Brant Thieme and Alana Nussbaum Wedding
Wedding • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Rick wear nice jeans, white shirt, (maybe tie and suit jacket)
rehearsal at 5pm; rehearsal dinner at 6:30pm at Brant Thieme’s
Prelude music
Guests are seated – starts about ½ hour before the wedding service. Spotify music playlist
Processional
Seating of Grandparents
Seating of Mothers (no unity candle)
Groom and Pastor (and groomsmen) take their places up front
7 bridesmaids and 8 groomsmen
Procession of the Bridesmaids (Song: “Lover)
Procession of Flower Grandma (no flower girl) (Song: “You Belong with Me”)
Procession of the Bride (Song: “Can’t Help Falling in Love”)
Welcome, Scripture Reading, and Prayer
We would like to welcome you to this celebration service—as we celebrate the holy covenant of marriage between Brant Thieme and Alana Nussbaum.
Brant and Alana, you guys have been preparing for this day for a while.
7 years ago you started dating.
and you met where all love stories in Adams County begin... at a high school football game…Alana you said Brant came over to distract you…you ended up talking all night long, and somehow Brant you managed to put your number in her phone. according to different sides of the story—Brant said he messaged you Alana that night—but didn’t respond right away—so Brant messaged her again…Brant, persistence pays off...
that night led to this day—where you are now standing here ready to make a lifelong holy covenant of marriage before God and these witnesses.
Even more so, we know as believers in our Lord Jesus Christ, that God is in control and nothing happens by accident. Your parents and friends have prayed for you and this day that you would find the one God has for you, and today is evidence of God answering that prayer.
We also believe you are here—because God is the author of marriage. Marriage is His idea; He created it…for our good, and to worship Him for His glory!
Jesus Christ says this in Matthew 19:4-6
4 “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’
5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?
6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
Let’s pray.
thanking God for this day
acknowledging a worship service
dedicating it to God
Pledge (vows of intent)
Today, you both will pledge 2 sets of vows during the course of this ceremony.
This first set of vows are called the vows of intent, b/c they express your intentions.
In the past, they served as a condition that the father of the bride had to hear before he agreed to give his daughter away in marriage.
Furthermore, this set of vows, reminds us that you are making this holy vow not just to each other, but in the eyes of God and this community of witnesses.
—Brant, before God and this congregation, do you take Alana to be your wife, and do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor and cherish her, and forsaking all others remain true to her as long as you both live. If so, say, “I do.”
—Alana, before God and this congregation, do you take Brant to be your husband, and do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and cherish him, and forsaking all others remain true to him as long as you both live. If so, say, “I do.”
Giving of the Bride
Who gives ________ to be married to ________?
Answer: Jason: “Her mother and I” or “I do”
Scripture Reading(s)
Message: Charge to the Bride and Groom (about 10 minutes)
Brant and Alana, one of the ways you guys have bonded as a couple is through the following memory
Listen to this memory...
Alana you said your favorite memory with Brant would be when I killed my first deer (2 actually!) from that day on I fell in love with hunting and we knew that we had found something that we could enjoy with each other forever.
and Brant you said similar—mine would also be when Alana started hunting with me. There’s nothing that brings me more joy than seeing a passion grow inside her for something that I’ve grown up with loving and something that for me personally has helped me grow in my walk with Christ.
I want to think about what makes for a successful marriage by thinking of what makes for a successful hunter...
now there is a lot we could talk about that you need as a hunter—you need knowledge and skill how to use your gun correctly and safely, you need to be a marksman of some kind…I won’t talk about those so much as some other skills…here’s a couple you need...
A willingness to do the dirty work, the hard work, the difficult work...
Alana you said that along with hunting—one of your favorite memories was when you gutted your first deer. We were both freezing and Brant was ready to get it done and Alana you said you were so fascinated with the guts and organs and his uncle Terry (Brant’s best man) was with us and you inspected every part. (this is probably why Alana you are in the medical field)
that willingness to do the dirty work—also applies to marriage.
what do I mean by the dirty work? Marriage is a lot about serving one another—putting the other’s needs before your own. And this is not always easy. It involves sacrifice. Humility. a willingness to both of you roll up your sleeves and get to work on hard things in your relationship. to get to the guts of your relationship.
I saw this willingness because we met several times to talk about your relationship—communication patterns, conflict resolution, finances—we tried to cover most of the bases—and you both have a willingness to roll up your sleeves and get to involved.
In a marriage, this may involve doing chores you don’t like, engaging in the other person’ activities, saying “no” to what you want to do for the sake of the other...but I think more important than what the details may look like—it’s having a certain heart and attitude—that says “I will do anything for you…because I love you.” “If it helps you, I will do it.”
and the Bible is big on this—Jesus is our model. In John 13—we read an amazing story that the Son of God, the Creator of the Universe who took flesh—washed each of his disciples’ feet one by one. footwashing was a common thing back then done by servants—but Jesus, the Lord of the Universe washed his disciples’ feet including the one who would betray him—Judas.
14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.
15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.
I guarantee that if both of you approach marriage with an attitude of service—blood and guts service—humility—it will revolutionize your marriage.
the second piece of advice that all hunters needs (and fisherman)—is the word patience.
if you are going to be a successful hunter…you need patience.
one hunting expert said “deer are always easier to spot when you are not moving, and they are moving.” and then he said, “The reverse applies. If you are moving, and they are not…they will spot you.”
many hunts could have been more successful—if they were just patient.
and I would say the same applies to a marriage.
