A Wedding Prayer

A Wedding Prayer

by Gustav Hoyer

O come my dear and stand with me before the burnished throne of God

that we may there foreswear the call of human love abroad.

Instead, will we lay down our lusts and selfish thoughts’ advice.

We’ll pledge our earthly appetites as a mutual sacrifice

So that God's grace may fully shine from Heaven on our wedding vows

we'll promise our ungracious thoughts, the feelings they arouse,

will be disclosed in knowledge that "The Truth shall make you free"

and Jesus' counsel wise we'll heed by both pursuing honesty

And when in varied times of trial we speak in words of acid tone,

or thoughtlessly cause injury with cruel actions of our own,

we'll swear each other to forgive an mem'ries of the sin erase

ne'er more the wrong kept in our hearts: we’ll emulate the Father’s grace.

Now stand we here before the Lord to offer up our nuptial oath

and seal it with a tender kiss. O Lord, please grant it growth.

We’ll tend this garden of our vows until our mortal days are done.

We pray that God will take us two and through our love forge one.

Amen.