Litany for the Gift of Marriage and Family

Family of God,

As I am sure many of you know, I helped my mom and dad celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary on June 13-14. It was a wonderful time. We celebrated 50 years of sharing life through thick and thin. But we also celebrated the gift of marriage and family for today. In a world marred by divorce and division we could affirm that God meant us for each other. As our Genesis text reminds us, "It is not good that man should be alone."

It is my prayer that your marriage and/or family might be celebrated as such a gift. I wrote the following litany for the worship service at my parent's anniversary celebration. Perhaps it can help you celebrate in your own heart, or maybe you can share it as a family.

LITANY FOR THE GIFT OF MARRIAGE AND FAMILY

Leader: Through the gift of marriage your tapestry of life has been revealed;

Congregation: TODAY WE CELEBRATE THAT GIFT, GOD OF LOVE

L: Through Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachel, Zechariah and Elizabeth, Joseph and Mary;

C: YOU HAVE WOVEN YOUR WILL, OH GOD

L: For an ear to complain to, for a shoulder to weep on, and for an embrace when our heart bleeds;

C: THANK YOU FOR OUR SPOUSE, DEAR LORD

L: For the joy of intimacy, for someone to share the miracle of birth and the joys and frustrations of parenting, for someone to celebrate our victories, and for someone who remembers when the rest of the world is numb to our existence;

C: THANK YOU FOR OUR SPOUSE, DEAR LORD

L: God of life, you have intricately knit each one of us together from our mother's womb. We have been brought into this world through labor and pain. We have suckled at the breast. We have been cradled in the deepest dark of night. We have been wept over through failures and celebrated in moments of triumph;

C: FOR THIS WE GIVE YOU THANKS FOR MOTHERS

L: Gracious Heavenly Father; for the pride that well's up in a father's eyes at the first sight of his newborn, for celebrating the first steps of uncertain feet, for gathering us up when we crumble; and as love dictates, for standing on the sidelines and allowing us to fall, for being protected from dangers that lurk while we have unwittingly and ungratefully satisfied ourselves in immediate pleasures, for wisdom that increases in value as we too mature in years;

C: WE GIVE YOU THANKS FOR FATHERS

L: For God so loved the world that God gave it ________ and ________. And that was a beautiful gift from God. For in it, a woman came to know what it means to he loved by a husband, and a man came to know what it means to be loved by a wife. And eight kids came to know what it means to have a mom and dad. And 16 children came to know what it means to have a grandma and grandpa;

C: FOR THIS WE CELEBRATE THE GIFT OF MARRIAGE AND FAMILY

L: Teach us in our relationships, Dear Lord, the love of your son, Jesus, to look into the eyes of our spouse, our children, our grandchildren, and to see someone for whom Jesus died.

C: AMEN