Is it possible to marry an Orthodox Protestant? The Protestant Church in Switzerland has approved the wedding of gay couples

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This scenario is a classic Christian wedding ceremony of a young couple into a family union in the face of the Lord God in the presence of parents, guests and witnesses.

The ceremony is based on the unchanging biblical principles of self-sufficiency and the inviolability of the marriage union of a man and a woman, and is still performed today in evangelical churches around the world.

The ceremony includes elements such as pledges of fidelity by the newlyweds, exchange of rings, prayer of blessing, gratitude to parents, and proclamation of the marital union.

Sincerely, Ivan and Oksana Privalov

Grand entrance

– parents;

– pastor, groom and witness;

– witness;

– boy with rings;

– girl with rose petals;

– the bride’s father brings his daughter to the altar.

Introduction:

The pastor prays a prayer of thanksgiving.

Dear newlyweds, if you have seriously and prayerfully considered the step ahead of you and willingly and reverently wish to enter into a marriage union in order to be united in everything until death, please join your right hands.

Ivan, in the presence of Almighty God and the witnesses gathered here, do you promise to love, appreciate, respect Oksana standing next to you, right hand which one are you holding?

Do you promise to take care of her in sickness and in health, in joy and sorrow, in prosperity and need, in youth and old age?

Do you promise to be faithful to her until death?

Oksana, in the presence of Almighty God and the witnesses gathered here, do you promise to love, appreciate and respect Ivan standing next to you, the right hand whom you hold?

Do you promise to take care of him in sickness and in health, in joy and sorrow, in prosperity and need, in youth and old age?

Do you promise to be a faithful and devoted wife to him until death?

May the Lord bless you in your steadfast promise!

Brief Instruction

The union you are entering into is the most tender of all human relationships.

– Instruction for the Husband [Ephesians 5]

- advice for the wife

- instructions on love

– Advice to Parents [Matthew 19:5]

Mutual promises:

Groom's promise:

I promise to love you, care for you, and be faithful to you until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ or until the day when the Lord does us part by death.

Bride's promise:

I promise to love you, care for you, and be faithful to you until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ or until the day when the Lord separates us by death.

Exchange of rings:

Since ancient times, the ring has always been used in important events. A wedding ring is a symbol of marriage - made of precious metal, the ring is a perfect circle that has no beginning or end.

It denotes your desire, our desire and God's desire that there be no end to your happiness and your love in your married life.

It denotes your joint desire to have endless love for each other, with God's help. Therefore, whether you are together or apart, let these rings be a constant reminder to you of the promise you are making today.

The witness takes the rings from the baby and gives them to the pastor.

Groom:

With this ring I seal my promise to be a loving and faithful husband. God is my Witness.

Bride:

With this ring I seal my promise to be a loving and faithful wife. God is my Witness.

Pastor:

By presenting and accepting these rings, as a symbol of boundless love, purity, devotion and dedication, you are united in marriage.

Your solemn promises are sealed with this symbol and the Word of God forever.

Drinking the “Cup of Life”:

By entering into a marriage, you agree to go through and overcome many everyday difficulties together. As a symbol of your unity and readiness to endure all the hardships of life together, I ask you to drink from one cup this is the juice of the grapevine.

Let this simple act become the first act of your life together.

The bride and groom take turns drinking grape juice.

Prayer:

- Bride

– Parents of the groom

– Parents of the bride

– Pastor

Parents' thanksgiving:

Starting their life together and leaving their parents' home, the young people wanted to express their gratitude to their parents, who raised them and raised them for each other.

The newlyweds give their parents valuable memorable gifts and bouquets of flowers.

Announcement by husband and wife:

As a servant of God, by the authority given to me by God, I pronounce you husband and wife, united in purpose, purpose and happy life.

What God has joined together, let no man separate.

Confirm your union with a kiss...

Performance:

Dear friends, brothers and sisters, let me introduce you to Oksana and Ivan Familia, legally married husband and wife.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God the Father and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

I invite, first the parents, and then all the guests, to congratulate the newlyweds on their wonderful decision!

