Gay marriage readings

Each unveils the best part of the other. To Love is Not to Possess by James Kavanaugh

To love is not to possess,
To own or imprison,
Nor to lose one’s self in another.
Love is to join and separate,
To walk alone and together,
To find a laughing freedom
That lonely isolation does not permit.
It is finally to be able
To be who we really are
No longer clinging in childish dependency
Nor docilely living separate lives in silence,
It is to be perfectly one’s self
And perfectly joined in permanent commitment
To another–and to one’s inner self.
Love only endures when it moves like waves,
Receding and returning gently or passionately,
Or moving lovingly like the tide
In the moon’s own predictable harmony,
Because finally, despite a child’s scars
Or an adult’s deepest wounds,
They are openly free to be
Who they really are–and always secretly were,
In the very core of their being
Where true and lasting love can alone abide.

4.

Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. All About Love by bell hooks

“The moment we choose to love, we begin to move against domination, against oppression.

Mat 8:12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. But before you can focus on the words, you have to understand what you want your ceremony structure to look like. I'm here
I'm the one holdin' your hand, remindin' you not to forget me
I'm the warm feelin' in your belly when you don't know why
I'm the ache to the core when one
Someone sways to the other side of a vibe
I'm the tingle on your skin when it's
Touched by the tip of a thrill you can rely on

The knowing, when your eyes meet eyes that recognise yours
And hold you, loose enough to move freely
But tight enough to never let you fall
I'm the breath you take in and let all the way out to the end
When you're held and your shoulders drop into arms
You flop that feel like a blanket of truth
And wrap you and sooth you
To the moon you thought was in the sky

I'm the backbone that holds it all together
The vertebrae stacked on top of each other
When it's all gone pear-shaped and wrong
I'm the bitin' on your lip keepin' it zipped
Swallowin' words that could wound and rip apart
I'm choosin' kindness over bein' right
I'm the fight in you when you don't know how
The life in you when it's gone right out
I'm life when I'm near, hope without fear

I'm nothin' fancy in a world drippin' in gold
But a beautiful jewel never bought, never sold
And when you open your heart and let me in alone
You'll know who I am, because I feel like home

Still looking for the perfect wedding ceremony reading? See our Essential List of Ceremony Readings with categories to make it easy to navigate.

God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. and the smell of thine ointments than all spices! And may everything you have said and done here today become a living truth in your lives. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

Then it’s time to hit the reception. 

Recommended reading: The Best Recessional Songs 

LGBTQ+ Wedding Ceremony Script

Modern and Personal Style

Officiant: “Welcome, everyone, to the celebration of love between [Partner 1] and [Partner 2]. His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers: his lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh.

May the happiness you share today be with you always. Luke 7:4 And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this: Luke 7:5 For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue.

Luke 7:6 Then Jesus went with them. No man hath seen God at any time. May your relationship always be one of love and trust. Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Mat 8:11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.