Celebration of Kate and Mike’s Marriage
Le Chateau, South Salem, New York
July 16, 2005
Prelude
– Prayer of Hansel and Gretel - Engelbert Humperdink
Attendant’s Processional – Dance of the Spirits –
Christoph von Gluck
Bride’s Processional – Spring, from Four Seasons -
Antonio Vivaldi
Lighting of the Parents’ Candles
Rabbi
Genn: Light is a
symbol of life and vitality. The light of our life is a gift from
our parents and our families. They are the ones whose love gives us
life itself, and who teach us what it means to love by loving us
unconditionally. As a symbol of the life and love that is
Kate’s and Mikes as a gift from their families, Kate and
Mike’s mothers will now come forward and each light a
candle..
Greeting
Fr. Hasselbach:
I’d like
to welcome you to this very special day in Mike and Kate’s
life. Each of you is here because you are special – in some
way, your love and friendship has contributed to making Mike or
Kate, or maybe both of them, and the people they now are. In some
way, each of you has helped bring them to this moment. And because
you’re special, they wanted you to be here to celebrate this
great, life-changing moment in their lives. Thanks for being
here.
Rabbi Genn: Not all the
special people in Mike and Kate’s life could be here, though
– some are separated from us by space, and others by time.
But in a deeply spiritual way, they are with us not too. I’d
ask you to remember them as we pray together today – and
especially please remember Mike’s grandmothers, Charlotte
Wellen and Kate’s Grandmother Mary Alice Holzen, who were not
able to make the trip here today..
Two
Traditions
Fr.
Hasselbach: Out of two
different and distinct traditions, Kate and Mike have come together
to learn the best of what each has to offer, appreciating their
differences and confirming that being together is far better than
being apart.
Acknowledgement
of those who have died
Rabbi
Genn: Both Judaism and Christianity believe that
those separated from us by death are with the Lord, and remain
connected to us in the spirit. Those whom we love, but who cannot
be here, rejoice with us today. In your prayer today, please
remember them. And in particular, please remember Kate’s
grandparents Eileen and Rusty Smith and Henry Holzem, Mike’s
Aunt Rona Braun, and his grandfather, Irving Wellen
Gathering Prayer/Call to Worship
Fr.
Hasselbach: Gracious and ever-living god, you have
created us male and female in your image. Look lovingly upon Mike
and Kate, who come to you for your blessing. Assist them with you
love, that with true faithfulness and steadfast love they may honor
and keep the promises they make to each other today.
Rabbi Genn: We ask this in the
unspeakable name of the One who creates sustains and saves us, and
who lives in our hearts and in the heart of our world forever and
everﾉAmen
First
Reading Meditation – From the Prophet, by Kahil
Gibran
You were born
together, and together you shall be forevermore. You shall be
together when the white wings of death scatter your days.
But let there be spaces in your togetherness, and let the winds of
the heavens dance between you.
Love one another, but make not a bond of love – let it rather
be a moving sea between the shored of your souls.
Fill each other’s cup but drink not from one cup.
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be
alone, even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver
with the same music.
Give your heart, but not into each other’s keeping. For only
the hand of life can contain your hearts;
And stand together yet not too near together. For the pillars of
the temple stand apart, and the oak tree and the cypress grow not
in each other’s shadow
Second Reading – Ecclesiasted 4: 9-12
Two are better
than one: they get a good wage for their labor. If the one falls,
the other will lift up his companion. Woe to the solitary man, for
if he should fall, he has no one to lift him up. So also, if two
sleep together, they keep each other warm. How can one alone keep
warm? Where a lone man may be overcome, two together can resist. A
three-ply cord is not easily broken.
Third
Reading –
1
Corinthians 12:31 – 13:13
Strive
eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts. But I shall show you a
still more excellent way.
If I speak in
human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding
gong or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy and
comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so
as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give
away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may
boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient; love is kind. It is not jealous, (love) is not
pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its
own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over
injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the
truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things,
endures all things.
Love never fails. If there are prophecies, they will be brought to
nothing; if tongues, they will cease; if knowledge, it will be
brought to nothing.