We are an instant culture—we want things now and yesterday, and we have incredible technology that enables us to do almost anything instantly. You guys could order almost any hunting gear and probably get it in the next day or 2 (btw—did you put any hunting gear on your gift registry?)
but that same instant-ness we like—doesn’t apply to most things in life that worth pursuing.
In a recent sermon, I quoted speaker Liz Bohanan. and she said if you are going to get in shape, it takes about 130 hours of working out. one hour a day—4 months. you are going to get a 4 year degree—it takes about 4300 hours of work. fall and spring semesters. if you start a business, it takes about 8600 hours just to break even. that’s working approximately 60 hours a week for 3 years. and then she also said, if you are going to make a close intimate friend it takes at least 200 hours to get there and then many to maintain it.
if you are going to grow in your marriage and have a successful marriage—how long does it take? I don’t know the stats—but my guess is — a lifetime—or at least a little bit more. because you always have room to grow.
and as you grow older—you will always change, new challenges and opportunities will arise—will you have the patience to walk with your spouse, to the dirty work, support and love each other—until death comes?
at times this could drive you crazy---
I always ask couples what drives you nuts about your future spouse:
Brant—I am annoyed by her messes she leaves everywhere.” Alana said, “I think what I find most annoying about Brant is that he is so neat and tidy and organized. My organized is a very chaotic organized to everyone else but to me makes perfect sense.
do you have the patience for this?
Thankfully — we are not alone in this: Galatians 5:22-24
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
through Christ—His Spirit produces the patience in us....and the character we need.
and this takes me to my last—point, if you are going to have a successful marriage and be a successful hunter—you need the right focus. you need to know why you are doing what you are doing.
as a hunter—you have to know you focus, your purpose, your reasoning—or it might be easy to quit, give up. It takes time and money and effort to engage in this hobby. it takes a passion and love of hunting when you are freezing and not finding any animals.
same is true in marriage—if you are going to have a successful marriage—you need to know the why of your marriage—and the Bible says the why is all about Jesus Christ.
Your marriage exists to point to the one who created marriage, and the one who models what marriage is all about.
21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.
24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
now this doesn’t mean Alana that you are a doormat, these words can and have been abused in some marriages—no—but you seek to follow Brant’s servant leadership as he follows Jesus.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her
26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,
27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.
and Brant you are to lay down your life for Alana.
Jesus actually did both of these roles. He submitted to the Father—by going to the cross, dying in our place for our sins so we could be forgiven and made new.
and he led sacrificially, giving up his very life for us because He loves you.
and when you live out these roles in marriage—you tell the world—that your marriage exists to point to Jesus Christ and the church.
that you serve a god who died for our sins, so we can be forgiven.
a god who gives you a new heart—so you can do the dirty work joyfully
a god who produces fruit so that you can be patient.
I promise that if you keep your eyes on Jesus, it will change your marriage, and it may make you a better hunter in the process. Let’s pray.
Vows
The couple has chosen to write their own vows and will read them at this time.
Brant, you go first.
Alana, 2nd.
Giving of Rings (optional)
You have decided to seal your vows by the giving and receiving of rings. Rings are a sacred symbol, signaling to others that you are in an exclusive commitment to your beloved (just as God is with you). The precious metal from which they are forged reminds you of the precious possession you have in marriage (just as God gave you). The infinite circle they form remind you that your new relationship is never to end and be broken except by death or the Lord comes back for his church.
Brant, take your ring for Alana, and as you begin to put the ring on her finger, please repeat after me.
Alana, I give you this ring
as a constant reminder
of my abiding love and commitment.
Alana, take your ring for Brant, and as you begin to put the ring on her finger, please repeat after me.
Brant, I give you this ring
as a constant reminder
of my abiding love and commitment
Song & Unity Cross (Song Played: ____________)
The couple has chosen to demonstrate God’s presence in their marriage by assembling the unity cross.
This is a sculpture which will serve as a lasting reminder of the covenant they are making today. Each piece of the cross symbolizes something important that God has given you. When these pieces are assembled together, they represent 2 lives becoming one around Jesus Christ.
Brant, your piece of the unity cross reminds you that you are responsible to God to lead and love your wife and family by His Word. By assembling the cross, you are committing to leading Alana—loving her, serving her and supporting her as long as you both live as Jesus loved the church.
Alana, your piece of the unity cross reminds you that you are to support Brant, love him, serve, and support him as long as you both shall live just as the Church follows Jesus.
And then the 3 pegs of the unity cross represents what is unique about your marriage and every Christian marriage. That the center of your marriage is Jesus and the cross, held together by God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. as you put Him first—he binds you together more closely.
So let’s take a moment now and have you assemble the unity cross.
Prayer - Uncle Terry - best man of Brant (get him microphone)
Pronouncement
And now, Brant and Alana, having heard your vows to each other before God and these witnesses, I do, by virtue of the authority vested in me, as a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and in accordance with the laws of God and the state of Indiana, I pronounce you husband and wife. You are no longer two, but one, in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit. What God has joined together, let no man separate.
Kiss
Brant, you may now kiss your bride.
Presentation of the couple
It is now my pleasure to present to you for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Brant and Alana Thieme
(or first names and be used instead)
Recessional
Song: “Remember This.”
Guests are dismissed (by ushers or by the couple)
Instructions:
*please be seated until Brant and Alana return. They will greet you and dismiss you row by row.
*the couple asks that you grab a bottle of bubbles in the foyer, and wait there. As they exit the church and enter their vehicle, we ask that you use those bubbles as a short send off.
after that, following the ceremony, the reception begins at the White Rose Event Center in Decatur
*anything else?
*thanks for coming today