A Biblical Liturgy of Marriage: Introduction

As I have said, I want to do a series on marriage, following the liturgy I have written. Why did I feel the need to write a wedding liturgy? As I said in my original post on the topic back in October, I really dislike traditional liturgies. They're so generic and meaningless. Yes, there is truth in them, but that truth has been so diluted by the generic and unbiblical language in it that there is no emphasis on the value and importance of marriage and the roles of marriage. So, without any further ado, I'm going to start this series off by presenting the outline of my liturgy. A Biblical Liturgy of Marriage I. Introduction    A. Purpose of the Ceremony       1. Meaning of Genesis 2:18-24    B. Giving of the Bride II. Homily of Marriage    A. Scripture Reading – Ephesians 5:22-33    B. Role of the Wife       1. Submission to Her Husband       2. Submission to Christ Explained    C. Role of the Husband       1. Love of His Wife       2. Christ’s Love for Us          a. Serving          b. Sanctifying          c. Sacrificial    D. Mutuality of Marriage       1. Husband’s Love for His Wife       2. Wife’s Respect of Her Husband III. Pledges of the Marriage Covenant    A. Pledge of the Congregation    B. Pledge of the Parents and Family    C. Pledge and Vows of the Bride and Groom IV. Presentation of the New Couple I will present to you the text of the liturgy with commentary in each section. I hope that you will interact with each post, as this is by no means a definitive liturgy, and it is open to revision. I'd like for the readers to give solid input so that I can refine this into the most meaningful and biblical liturgy I could possibly create. See you next time on the Holocron!