For we know partially and we prophesy partially, but when the
perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child I
used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when
I became a man, I put aside childish things. At present we see
indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I
know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known. So
faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is
love.
This is the Word of the Lord
Reflection
Rev. Richard Hasselbach
Rabbi Mordecai Genn
Exchange of Vows
Fr.
Hasselbach:
Mike
and Kate, you have come here today, in the presence of your friends
and family, to declare your love for each other before God, and to
begin your life together as a married couple. So if it is your
intention to unite yourselves as husband and wife, I invite you to
express this profound love that you have for each other. Please
repeat after me…
Mike:
[First
in Hebrew led by Rabbi Genn, then in English led by Fr.
Rich] I take you,
Kate, to be my wife. I promise to love you, comfort you, honor and
keep you, in sickness and in health; forsaking all others, to be
faithful to you as long as we both shall live.
Kate:
[First in
Hebrew led by Rabbi Genn, then in English led by Fr.
Rich] I take you,
Mike, to be my husband. I promise to love you, comfort you, honor
and keep you, in sickness and in health; forsaking all others, to
be faithful to you as long as we both shall live.
Blessing and Exchange of Rings:
Rabbi
Genn: Lord, bless
these rings, and make them signs of love and enduring
faithfulness:
Mike:
Kate, take this ring as a sign of my love and devotion; and wear it
as a symbol our commitment to each other, so that the world will
know that we are one.
Kate:
Mike, take this ring as a sign of my love and devotion; and wear it
as a symbol our commitment to each other, so that the world will
know that we are one.
Acknowledgement of the Community
Fr.
Hasselbach: Will you who
have witnessed these promises do all in your power to uphold Mike
and Kate in the vows they make to each other today?
All:
We
will
Declaration of Marriage
Officiants,
together: We rejoice in
your happiness and we pray that this day marks only one of many
more blessings that you will share in the days and years ahead. And
now that you have spoken the words and performed the rites that
unite your lives, by the power of your love and the commitment you
have made, we declare you to be husband and wife.
What God has united, no one must divide.
Lighting
the Marriage Candle –
Rabbi
Genn: The light of
God’s love illumines the world. In the human love of spouses,
we find a reflection of the divine love that burns for each of us
– and that calls us to love one another, even as we have been
loved. May the unity of that love always shine in Kate and
Mike’s life and family.
Our Father
Our father, who
art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done
On earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, and the power and the glory are yours
Now and forever, Amen
Seven
Wedding Blessings Sung in Hebrew
by Rabbi Genn
Translated by Fr
Hasselbach
1. Blessed are
you, Lord God of the universe, creator of the fruit of the
vine.
2. We praise you, O Lord, our God, ruler of the universe, Creator
of all things, for your glory.
3. We praise you O Lord, our God, Ruler of the universe, Creator of
Man and Woman.
4. We praise you O Lord our God, Ruler of the universe who creates
us to share with You in life’s everlasting renewal.
5. We praise you O lord, our god, Ruler of the universe who causes
Zion to rejoice in her children’s happy return.
6. We praise you O Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who causes
bride and groom to rejoice. May these loving companions rejoice as
have Your creatures since the days of creation.
7. We praise you (O Lord) our God, Ruler of the universe, Creator
of joy and gladness, bride and groom, love and kinship, peace and
friendship. O God, may there (always) be heard in the cities of
Israel and in the streets of Jerusalem: the sounds of joy and
happiness, the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride, the
shouts of young people celebrating and the songs of children at
play. We praise you, our God, who causes bride and groom to rejoice
together.
.
Blessing of the Couple
Rabb Genni: Now you will
feel no rain,
For each of you will be shelter to the other.
Now you will feel no cold,
For each of you will be warmth to the other.
Now there is no more loneliness,
For each of you will be companion to the
other.
Fr.
Hasselbach: Now you are two
bodies,
But there is only one life before you.
Go now to your dwelling place,
To enter into the days of your togetherness.
And
may your days be good and long upon the
Earth.
Blessing
of the Congregation Officiants,
together
Rabbi
Genn / Fr Hasselbach: May your way be
blessed, may wisdom’s light shine on you. May your journey
bring you peace, and may the Lord bless and be with you
always.