– theologian, publicist; site administrator Uucyc.ru [since 2000]; Head of Children's Olympic Games, Kyiv ; leader of youth and teenage movements; founder of the “Living in Truth” movement.

“Protestants go to church in the same order as Orthodox Christians,” says “Good Manners,” “but groomsmen and groomsmen do not enter the church, but wait for the bride in the sacristy in pairs; each groomsman and his best man enter the church following the bride. The groom arrives to church first. The bride enters the church arm in arm with her father. A few steps before the altar, the groom meets her and takes her hand, and they then approach the altar together. Relatives and friends are placed on benches and sit throughout the service. During the ceremony of exchanging rings, those present must stand, and the bride and groom must kneel. Groomsmen and groomsmen stand on both sides behind: groomsmen to the left, groomsmen to the right.” The daughter's father stands to her left. After reading the prayer, the pastor asks in a clear voice: “Who is giving this woman in marriage?” “I am,” replies the bride’s father and hands her right hand to the priest. Then the young people swear allegiance to each other. The rings, blessed by the pastor, are placed on each other's fingers by the bride and groom. After congratulations, the newlyweds kiss and leave the temple first.

Next comes the departure of the newlyweds accompanying them to the solemn wedding feast. At the end of the wedding ceremony, the pastor shakes his hand to the newlyweds and congratulates them, after which the bride turns to her mother, who leads her to her mother-in-law. Congratulations follow; but we must try to ensure that they do not last long at the altar. You can also congratulate them afterwards, in the sacristy or at home. You shouldn’t crowd around the altar.

The groom returns from church with the bride.” Next, everyone goes to the wedding feast.

About the Sacrament of Marriage (Wedding)

"one flesh" (1 Cor.7:2). (1 Cor.7:9).

–

– The Apostle Paul writes: (1 Tim.5:14).

About the Sacrament of Marriage (Wedding)

16.1. What is marriage in the church sense?

– Marriage is a Sacrament in which, with the bride and groom freely promising mutual marital fidelity before the priest and the Church, their marital union is blessed, in the image of the spiritual union of Christ with the Church, and they ask for the grace of pure unanimity for the blessed birth and Christian upbringing of children.

16.2. Is it necessary to get married?

– If both spouses are believers, baptized and Orthodox, then the wedding is necessary and obligatory, since during this Sacrament the husband and wife receive a special grace that sanctifies their marriage. Marriage in the Sacrament of Wedding is filled with the grace of God for the creation of the family as a domestic church. A strong house can only be built on a foundation, and a true Christian family is based on the Sacrament of Marriage. In a Christian marriage, God's grace becomes the foundation on which the building of a happy family life is built.

Participation in the Sacrament of Marriage, as in all other Sacraments, must be conscious and voluntary. The most important motivation for a wedding should be the desire of the husband and wife to live in a Christian, evangelical manner; This is why God’s help is given in the Sacrament. If there is no such desire, but you decide to get married “according to tradition,” or because it is “beautiful,” or so that “the family will be stronger” and “no matter what happens,” so that the husband does not go on a spree, the wife does not fall out of love, or because For similar reasons, then there is no need to get married. Such participation in the Sacrament of Wedding will not lead to anything good, and can even lead to trial and condemnation.

16.3. What is the purpose of Christian marriage? Is it just the birth of children?

– Marriage in Christianity has a special religious dimension. By the will of the Creator human nature divided into two sexes, two halves, neither of which individually possesses complete perfection. In marriage, spouses mutually enrich each other with the properties and qualities inherent in their sex, and thus both parties to the marriage union, becoming "one flesh"(Gen.2:24; Matt.19:5-6), that is, a single spiritual-physical being, achieve perfection. The Christian family is called the “small Church,” because in marriage the same type of unity of people takes place as in the Church, “ big family", - unity in love. In order to love, a person must commit an act of self-denial, reject his selfishness, and learn to live for the sake of others. Serves this purpose Christian marriage, in which spouses overcome their sinfulness and natural limitations. There is another purpose for marriage - protection from debauchery and preservation of chastity. “To avoid fornication, each one have his own wife, and each one have his own husband.”(1 Cor.7:2). “If they cannot abstain, let them marry; for it is better to marry than to become inflamed.”(1 Cor.7:9).

