About The Service
Marriage is one of seven sacramental rites performed in the Episcopal Church. It is therefore crucial that
a couple wishing to get married in the Church understand the significance of the sacrament and the level of
commitment to God.
We have given a lot of prayerful consideration about the marriage service we would like to have. Because Lauren works for the church and is a “cradle” or since birth Episcopalian, she had a little more to say about the type of service we would have. After hearing a wedding sermon by a good friend of the family, Lauren new that she wanted to have communion as a part of the service. The Rev. Kyle Seage said that communion is like a couple’s first dinner party. And those of you who know Lauren know how she feels about dinner parties. Lauren also thinks that communion is such an amazing experience and every time you share communion with people you take them with you everywhere. She can’t wait to have all the people she loves walk up to the table and share in the same sacrament with us. It will be the first thing that WE, as a unit, will share with the world.
Communion is also one of seven sacramental rites performed in the Episcopal Church. EVERYONE is welcome at the altar regardless of religious beliefs. If you are baptized, you are welcome to receive communion at the altar. You can receive the bread, the wine, or the bread and the wine. In order to receive the bread, you should cup your right hand over you left hand and wait for the bread. You can receive the wine in three different ways: you can drink straight from the cup, you can dip your bread into the cup, or you can keep the bread in your hand and the chalice bearer (cup holder) will take the bread from your hand, dip it for you, and then place it on your tongue. If you would not like to receive communion or are unable to because of religious beliefs or not being baptized, you can still come to the altar and receive a prayer. You only need to cross your arms across your chest when the priest comes to you and he/she will place their hand on your head and pray for you.
We feel very honored to have the Bishop officiating over our marriage service. The Bishop is the highest form of leadership within the Episcopal Church. There will be some unique aspects of the ceremony because the Bishop will be on the altar. There will also be two other clergy with him. One will be helping with the blessing of the marriage and the other will be reading the Gospel. Both are very important aspects of the service for us and we are lucky to have them standing with us as we begin our new life together.
Another Episcopal tradition we will be observing is the use of incense. The incense is non-allergenic and will only be used for certain parts of the service. The Episcopal Church depends heavily on tradition and symbolism. In ancient days, incense may have had a practical, fumigatory purpose, and as such tends to be used as a symbol of purification. But as people saw the rising smoke, they also felt it symbolized their prayers rising to heaven, and the Hebrew people especially felt that the billowing smoke of incense represented the glory of God filling the house. In our liturgy, we use incense primarily to focus our attention, by symbolically purifying our intentions and our space. People, places and objects are “censed” to call attention to the importance of their upcoming function in the liturgy. We use it sparingly, and the thurible is always brought into the church only long enough for its use, then immediately taken out.
If you have any questions about the service and what you should do during the service please feel free to contact us. The priest will also give instructions during the service.
We have given a lot of prayerful consideration about the marriage service we would like to have. Because Lauren works for the church and is a “cradle” or since birth Episcopalian, she had a little more to say about the type of service we would have. After hearing a wedding sermon by a good friend of the family, Lauren new that she wanted to have communion as a part of the service. The Rev. Kyle Seage said that communion is like a couple’s first dinner party. And those of you who know Lauren know how she feels about dinner parties. Lauren also thinks that communion is such an amazing experience and every time you share communion with people you take them with you everywhere. She can’t wait to have all the people she loves walk up to the table and share in the same sacrament with us. It will be the first thing that WE, as a unit, will share with the world.
Communion is also one of seven sacramental rites performed in the Episcopal Church. EVERYONE is welcome at the altar regardless of religious beliefs. If you are baptized, you are welcome to receive communion at the altar. You can receive the bread, the wine, or the bread and the wine. In order to receive the bread, you should cup your right hand over you left hand and wait for the bread. You can receive the wine in three different ways: you can drink straight from the cup, you can dip your bread into the cup, or you can keep the bread in your hand and the chalice bearer (cup holder) will take the bread from your hand, dip it for you, and then place it on your tongue. If you would not like to receive communion or are unable to because of religious beliefs or not being baptized, you can still come to the altar and receive a prayer. You only need to cross your arms across your chest when the priest comes to you and he/she will place their hand on your head and pray for you.
We feel very honored to have the Bishop officiating over our marriage service. The Bishop is the highest form of leadership within the Episcopal Church. There will be some unique aspects of the ceremony because the Bishop will be on the altar. There will also be two other clergy with him. One will be helping with the blessing of the marriage and the other will be reading the Gospel. Both are very important aspects of the service for us and we are lucky to have them standing with us as we begin our new life together.
Another Episcopal tradition we will be observing is the use of incense. The incense is non-allergenic and will only be used for certain parts of the service. The Episcopal Church depends heavily on tradition and symbolism. In ancient days, incense may have had a practical, fumigatory purpose, and as such tends to be used as a symbol of purification. But as people saw the rising smoke, they also felt it symbolized their prayers rising to heaven, and the Hebrew people especially felt that the billowing smoke of incense represented the glory of God filling the house. In our liturgy, we use incense primarily to focus our attention, by symbolically purifying our intentions and our space. People, places and objects are “censed” to call attention to the importance of their upcoming function in the liturgy. We use it sparingly, and the thurible is always brought into the church only long enough for its use, then immediately taken out.
If you have any questions about the service and what you should do during the service please feel free to contact us. The priest will also give instructions during the service.
