Common themes in Bible readings

Thinking about the message you want to convey can help you decide on the right reading for your church wedding ceremony

Choosing your theme

With the huge amount of material available, selecting the right verses for your wedding can seem to be quite a challenge.

The good news is that despite the wide selection three clear themes emerge:

• Marriage blessed by God
• Love is all you need
• Hints for a happy life

Below are a few pointers and examples from each of these themes to help make your choice easier.

For a huge selection of over 100 poems, readings and biblical passages see our Wedding Readings Poems & Vows book.

Marriage blessed by God

As you might expect, the most common readings chosen are the basic texts from both Old and New Testaments which talk about marriage as being willed and blessed by God. Take, for instance, the passage from the creation story in Genesis, where God creates man:

So God created man in his own image; in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, 'be fruitful and increase...'

(Genesis: 1:27, New English Bible)

Jesus himself quotes another passage from Genesis to make clear his own belief in marriage as a lifelong commitment:

Some Pharisees approached him, and to test him they said, 'Is it against the Law for a man to divorce his wife on any pretext whatsoever?' He answered 'Have you not read that the creator from the beginning made them male and female and that he said: that is why a man must leave his father and mother, and cling to his wife, and the two become one body? They are no longer two, therefore, but one body. So then, what God has united, man must not divide.'

(Mathew 19:3-6, Jerusalem Bible)

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