Closing
prayer and dismissal
Rabbi
Genn: The wedding is
almost over, but the marriage is just begun. Not once and forever,
but again and again shall the mystery of two people, together in
love, touch the world. And so, blessed by the graced love that Kate
and Mike have promised each other, and renewed in commitment to the
loves in our own lives, let us pray…
Fr.
Hasselbach: O God, the giver
of all that is true and lovely and gracious, we give you thanks for
Mike and Kate and their love for each other. We ask you to give
them wisdom for their journey together. Show them your presence
along the way. May they become one in heart and soul, and live in
faithfulness and peace, may they journey long in the company of
good friends and come, at last, to the kingdom you have prepared
for those who love you – where you live and reign forever and
ever.
Breaking
of the Glass
All: Mazel
Tov
Rabbi Genn: Our celebration
is over, go in peace, and continue to celebrate!
Second
Example -
Celebration of Katie and Michael’s Wedding
The Gardens on Catlin Creek – Slate Hill, New
York
Greeting
Rabbi Jaffe: On this your
wedding day, you would like your family and friends to know that
you honor and cherish each other’s uniqueness as you join
your hearts in love and devotion.
May
your lives be intertwined forever as you share all that is real and
vital with one another in faith and hope.
And in your future together, may you always dedicate yourselves to
peace, and love, and respect for all people.
I also say to the family and friends of our wedding couple that
this is your service as well as theirs. The future of their home
depends upon you. Through your prayers you can strengthen their
bond. Our bride and groom welcome your wisdom and strength to help
their love grow and endure.
Fr.
Richard: Welcome you to
this graced day in Katie and Michael’s life. Each of you is
here because you in some way, your love and friendship has already
contributed to making Katie or Michael, or maybe both of them, and
the people they now are. In some way, each of you has helped bring
them to this moment. And so they wanted you to be here to celebrate
this great, life-changing moment in their lives. Thanks for being
here – and thanks for all you have been them already, and for
all you will be in their lives.
Not all the special people in Katie and Michael’s life could
be here, though – some are separated from us by space, and
others by time. But in a deeply spiritual way, those special people
are also with us today, in prayer and celebration, in this space
that is made sacred by Katie and Michael’s love. I’d
ask you to remember these others as we pray together today. In
particular, I ask you to remember Katie’s Grandparents Milton
and Margaret; Lawson and Edna Upright; and Mike’s
grandparents Silvia and Joe Danis; Sudie and Ben.
Now, let us pray…
Gathering
Prayer –
Fr. Richard: Gracious and
ever-living God, you have created us male and female in your image;
Look lovingly upon Katie and Michael who come to you for your
blessing, and assist them with your grace, that with true fidelity
and steadfast love they may honor and keep the promises they make
to each other today, We ask this in your holy and unutterable name
– you are the one who creates, sustains and sanctifies us
– and who made this bond of marriage a blessed state. You are
the one who lives, forever and ever.
Amen.
Prayer of Welcome and Rejoicing
Rabbi
Jaffe: Friends, I greet
you with the ancient Hebrew words of welcome: “Baruch
haba” We bless you and welcome you in gladness.
Serve the Creator with joy: come into the presence of the Holy One
with song.
We rejoice that our bride and groom join in marriage in the
presence of loved ones and friends.
Explanation
of the Chupah
Rabbi
Jaffe: The Chuppah is
the canopy over our bride and groom. It symbolizes the protection
of the Eternal above and the promise of the new home they are
creating together here below. May that home be a shelter against
the storm, a haven of peace, a stronghold of faith and love; and
may everyone here on this day draw closer to our couple and to one
another as we celebrate this wedding day.
Prayer
of Thanksgiving
Rabbi
Jaffe: We praise you
God, Who has given us life, sustained us, and brought us to this
joyous day (singing of Hebrew)
Reading 1 - Genesis 2: 15-247
The LORD God
said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him
a helper fit for him." …. So the LORD God caused a deep
sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs
and closed up its place with flesh; and the rib, which the LORD God
had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the
man. Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh
of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out
of Man." Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and
cleaves to his wife, and they become one
flesh.
