Duddingston Kirk, Old Church Lane, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH15 3PX 0131 661 4240 email: jamesapjack@aol.com
Your Wedding at Duddingston Kirk
Many people choose to be married at Duddingston. If you are considering getting married there then please come and see the Minister at his weekly Vestry Hour which takes place at the Gatehouse of the Church most Wednesday evening from 6.30-8pm. No appointment is necessary.
A Christian Understanding of Marriage
The statement at the beginning of the marriage service in the 'Book of Common Order' (1994) starts with three affirmations about marriage.
1.It affirms our faith in the presence and power of Jesus Christ the Son of God. He who once was at the marriage in Cana of Galilee is present now with power at every Christian marriage.
2.It affirms that marriage has been part of God's plan for the human race since the beginning of creation. Jesus emphasised this in his teaching.
3. It affirms that through the renewal of the Holy Spirit, husband and wife can love each other as Christ loves them.
Because marriage has its foundations in God, it is to be undertaken with faith, reverence and dedication, in the light of God's purposes. The statement in the marriage service points us to four purposes underlying in the institution of marriage:-
1.Lifelong companionship, comfort and joy between husband and wife.
2.The enjoyment of a complete physical union between man and woman. Sex is a gift of God - the expression of a total and lifelong commitment between husband and wife.
3. The safeguarding of family life. Children are God's gifts. They are entitled to security and love, within a household built on a true marriage.
4. The well being of human society, which depends for its stability on citizens upholding the marriage bond.
It is in the light of these beliefs that you make your vows to each other before God. For Christians, marriage is not simply a human contract; it is one of the Creator's great gifts to God's children. It is through God's grace that "the two shall become one flesh" and we find our own separate identities greatly enriched in the long process of growing together as one.
The Kirk Session and Minister of Duddingston Kirk are pleased that you are considering being married at Duddingston. If you are already a member of the Congregation we hope that you find great joy in your being a member. If you are not a member of the Congregation we hope that you will always feel that a welcome awaits you here, in your Parish Church each Sunday at 10am and 11.30am when we meet for worship.
Hymns suitable for weddings:
The following hymns are very suitable for weddings and are taken from the Church Hymnary (Third Edition) and are here simply as a guide.
Many people choose to be married at Duddingston. If you are considering getting married there then please come and see the Minister at his weekly Vestry Hour which takes place at the Gatehouse of the Church most Wednesday evening from 6.30-
A Christian Understanding of Marriage
The statement at the beginning of the marriage service in the 'Book of Common Order' (1994) starts with three affirmations about marriage.
1.It affirms our faith in the presence and power of Jesus Christ the Son of God. He who once was at the marriage in Cana of Galilee is present now with power at every Christian marriage.
2.It affirms that marriage has been part of God's plan for the human race since the beginning of creation. Jesus emphasised this in his teaching.
3. It affirms that through the renewal of the Holy Spirit, husband and wife can love each other as Christ loves them.
Because marriage has its foundations in God, it is to be undertaken with faith, reverence and dedication, in the light of God's purposes. The statement in the marriage service points us to four purposes underlying in the institution of marriage:-
1.Lifelong companionship, comfort and joy between husband and wife.
2.The enjoyment of a complete physical union between man and woman. Sex is a gift of God -
4. The well being of human society, which depends for its stability on citizens upholding the marriage bond.
It is in the light of these beliefs that you make your vows to each other before God. For Christians, marriage is not simply a human contract; it is one of the Creator's great gifts to God's children. It is through God's grace that "the two shall become one flesh" and we find our own separate identities greatly enriched in the long process of growing together as one.
The Kirk Session and Minister of Duddingston Kirk are pleased that you are considering being married at Duddingston. If you are already a member of the Congregation we hope that you find great joy in your being a member. If you are not a member of the Congregation we hope that you will always feel that a welcome awaits you here, in your Parish Church each Sunday at 10am and 11.30am when we meet for worship.
Hymns suitable for weddings:
The following hymns are very suitable for weddings and are taken from the Church Hymnary (Third Edition) and are here simply as a guide.
Readings suitable for a Service of Marriage
Love is patient and kind
Love envies no one, is never boastful,
never conceited, never rude;
Love is never selfish,
never quick to take offence.
Love keeps no score of wrongs,
takes no pleasure in the sins of others,
but delights in the truth.
There is nothing love cannot face;
there is no limit to its faith,
its hope, its endurance.Love will never come to an end.
There are three things that last forever:
faith, hope, and love;
And the greatest of the three is love,
It is love then that YOU should strive for.
Amen.
(1 Corinthians 13)
Love in all sincerity,
Loathing evil and holding fast to the good,
Let love of the Christian community
Show itself in mutual affection.
Esteem others more highly than yourself.
With unflagging zeal, aglow with the Spirit,
Serve the Lord.
Let hope keep you joyful;
In trouble stand firm;
Persist in prayer;
Contribute to the needs of God's people,
And practice hospitality.
Amen.
(Romans 12:1-2, 9-13)
And this is my prayer,
That your love may grow ever richer
In knowledge and insight of every kind,
Enabling you to learn by experience
What things really matter.
