Wedding on the Sabbath?

[tcalbrecht]

If believers realize the marriage ceremony closely resembles the union Christ has with the church, talk about a meaningful ceremony on our Sabbath! What a humbling celebration! The Lord's Day should ADD to the event rather than detract, with great respect to my brother McMahon.

Christ certainly realized it, yet He did not command his church to hold "weddings" on the Lord's Day as part of His worship.

 

[Chris]

Christ certainly realized it, yet He did not command his church to hold "weddings" on the Lord's Day as part of His worship.

Which day did He command us to perform weddings on?

 

[tcalbrecht]

Which day did He command us to perform weddings on?

God did not command His Church to perform weddings on any day. God nowhere sanctioned ministers of the gospel to perform wedding ceremonies. Ministers have been recognized by the state as having the power to perform such ceremonies, along with secular judges and magistrates.

God gave His people wide latitude to conduct weddings in any way that does not violate His revealed will, including "remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy".

Question; if the state were suddenly to disallow ministers from performing wedding ceremonies, on what basis, if any, would you protest this action?

 

[Kevin]

How about the idea that the minister is a lesser magistrate?

In common law the minister is (along with certain other professions) considered a defacto commishoner of oaths. This is an archaic office similar to justice of the peace in the peace in the USA. This usage is retained in marriage by virtue of the administration of the vow or oath. An other place that keeps this older usage is in passport applications, or applications for official govt documents

 

[Chris]

if the state were suddenly to disallow ministers from performing wedding ceremonies, on what basis, if any, would you protest this action?

That's way, way too loaded of a question for me to even consider answering it on this board. That ranks right up there with 'why padeos are wrong in 30 words or less'.

 

[Hamalas]

In response to "Storm's" comment regarding Jesus attending a wedding on the sabbath: Your entire argument is based on the assumption that the "next day" in John 1:29 was a Monday. Maybe I'm just missing it, where do you get that from? Also just a thought, maybe your words were a little harsh in your posts.

Dieter...

Do you mean where in the BIBLE does it say to get married on Sunday???

Well...I don't think our Sundays are the real Sabbath anyway, right? Second, EVERYONE knows the wedding at Cana--the first wedding Jesus attended (and drank GRAPE juice at ) was held on a Sunday.

Geesh! You don't know your Bible very well, do you???

2 Timothy 2:24-26 "And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will."

If you think your brother is wrong by all means show him his error by the Word of God!
But we must always do so with gentleness and love. I don't say this to condemn this is a great area of struggle for me, by God's grace I am beginning to change, so just think about it.

 

[Romans922]

Aren't vows/oaths sometimes part of Public Worship?

 

[Davidius]

Aren't vows/oaths sometimes part of Public Worship?

The wedding wasn't part of a worship service.

 

[bookslover]

The issue in the Directory for Public Worship is not firm and I would have no scruples against attending a wedding on Sunday in a Church. I don't consider attending the solemn union of a man and woman before God to be recreation or a frivolous thing.

Also, I don't know how a man and woman are supposed to get married, in a Church, without some sort of liturgy. It seems kind of ironic that the institution that is used as a picture of Christ and His Church is somehow given some sort of unholy connotation. Our eternal Sabbath is even pictured as a wedding feast. Marriage shares a distinction with the Sabbath as being a Creation ordinance. It certainly is not an extra-ecclesiastical event but ought to involve the entire Body as they celebrate the union of one of their own.

I believe it may be debatable whether one ought to attend a wedding outside of a Church on Sunday but I cannot go along with those who place this event as one of many other frivolous activities that, prima facia, ought to be avoided on the Lord's Day.

This is exactly the sort of post I was about to write; Rich just beat me to it. Seeing that marriage is a divine institution, what better way to emphasize that than to have a wedding on the Lord's Day - even making it a part of a full-fledged worship service? God is glorified because of the acknowledgement the couple is making by consciously having a wedding on the Lord's day.

If it genuinely glorifies God, it is appropriate for the Lord's Day.

 

[tcalbrecht]

This is exactly the sort of post I was about to write; Rich just beat me to it. Seeing that marriage is a divine institution, what better way to emphasize that than to have a wedding on the Lord's Day - even making it a part of a full-fledged worship service? God is glorified because of the acknowledgement the couple is making by consciously having a wedding on the Lord's day.

Civil government is also a divine institution. Would you make the installation of the magistrate a part of pubic sabbath-day worship?

If it genuinely glorifies God, it is appropriate for the Lord's Day.

That sounds fundamentally Anglican or Lutheran.

I'm still looking for a consistent RPW (i.e., biblical) argument is all this discussion.

 

[x.spasitel]

A wedding on the Sabbath (to me) seems to be hearkening back to the days of Rome where marriage was considered a sacrament.

 

[bookslover]

Civil government is also a divine institution. Would you make the installation of the magistrate a part of pubic sabbath-day worship?

No, I wouldn't. The civil magistrate takes care of the secular side of things (so to speak). But marriage is primarily a religious act; it exists on the religious side of things (again, so to speak). In fact, to conduct a wedding on the Lord's Day, in the context of a worship service, would serve to emphasize this fact - that, along with the human witnesses, and in accordance with the laws of the state, a wedding takes place primarily in the sight of God.

For two Christians entering into marriage, a wedding, especially on the Lord's Day, could be considered an act of worship, when properly considered.

As far as conducting weddings on the Lord's Day, the Bible has nothing to say on the matter, either way. However, as marriage is a divine institution, I believe that a Christian couple marrying on the Lord's Day is entirely proper.

 

[bookslover]

A wedding on the Sabbath (to me) seems to be hearkening back to the days of Rome where marriage was considered a sacrament.

Well, I think that merely because the Roman Catholic Church did something with wrong motives doesn't mean that we can't do the same thing, only with proper motives.

We know that marriage is not a sacrament; and it is, in my opinion, still proper to have a wedding on the Lord's Day.

 

[tcalbrecht]

No, I wouldn't. The civil magistrate takes care of the secular side of things (so to speak). But marriage is primarily a religious act; it exists on the religious side of things (again, so to speak). In fact, to conduct a wedding on the Lord's Day, in the context of a worship service, would serve to emphasize this fact - that, along with the human witnesses, and in accordance with the laws of the state, a wedding takes place primarily in the sight of God.

For two Christians entering into marriage, a wedding, especially on the Lord's Day, could be considered an act of worship, when properly considered.

As far as conducting weddings on the Lord's Day, the Bible has nothing to say on the matter, either way. However, as marriage is a divine institution, I believe that a Christian couple marrying on the Lord's Day is entirely proper.

I'm afraid I see this as a pragmatic argument, and not a biblical one.

Using the RPW as our paradigm, "religious acts" permitted on the Sabbath are strictly defined by God in His word.

First of all I think there is some ambiguity in your comments. You appear to be confusing “marriage” (a covenant relationship) and “marriage ceremony” (the initiation of that relationship). Marriage is not an act per se. The ceremony is an act. The marriage ceremony is nowhere defined as a “religious act” by God in His word. If it is really marriage you have in mind, and not the ceremony of initiation, then every Sabbath we are called to celebrate every marriage in worship. But I do not think that is what you want.

In fact, based on your apparent presuppositions, one could make the argument that a civil magistrate declaring a murderer guilty and pronouncing a death sentence is just as much a “religious act” since it results from definite obedience to the moral law of God and, therefore, appropriate for Sabbath worship.

I still get the sense that there is more pragmatism and sentimentalism (and a touch of Romish sacramentalism) in your position that explicit command or “good and necessary” from the Bible.