16.4. Why should a wife submit to her husband?

– “Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord, for the husband is the head of the wife, just as Christ is the head of the Church.”(Eph.5:22,23). The wife is rightly subordinate to her husband; equality could produce enmity, because deception first came from the wife.

But the headship of the husband in the family is not tyranny, not humiliation and oppression, but active love: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for her.”(Eph.5:25). Love must be sober: not so much for the sake of the wife, but for the sake of obedience to the Lord. Often, a husband, without realizing it, allows or forbids his wife what God inspires him to do.

Therefore, the wife must show her husband unfeigned respect as the head of the family. This duty is also instilled in her by God and the laws of nature, because the Lord created her weaker in comparison with her husband and appointed her to be his assistant. “For man is not from woman, but woman is from man; and man was not created for the wife, but the woman for the man.”(1 Cor.11:8,9). Even if a wife sometimes surpasses her husband in moral qualities, education and experience, even in this case she does not have the right to go beyond the limits established by the Law of God, but must sacredly maintain respect for her husband in her soul and prove this in practice.

16.5. What is required to get married?

– The marriage must be registered in the registry office. The time of the wedding should be previously agreed upon in the temple. Before the wedding, it is advisable to confess and receive communion. Must have wedding rings, icons, white towel, candles, crosses and witnesses baptized in the Orthodox Church.

When approaching such an important Sacrament, you need to prepare yourself by cleansing yourself with Confession, Communion and prayer, but not with balls, music and dancing, for this step extends not only to this life, but also to eternity.

16.6. How to properly confess and receive communion before the wedding?

– Preparation for Confession and Communion before the wedding is the same as at any other time.

16.7. Who is prohibited from entering into a church marriage?

– The Church does not allow 4th and 5th marriages. It is prohibited for close relatives to marry, as well as if one of the newlyweds (or both) declare themselves convinced atheists, unbaptized, or if one of the newlyweds is actually married to another person. An ancient pious tradition prohibits marriages between godparents and godchildren, as well as between the successors of the same child. Those who have previously taken monastic vows or been ordained to the priesthood cannot get married.

16.8. Is it possible to marry a Catholic or a sectarian?

– In Russia, until 1721, marriages of Orthodox Christians not only with non-Christians, but also with non-Orthodox people were prohibited. But since 1721, marriages of Orthodox Christians with Catholics, Protestants and Armenians began to be allowed, provided that the children were baptized in Orthodoxy. For the wedding Orthodox man with a person of another Christian faith, the permission of the ruling bishop is required. If at least one of the spouses professes a non-Christian religion (for example, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism) or is a sectarian, then the Orthodox Church will not solemnize such a marriage, unless they convert to Orthodoxy.

When marriage itself must be sanctified by priestly veil and blessing, how can one call it marriage where there is no agreement in faith? Each religion leaves its own special imprint on the culture and worldview of its representatives, even those who are not its inspired confessors.

16.9. How to sign up for a wedding?

– To do this, you need to go to a candle shop or agree directly with the priest about the time of the Sacrament.

16.10. When does a wedding not take place?

– weddings are prohibited during all four multi-day fasts; during Cheese Week (Maslenitsa); on Bright (Easter) Week; from the Nativity of Christ (January 7) to Epiphany (January 19); on the eve of the twelve holidays; on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays throughout the year; September 10, 11, 26 and 27 (in connection with strict fasting for the Beheading of John the Baptist and the Exaltation of the Holy Cross); on the eve of patronal church days (each church has its own).

The days on which weddings are permitted are marked in the Orthodox calendar.

16.11. Is it possible to get married while pregnant?

– The bride’s pregnancy does not serve as an obstacle to the wedding.

