Prayer is an essential ingredient of every worship experience. The Invocation is a beginning prayer to "invoke" or ask God to be present and to bless the service which is about to begin. If you wish, this prayer could be delayed until just before the exchange of vows (as in sample C). Some prayers use the "thee" and "thou" language in addressing God. They can easily be changed to more informal "you" language. Likewise, the less formal can be changed to be more formal, as you wish. This is true of all the prayers is this notebook.

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A.    O Gracious and Everlasting God, you have created us male and female in your image; look with favor upon this man and this woman who come to you seeking your blessing, and assist them with your grace, that with true fidelity and steadfast love they may honor and keep the vows and promises which they make, through Jesus Christ our Savior.

B.    God, for the joy of this occasion we thank you. For the meaning of this wedding day we thank you. For this important moment in an ever growing relationship we thank you. For your presence here and now and for your presence at all times, we thank you. In Christ's name.

C.    Father, ________ and ________ are now about to vow their undying loyalty to each other. We ask you, therefore, to accept the shared treasure of their common life which they now create and offer to thee. Grant them wide margins of spiritual resource around their every need that they may increase in knowledge of thee throughout their life together. In Jesus' name. Amen.

D.    Eternal God, our Father, we look to thee in thanksgiving for the joy, the beauty, and the sacredness of this hour. We thank thee for thy love which surrounds all our days and comes now to focus in the hearts of these thy children who have presented themselves before thee to be united in holy marriage. Graciously bless us with thy presence in this hour, our Father, even as our Lord graced with his presence the marriage in Cana of Galilee. May thy Holy Spirit be in our midst and move in the hearts of this young couple that their lives may indeed be united into one according to thy will and in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

E.    May the God who has created and sustains us, hear our words to each other and grant blessing to this couple, their families, and their friends. Amen.

F.    Almighty and Ever blessed God, whose presence is the happiness of every condition, and who favor sweetens every relation; we beseech thee to be present and favorable to these thy servant that they may be truly joined in the honorable state of marriage. As thou hast brought them together by thy providence, sanctify them by thy Spirit, giving them a new frame of heart for their new relationship, and grant unto them now in the hour of their union and throughout their wedded life, thy heavenly guidance; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

G.    O God, our Father, source of infinite love, bless us with a sense of your indwelling presence as we worship here. Keep us sensitive to the wonder of things which fill our days and give meaning to life. Deepen in us the level of our loving, both for those near and dear to us, and for those who, though strangers, need our concern. Especially do we pray your divine blessing on these two who come here in this high moment of their lives. Be hear to them as they take their promises to each other, that they shall pledge their vows with deepest sincerity knowing full well the meaning of the words they say. And do grant to us all, we pray, a heightened sense of the joy of life because we share this moment with them. In your loving spirit. Amen.

H.    Our Father, we feel very strongly that love and deep personal relationships are the very center of meaningful life. ________ and ________ have found that their love for each other is so deep that they wish to commit themselves to each other in marriage. Let Thy loving presence pervade and enrich this service of celebration and commitment, as well as their whole marriage. We invite Your blessing, Father, upon this service, and upon the marriage of ________ and ________. Amen

I.    Our Father, love has been Your richest gift to our world. Love between a man and woman which matures into marriage love is one of Your special kinds of love. It's that kind of love we celebrate today. Bless this wedding service. Bless ________ and ________ in their marriage. Surround them and us with Your love now and always. Amen.

J.    God, all love comes from You. You are love. You created persons out of love, and You created men and women so that they can find their fullest realization, their fullest happiness, when they can give and receive love from others. You have created the institution of marriage wherein a man and a woman can experience the kind of relationship in which love can be most fully experienced and expressed. Thank you, God, for marriage. We pray that Thy loving presence will pervade and enrich this service of celebration and commitment. We invite Your blessing, Father, upon this service, and upon the marriage of ________ and ________. Amen

K.    Thank you, Father, for love. Thank you for marriage. Thank you that you have given your gift of a beautiful love to ________ and ________. Today they want to dedicate that love to each other. We pray that Thy loving presence will encircle this wedding service. We pray that Thy blessing will encircle the marriage of ________ and ________. Amen.

L.    In your Presence, O God, we remember who we are: a bit of formed dust blown into a living creature by your Breath of Life. We pray your Creative Spirit to breathe Life into the covenant that is soon to be made, that the words spoken here may seek to live in flesh and desire to be the truth. Amen.

For more, see "Opening Prayers"