The Prayers
The service continues as below with The Prayers and concludes with The Blessing on page 804.
When the marriage is part of a Liturgy of the Eucharist, directions are to be found on page 807.
The Prayers
The priest may say to the couple
N and N, we welcome you now as
husband and wife.
Pray, and we will pray with you.
May God enrich the life you have chosen,
and fulfil your hopes.
Unless it has already been used in the second form of the marriage liturgy the priest and congregation may say the following.
Blessed are you, heavenly Father,
you give joy to bridegroom and bride.
Blessed are you, Jesus our Redeemer,
you have brought new life to us all.
Blessed are you, Holy Spirit of God,
you bring us together in love.
Blessed are you Creator, Saviour and Giver of life,
one God to be praised for ever. Amen.
The priest says
As Christ teaches us we pray
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours
now and for ever. Amen.
Kua akona nei tātou e tō tātou Ariki,
ka īnoi tātou
E tō mātou Matua i te rangi
Kia tapu tōu Ingoa.
Kia tae mai tōu rangatiratanga.
Kia meatia tāu e pai ai
ki runga ki te whenua,
kia rite anō ki tō te rangi.
Hōmai ki a mātou āianei
he taro mā mātou mō tēnei rā.
Murua ō mātou hara,
Me mātou hoki e muru nei
i ō te hunga e hara ana ki a mātou.
Āua hoki mātou e kawea kia whakawaia;
Engari whakaorangia mātou i te kino:
Nōu hoki te rangatiratanga, te kaha,
me te korōria,
Āke ake ake. Āmine.
One of the following Forms of Prayer is used.
1
Some or all of the following petitions may be used.
The minister and people pray responsively.
Gracious God we pray for N and N and give thanks that you have brought them together in marriage.
Spirit of God bless this marriage.
We thank you for the love and care which, through their parents, has guided
N and N to maturity, and prepared them for this
commitment.
Spirit of God bless this marriage.
Help them (to be wise and loving parents and) to
grow together in faithfulness and honesty, in mutual support and patience.
Spirit of God bless this marriage.
Make their life together a sign of your love in this broken world; may
forgiveness heal injury and joy triumph over sorrow.
Spirit of God bless this marriage.
Be with them in their work and renew them in their leisure.
Spirit of God bless this marriage.
May they welcome into their home both friends and strangers and so reflect
Christ’s love for all people.
Spirit of God bless this marriage.
In all their future together may they enjoy each other’s lives and grow
through the love they share.
Amen.
Other prayers may be offered.
Then follows The Marriage Blessing and The Dismissal as on pages 804–805.
2
All or part of the following prayer may be used.
There may be silence between sections.
Eternal God, creator of us all,
we praise you for all the ways
in which your love comes into our lives,
and for all the joys
that can come to men and women through marriage.
Today we especially pray for N and N
as they begin their married life.
With them we thank you for the love and care of their parents,
which has guided them to maturity
and prepared them for this commitment.
Give them strength
to keep the vows they have made,
to be loyal and faithful to each other,
and to support each other throughout their life,
that they may bear each other’s burdens
and share each other’s joys.
Help them to be honest and patient with each other,
(to be wise and loving parents)
and to welcome both friends and strangers into their home.
In all their future together
may they enjoy each other
and grow through the love they share,
until, at the end of this life,
you receive us all into your eternal kingdom,
through Jesus Christ our Redeemer.
Amen.
Other prayers may be offered.
Then follows The Marriage Blessing and The Dismissal as on pages 804–805.
3
Holy creator Spirit,
you made us and you change us.
Let your loving wisdom work with N and N,
deepening and developing their desire,
moulding and freeing their generosity.
May they achieve stability
and sweetness in their daily lives until their lives shall end.
May they train, support and inspire the children
with whom you entrust them
to enjoy your blessing and to serve your world.
Holy Spirit of God,
you know our strength
and for our frailty you have compassion.
Be with N and N
in all they undertake.
And grant that we their friends,
with all who become their friends,
may sense and understand their needs
and help as opportunity demands.
Other prayers may be offered.
Then follows The Marriage Blessing and The Dismissal as on pages 804–805.
4
Loving Spirit,
grant to N and N,
that in giving and forgiving
they may receive from each other lasting joy.
Bind them together with cords that cannot be broken.
Bind them together with love.
Grant that they may always take delight in each other,
and each remain the other’s heart’s desire.
Bind them together with cords that cannot be broken.
Bind them together with love.
May they reach such trust and confidence in each other
as shall keep them from unnecessary distress.
May they find courage to meet
the heartaches, disappointments and agonies life can bring.
Be their rock, their fortress, for they put their trust in you.
Help them to look beyond their own family
and their own concerns
to see the world, suffering and struggling,
the world you have given us to share with one another.
Open their eyes and their hearts.
Give them grace to accept that they are mortal,
to face the possibility of death
and the separation it must bring.
Jesus, you are resurrection, you are life.
Other prayers may be offered.
Then follows The Marriage Blessing and The Dismissal as on pages 804–805.
Additional Prayers
Creating and redeeming God,
it is your love which in marriage makes two persons fully one.
As N and N love each other, may they also grow in love
for you.
Walking together with Christ as their companion on the way,
may they come to those inexpressible joys
which you have prepared for all who love you.
Amen.
God of peace,
your love is generous,
and reaches out to hold us all in your embrace.
Fill our hearts with tenderness
for those to whom we are linked today.
Give us sympathy with each other’s trials;
give us patience with each other’s faults;
that we may grow in the likeness of Jesus
and share in the joy of your kingdom.
Amen.
Father of all,
we thank you for this new family,
and for everything these parents
and their children have to share;
by your Spirit of peace draw them together
and help them be true friends to one another.
Let your love surround them and your care protect them,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Dear God,
you are merciful and forgiving.
Grant that N and N,
their family and all who care for them,
may accept your generous love.
Heal their memories, comfort them,
and send them all from here
renewed and hopeful.
Amen.
Creator Spirit,
we thank you for your gift of sexual love,
by which husband and wife
may express their delight in each other,
find refreshment,
and share with you the joy of creating new life.
By your grace may N and N remain lovers,
rejoicing in your goodness.
Amen.
God, the source of love,
we pray now for all who are committed to each other in love.
Through their love may they know your love
and so be renewed for your service in the world.
Amen.
God, the author of love,
we pray for all who are married.
Through their love for each other
may they know the reality of your love
for the whole world;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
This prayer may be said by the couple.
God of tenderness and strength,
you have brought our paths together
and led us to this day;
go with us now as we travel through good times,
through trouble, or through change.
Bless our home, our partings and our meetings.
Make us worthy of each other’s best,
and tender with each other’s dreams,
trusting in your love in Jesus Christ.
Amen.