Second
2 –
1 Corinthians 12:31 – 13:8
Strive
eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts. But I shall show you a
still more excellent way.
If I speak in
human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding
gong or a clashing cymbal.
And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and
all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do
not have love, I am nothing.
If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that
I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient; love is kind. It is not jealous, (love) is not
pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its
own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over
injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the
truth.
It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures
all things.
Love never fails. If there are prophecies, they will be brought to
nothing; if tongues, they will cease; if knowledge, it will be
brought to nothing.
Reflection
Fr. Richard
Prayer
over the Wine
Rabbi
Jaffe: This cup of
wine, the Kiddush cup, is symbolic of the cup of life. As you drink
from the cup, may you share all the sweetness the future brings.
May you find life’s joys gladdened with true companionship
and love.
We praise You, Eternal one, Creator of the fruit of the vine
(singing in Hebrew)
The bride and groom drink from the cup
Introduction
of the Vows
Fr.
Richard: Katie and
Michael, please now join your right hands and with your promise
commit yourselves to one another.
Exchange
of Vows
Michael:
I,
Michael, take you, Katie, to be my wife. I promise to be true to
you, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will
love and honor you all the days of my life. This is my sacred
vow.
Katie:
I,
Katie, take you, Michael, to be my husband. I promise to be true to
you, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will
love and honor you all the days of my life. This is my sacred
vow.
Blessing and Exchange of the Rings
Fr. Richard: These rings are
circles, unbroken and endless, they are a symbol of eternity. God,
bless these rings as Michael and Katie wear them, may they remember
their vows to each other. Let these rings be symbols of their deep
abiding love, friendship, and faith. And represent a devotion that
grows stronger with each passing year.
Rabbi Jaffe: Now you will
speak the words and exchange the rings as a sign of your love and
fidelity. May their endless circle ever remind you that your lives
are bound together by devotion and faithfulness.
Michael: Katie, with this
ring be sanctified to me as my wife in keeping with the law of
God.
Katie:
(In Hebrew
and English) I am my
beloved’s and my beloved is mine.
Rabbi Jaffe: Now you have
given and received these rings. They are a symbol of your enduring
love. May they celebrate the words of the Song of Songs:
Set me as a seal
upon your heart…
For love is infinitely strong
Many waters cannot quench love:
No flood can sweep it away…
The
Seven Blessings
Fr.
Richard:
Blessed is the
creation of the fruit of the vine.
Blessed is the creation of all that reflects glory.
Blessed is the creation of man and woman.
Blessed are those who share in life’s everlasting
renewal.
Rabbi
Jaffe:
Blessed are
those who rejoice in their children’s happiness.
Abundant blessing and joy for these loving companions as in the
days of creation.
Blessed is the creation of joy and gladness, bride and groom, love
and kinship, peace and friendship. May there always be heard in our
world the voice of the groom and the bride, the shouts of young
people celebrating, and the songs of children at play. Blessed is
the rejoicing of bride and groom.
Pronouncement of Marriage
Rabbi
Jaffe: Now in the
presence of these witnesses you have spoken the words and performed
the rites that unite your lives. By the power of your love and the
pledge you have made you are now husband and wife in the sight of
God and all people. I ask you and all who are gathered here to pray
in silence, seeking God’s blessing upon your marriage and
your home.
Clergy
Blessing of the Bride and Groom
Rabbi
Jaffe and Fr. Richard together – Alternating Hebrew and
English:
May God bless you and keep you.
May God’s presence shine upon you and be gracious to
you.
May God’s presence be with you and give you peace. (Chanting
in Hebrew)
Explanation
of breaking the Glass
Rabbi
Jaffe: It is said that
the bridegroom breaks a glass at the end of the ceremony to remind
us, at this moment of great joy, that our world is not yet at peace
and needs healing. It is also a reminder to the bride and groom
that love and marriage are fragile and must be constantly
nurtured.
Guests Blessing (By All)
May your
marriage be blessed, with joy that gives meaning to your days and
memories to your years. And with love that keeps you together in a
perfect union of hearts and lives.
Breaking
the Glass
The groom breaks the glass : Mazel tov! Kiss
your bride!