ. Each situation in a marriage circumstance is unique and the pastor is best able to judge what is appropriate or inappropriate in a given context. The vital element is that the pastor preaches the gospel.

Some of the most traditional wedding sermon texts include the wedding feast of the Lamb (Rev. 19:1, 5-9), God's creation of the first couple (Gen. 1:26-28, 31a), Jesus' Love commandment (Matt. 22:35-40), and obviously, Paul's hymn to love (1 Cor. 13). However, preachers must take care to take into consideration the text's biblical context. If we do not, then the scripture may turn out more comical than theological. Often couples request the beautiful words from the book of Ruth that read: "Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God" (Ruth 1:16). This perspective is beautiful. This point of view may express the couple's deepest commitment to the other. But no matter how we slice it, these words are, in point of fact, biblical words that a daughter-in-law speaks to her mother-in-law. During a wedding, if this biblical fact penetrates a congregation's awareness, then the possibility exists for some hushed hilarity for those attentive people who catch the irony.