Wedding Vows

After my marriage to the love of my life last year, numerous people have commented on our vows and asked to see them. I’m happy to share them, because they really are beautiful and true and solid.

The words aren’t original, though the arrangement and some of the language has been tweaked to include our own flavor. The vows come from a Declaration of Intent called “The Covenant Way,” written by a professor at Calvin College.

My wife and I had actually heard an alternate version of these vows at a wedding we attended a year before our own. We loved them so much and we enjoyed reading “The Covenant Way” in its fullness.

These vows have a touch of the traditional, but somehow carry a different feel.

Here at last is bone of my bones, flesh of my flesh,

divine help, in a form I understand.

You are the image of God for me.

God speaks to me in your voice.

God looks at me through your eyes.

God touches me with your hands.

And, in my love for you,

I also seek to reflect God.

 

I, ________, take you, ________, to be my husband/wife,

to have and to hold from this day forward,

for better or for worse,

for richer or poorer,

in sickness and in health,

to love and to cherish

until death parts us.

Nothing else will have the power,

for today I turn away from all other options.

Forsaking all others,

I commit myself to you.

I will seek to serve you

with tenderness and respect,

energy and intelligence,

imagination and love.

 

I take you to be my partner in Christ’s service.

I will help you develop God’s gifts in you

and work with you for the coming of the kingdom of God.

I will listen with you for God’s call on our lives,

that our home may be a place where the good news is proclaimed,

where justice and mercy are lived,

where God’s children are welcomed,

and where God’s name is honored.

May our marriage give God joy!