16.12. Is it possible to get married after the birth of a child?

– It is possible, but not earlier than 40 days after birth.

16.13. Is it necessary to have your parents' blessing for a church marriage?

– The lack of parental blessing is regrettable, but this cannot interfere with the wedding. In this case, the parental blessing can be replaced by a priestly blessing, best of all - the blessing of the confessor of one of the spouses.

16.14. Does the Church allow second marriage?

– The Apostle Paul writes: “A wife is bound by law as long as her husband lives; if her husband dies, she is free to marry whomever she wants, only in the Lord.”(1 Cor. 7:39) and elsewhere: “I wish that young widows marry, bear children, manage the house and not give the enemy any reason to speak evil.”(1 Tim.5:14).

Out of condescension towards human weaknesses, the Church allows second marriage.

16.15. Is it possible for someone who has been married for a long time to get married?

- It is possible and necessary. Those couples who get married in adulthood take their wedding more seriously than young people. The pomp and solemnity of the wedding is replaced by reverence and awe before the greatness of marriage.

16.16. Is it necessary to have witnesses at a wedding?

– According to Russian tradition, every married couple has witnesses. In the temple they hold crowns over the heads of the newlyweds. Witnesses must be baptized. However, the absence of witnesses is not an obstacle to the wedding; you can get married without them.

16.17. What needs to be done to get a church divorce?

– The Church only in exceptional cases gives consent to the dissolution of a marriage - mainly when it has already been desecrated by adultery or has actually already been destroyed by the circumstances of life (for example, the long-term unknown absence of one of the spouses). To dissolve a marriage, you must submit a written petition to the ruling bishop.

Many couples strive not only to legalize their relationship in the registry office, but also to undergo the sacrament of wedding in church. But does everyone understand how serious and responsible this step is? After all, after the ceremony, the souls of the spouses will be together forever, even in heaven.

What is the sacrament of marriage?

The sacrament of wedding is a sacred rite. Its meaning is that two people bare their souls to themselves, to each other and to God and enter into a marriage that recognized not only on earth, but also in heaven.

What is the difference between a wedding and a wedding: the first is the conclusion of a legal marriage announced before society. And the second is people's desire for unity, to create conditions in marriage where love and faith will only strengthen.

The wedding usually takes place in a church, but if desired, an outdoor ceremony can also be organized, although it will not be particularly solemn, as in a temple

Where to start preparing for the wedding: first of all you need come for permission to the priest. Father will explain the essence of the wedding, which is an Orthodox tradition. You should not go through the ritual just to get beautiful photos or because “it’s necessary.”

Basic rules for those who have decided to get married:

• husband and wife must be baptized;
• a man and a woman must be married, registered in the registry office;
• Before the ritual you need to go to confession and take communion.

What you need to know for those who, for whatever reason, decided to undergo a wedding ceremony abroad:

• a wedding held in another country will be recognized as legal in the homeland;
• a Christian wedding can only be held in a Christian country;
• For a wedding abroad, you will need a baptismal certificate, birth and marriage certificate (depending on the country, the list of documents may vary);
• Documents for consideration are submitted no less than a month in advance.

A wedding is only an external ritual, without sincere love and understanding of why this ceremony is needed, it will not have true meaning. First you need to honestly admit to yourself whether there is willingness to share with your spouse all the joys and sorrows, life’s difficulties. Wedding couples receive great support from the Almighty, but efforts to maintain and strengthen relationships must be made by themselves.

23 Sep 2018 at 4:25 PDT

People often wonder whether an unmarried marriage is fornication - if a man and a woman love each other, are faithful in their relationship and have registered it in the registry office, then they have the right to turn to the wedding when they consider it necessary.

The whole truth is that a righteous life in an unmarried marriage cannot be considered wrong or sinful, and is recognized by the church

There is a misconception that marriage can be debunked. The bishops are meeting the requests of spouses who have separated and are already in relationships with other people, so that they do not fall into even greater sin.