Then on the day of Christ,
You will be flawless and without blame,
Yielding the harvest of righteousness
That comes through Jesus Christ,
To the glory and praise of God.
Amen
(Phillippians 1:9-11)
Two days later there was a wedding in the town of Cana in Galilee. The mother of Jesus was there, and Jesus and his disciples were also among the guests. The wine gave out, so Jesus' mother said to him, "they have no wine left" . He answered, "that is no concern of mine. My hour has not yet come". His mother said to the servants, "do whatever he tells you". There were six stone water jars standing near, of the kind used for Jewish rites of purification; each held twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servant, "fill these jars with water," and they filled them to the brim. "Now draw some off", he ordered, "and take it to the master of the feast", and they did so. The master of the feast tasted the water now turned into wine, not knowing its source, thought the servants who had drawn the water knew. He hailed the bridegroom and said, "everyone else serves the best wine first, and the poorer only when the guests have drunk freely; but you have kept the best wine until now."
So Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee the first of the signs which revealed his glory and led his disciples to believe in him.
Amen
(St John 2:1-11)
As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Dwell in my love. If you heed my commands, and you will dwell in my love, as I have heeded my Father's commands and dwell in his love.
I have spoken thus to you, so that my joy may be in you, and your joy complete. This is my commandment:
"Love one another, as I have loved you".
(St. John 15:9-12)
Traditional Celtic Blessings
May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sunshine be warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
Amen
May God be with you and bless you;
May you see your children's children.
May you be poor in misfortune, rich in blessing.
May you know nothing but happiness from this day forward.
Amen
May the road rise to meet you
May the wind always be on your back,
May the warm rays of the sun fall upon your home,
And may the hand of a friend always be near.
May green be the grass you walk on,
May blue be the skies above you,
May pure be the joys that surround you,
May true be the hearts that love you.
Amen.
The love and affection of the angels be to you,
The love and affection of the saints be to you,
The love and affection of heaven be to you,
To guard you and to cherish you.
Amen.
Love is patient and kind
Love envies no one, is never boastful,
never conceited, never rude;
Love is never selfish,
never quick to take offence.
Love keeps no score of wrongs,
takes no pleasure in the sins of others,
but delights in the truth.
There is nothing love cannot face;
there is no limit to its faith,
its hope, its endurance.Love will never come to an end.
There are three things that last forever:
faith, hope, and love;
And the greatest of the three is love,
It is love then that YOU should strive for.
Amen.
(1 Corinthians 13)
Love in all sincerity,
Loathing evil and holding fast to the good,
Let love of the Christian community
Show itself in mutual affection.
Esteem others more highly than yourself.
With unflagging zeal, aglow with the Spirit,
Serve the Lord.
Let hope keep you joyful;
In trouble stand firm;
Persist in prayer;
Contribute to the needs of God's people,
And practice hospitality.
Amen.
(Romans 12:1-
And this is my prayer,
That your love may grow ever richer
In knowledge and insight of every kind,
Enabling you to learn by experience
What things really matter.
Then on the day of Christ,
You will be flawless and without blame,
Yielding the harvest of righteousness
That comes through Jesus Christ,
To the glory and praise of God.
Amen
(Phillippians 1:9-
Two days later there was a wedding in the town of Cana in Galilee. The mother of Jesus was there, and Jesus and his disciples were also among the guests. The wine gave out, so Jesus' mother said to him, "they have no wine left" . He answered, "that is no concern of mine. My hour has not yet come". His mother said to the servants, "do whatever he tells you". There were six stone water jars standing near, of the kind used for Jewish rites of purification; each held twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servant, "fill these jars with water," and they filled them to the brim. "Now draw some off", he ordered, "and take it to the master of the feast", and they did so. The master of the feast tasted the water now turned into wine, not knowing its source, thought the servants who had drawn the water knew. He hailed the bridegroom and said, "everyone else serves the best wine first, and the poorer only when the guests have drunk freely; but you have kept the best wine until now."
So Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee the first of the signs which revealed his glory and led his disciples to believe in him.
Amen
(St John 2:1-
As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Dwell in my love. If you heed my commands, and you will dwell in my love, as I have heeded my Father's commands and dwell in his love.
I have spoken thus to you, so that my joy may be in you, and your joy complete. This is my commandment:
"Love one another, as I have loved you".
(St. John 15:9-
Traditional Celtic Blessings
May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sunshine be warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
Amen
May God be with you and bless you;
May you see your children's children.
May you be poor in misfortune, rich in blessing.
May you know nothing but happiness from this day forward.
Amen
May the road rise to meet you
May the wind always be on your back,
May the warm rays of the sun fall upon your home,
And may the hand of a friend always be near.
May green be the grass you walk on,
May blue be the skies above you,
May pure be the joys that surround you,
May true be the hearts that love you.
Amen.
The love and affection of the angels be to you,
The love and affection of the saints be to you,
The love and affection of heaven be to you,
To guard you and to cherish you.
Amen.