Legacy Vow Renewal Ceremony

This ceremony may seem long in written form but it only takes about 12 minutes. Below you will find the text of the spiritual vow renewal ceremony. The service is by Rev. John Souter.

 

INTRODUCTION

 

Good relationships never stop growing. Like fine wine, they get better with age. WAYNE and KIMBERLY when you were married ____ years ago, you had no idea what life had in store for you. And today you come to renew your vow and commitment of love for each other here in the land of aloha.
 

God invented marriage because He knew of your need and desire for companionship, love and fulfillment. But we know that there will never be a perfect marriage. As you continue in your relationship, I’m sure you understand that it takes a lot of love AND a lot of work to make your relationship work properly.
 

I'm sure your union as husband and wife has sometimes been difficult. Lovers are never strangers to stress and pain. You know by now that marriage does not eliminate all of life’s problems. You want your union to be a haven where the two of you can grow and nurture one another as you continue to learn how to love your partner.
 

Your Commitment
 

Your marriage is one of the most important commitments you’ve made. As your love grows deeper each year and as you become more comfortable with each other, so does your relationship go beyond anything you could have imagined when you first tied the knot.
 

Now as you stand here (before this gathering of family and friends) you are about to compassionately and joyfully reaffirm your love and commitment. You have come through struggles and personal victories over the years and you bring all of these emotions today as you proclaim your vow of love once again.
 

Today it is your desire to re-ignite the flames of your commitment, emphasizing again that you have not forgotten what it was that first brought you together. Today, you move further down that road which you want to last a lifetime. This is your loving commitment today.
 

Although love can be described as a state of being, it really is an ACTION word. So it’s not just how you feel about each other, but what you DO for each other that’s the key.

1 Corinthians 13

Some of the greatest advice about love ever written is found in 1 Corinthians chapter 13. Let me read it from the Living Bible:
 

"Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong. It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever truth wins out.
 

"If you love someone you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost. You will always believe in him, always expect the best of him, and always stand your ground in defending him."
 

In the Hawaiian language there is a term that describes how couples should treat one another. Ho’oponopono means: "to put things right by family discussion."

In other words, don’t let the sun set when you find that you have become angry. Talk things out. Makes things right with each other quickly, before the sun disappears into the horizon. That’s the best way to keep little misunderstandings from growing into problems that could hurt your relationship.
 

What Marriage is

"Marriage is more than a contract. Marriage is commitment to take that joy deep, deeper than happiness, deep into the discovery of who you most truly are. It is a spiritual journey, to a life of becoming — in which joy can comprehend despair, running through rivers into joy again. And thus marriage is even deeper than commitment. It is a covenant — a covenant that says: I love you. I trust you. I will be here for you when you are hurting; and when I am hurting, I will not leave. . . Marriage is intended to provide a sanctuary safe enough to risk fully loving, fully living and completely sharing from the center of oneself. This is worth everything." —Margaret Keep
 

When you think of your marriage, especially when it has over the years begotten and nurtured children, it is important to add a new word to your relationship, and that word is: "legacy."
 

By your love and commitment, you have produced a bond for your family that is for them a lasting legacy. While your example has certainly not been perfect, it is nonetheless a legacy that your children’s children can look upon for many generations to come. Your legacy pours out of and begins with the love and commitment that you have exhibited to each other over the years.
 

Expect the best from your lover and you can transform your home into a castle where love thrives.
 

HIS VOWS

WAYNE, please take your lei and place it around KIMBERLY ‘s neck and in the Hawaiian tradition, give her a kiss on both cheeks.
 

Do you WAYNE, acknowledge your desire to continue to take KIMBERLY, to be your wife, to live together according to God's word? Will you continue to love and cherish her, giving her assistance in all of life’s labors? Will you continue to be true to her both in sickness and health, both when things are going well and when there are problems? And will you be faithful to her as long as you both shall live? If so, you may answer, I DO.
 

WAYNE, let the beautiful & fragrant flowers that you have placed on KIMBERLY remind you of the fragile nature of your relationship with your wife. Cherish her always, treating her as your princess.
 

HER VOWS

KIMBERLY, take this lei and place it around WAYNE ‘s neck and in the Hawaiian tradition, give him a kiss on both cheeks.
 

Do you, KIMBERLY, acknowledge your desire today, to continue to take WAYNE, to be your husband and to live together according the God’s word? Will you continue to love and cherish him, giving him assistance in all of life’s labors? Will you continue be true to him both in sickness and in health, both when things are going well and when there are difficulties? And will you be faithful to him as long as you both shall live? If so, you may answer, I DO.
 

KIMBERLY, let the beauty & fragrance of these flowers which you have placed around WAYNE ‘s neck remind you of your commitment to continue to be his bride. Cherish him always, treating him as your prince.

 

HER RING

WAYNE, please touch the ring that you have given to KIMBERLY, thus symbolically re-giving it to her. As the ring continues to circle her finger, so shall you love continue to surround your bride. Repeat after me, these fresh new vows of commitment to your wife:

"I WAYNE,

renew my vows

of marriage to you,

My wife KIMBERLY.

You are my life partner

My best friend and companion.

You are the supporter of my dreams

And guardian of my heart

I will spend

the rest of my days

At your side.

Thank you for providing

A nurturing and loving environment.

What I promised before,

I now gladly promise again

To love you,

Honor you,

And respect you

Above all others."
 

HIS RING

KIMBERLY, would you touch the ring that you have previously given to WAYNE and symbolically re-give it to him. Note that the ring is a circle, which symbolizes eternity—for a circle has no ending. KIMBERLY, repeat after me as you remake these vows to your husband:
 

"I KIMBERLY,

renew my vows

of marriage to you,

my husband WAYNE.

You are my life partner

My best friend and companion.

I gladly renew

the promise I made

to be your wife.

I promise again,

To love you,

Honor you,

Respect you,

Above all others.

I pledge myself to you

Again this day

With a love as fresh

As the day we married.
 

PRAYER
 

PROCLAMATION
 

Now that you: WAYNE and KIMBERLY have openly declared your wish to be reunited in the covenant of marriage, and as you have made these promises to each other before God and these witnesses, and have re-given each other rings to confirm your vows;

I, John Souter, by the power & authority granted to me as a minister, do affirm before God, that the two of you today have expressed your desire to continue for a lifetime: as husband and wife. May God bless you.

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