Therefore, to the question, how many times can you get married, the answer is clear - one, - things are incompatible. If such a need arises, how to get married a second time? Need to submit. Only the highest priest, the diocesan bishop, can do this. He looks at the situation and allows it to be given chance for a new marriage. The answer may be negative if a person has violated the vow of fidelity made before the Lord.

How does a wedding take place and what is needed for it?

• the back, shoulders and chest should be covered; if the dress is open, then you should take care of the wedding cape;
• the dress should not be too tight or short;
• It is better to choose shoes with low heels, since the wedding lasts about an hour;
• the head must certainly be covered with a scarf or veil;

It is important to note that guests must also be dressed in accordance with the rules. Revealing clothing and trousers on women are not allowed

The priest before the wedding in the church appoints a fast for the newlyweds: It may take several days or a week. At this time, you need to avoid going to parties, eating meat and having intimate relationships. It is advisable to fill it with reading spiritual books, prayers and attending services in the temple.

‒ there are some days of the year when this is prohibited:

• all main 4 posts;
• the period between Christmas and Christmastide;
• Easter and cheese weeks;
• eve of great holidays;
• the day of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord, the Beheading of John the Baptist, as well as the eve of fast days - Tuesday and Thursday.

Orthodox and Catholic Church are close to each other, but still there are several differences, including in the wedding ceremony:

• visiting the church is required 3 months before the wedding for a kind of education about marriage according to Catholic rules;
• children born in marriage must be raised in the Catholic faith;
• special permission is required if people of different faiths are getting married (Jewish, Muslim or with an atheist);
• In the Catholic Church you can get married on any day, even during Lent.

How to get married in a Protestant church - the sacrament is very similar to the ritual catholic church. Both the preparation and the process itself are almost identical to each other. The main difference is that at the beginning of the process, the bride enters the church alone or with her father, and the guests and groom are already waiting for her.

There is an interesting rule: alcohol is prohibited at Protestant weddings. As a last resort, you can allow light wine or champagne, but no more

After the opening prayer, the priest asks the newlyweds whether they really agree to get married, and also asks the parents whether they bless their children.

In a Protestant church you can go right into the church: instrumental music, Christian songs are played, guests bring donations to the church, and also receive communion.

You cannot get married in a monastery - this is stated in the charter Orthodox Church. After all, in this place live people who renounced everything worldly, and neither weddings nor baptisms are held in the monastery.

Signs and superstitions associated with weddings

Weddings have always been great importance for people, since previously it was considered the official conclusion of marriage. But now only those couples who have registered their relationship with the registry office can undergo this ritual. Despite this, they are still respected various superstitions.

Signs about wedding clothes:

• if a girl puts on a wedding dress before the Sacrament, it may not take place;
• before going to church you need attach pins to the clothes of the bride and groom to protect yourself from the evil eye;
• If during the ceremony the bride drops her scarf, it means she will be a widow.

Signs associated with the road to wedding:

• when the bride leaves for church, the parents need to wash the floor in the house (except for the threshold) so that the wedding does not get upset;
• before leaving for church, you are supposed to put a lock under the threshold of the house, when the young people cross it, lock the lock with a key, and throw the key away as far as possible (the lock is kept for life);
• you need to go to church one way, and back – another;
• For newlyweds going to the wedding, no one should cross the path.

The parents of the newlyweds should not be present at the wedding; they are replaced by godparents. And the relatives, mother and father, remain at home to bless and then meet the married couple

You also need to pay attention to wedding candles, which have great power:

• whose candle burns out more during the Sacrament, that of the spouses will be the first to die;
• wedding candles should be kept for life, they can also help during difficult childbirth;
• If there is a strong crackling sound from the candles during the wedding, it means that the couple’s life will be troubled.

Wedding candles

During the wedding, the spouses swear before God that they will be faithful to each other all their lives - this is an extremely responsible decision. You need to agree to a church sacrament only when loving people truly confident in their feelings. You cannot treat this ritual as fashion - otherwise nothing good will come of it. It's better to live for a while in ordinary marriage and confirm the seriousness of your intentions.

For clarity, look beautiful video weddings: