Same-sex couples who wish to make a formal commitment to one another can now enter into a Civil Partnership. As the name suggests, this is a civil ceremony, and the arrangements need to be made with the Civil Registrar in Pontypridd (Tel. 01443 486869).
Entering into a Civil Partnership is a big step. Some couples will therefore feel that asking for God’s blessing is a good idea. You may want to do this on the same day as you enter the Partnership, or at a later date. You do not have to be a member of the church to have a service of blessing in church, but you do need to believe in God and to want to ask Him to be with you in your life together.
On the day, our minister will conduct the ceremony. The blessing service will be very personal to you, and the minister will be happy to discuss with you what might be included, and will help you to put the service together. The service can be conducted in English or Welsh or bilingually. We have prepared the following sample service as a starting point for this discussion – but it is your day and we will want to try to meet your wishes wherever possible.
ORDER OF SERVICE
Scripture Sentence
Dear friends, let's love one another, because love is a present from God.
Everyone who loves shares a family likeness with God and has a relationship with God. Anyone who doesn't love doesn't have a relationship with God, because GOD IS LOVE.
No-one has ever penetrated the mystery of God's being.
But if we love one another, God is part of us.
God's loving nature can be seen in our loving.'
(1 John.4:7-8 & 12 – 'Good as New translation')
Declaration of Intent
A and B have entered into a civil partnership
as recognised by the law of the land.
Now they come with us before God
to ask for a blessing for their partnership.
We rejoice in the love they share
and gladly pray for the blessing of God upon them.
We also want to give them our support as their friends
and to seek their good, now in our prayers,
and in our future care and concern.
Prayer
Either:
God of love,
on this day of joy we come to praise you.
When two people find love together you are with them
and in their faces we see your delight.
When love is expressed in promises
we see a faithfulness like yours.
When the future beckons with hope
we are restored and renewed.
Bless our celebration today with your presence and promise,
that all of us may be touched by grace
and strengthened with joy,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
or:
Loving God, today we celebrate your greatest gift,
your gift of love.
It is the gift of yourself, for you are love.
You gave yourself to us in Jesus,
and you give yourself to us whenever people live in love.
Your love is miracle.
It turns selfish beings
into those who care more for someone else than for themselves;
it turns those who use others for their own ends
into those who seek only another's good;
it turns those who are fickle and unreliable
into those who aim to be loyal and steadfast;
it turns the cold-hearted
into the warm, affectionate and generous.
Let your love be real in us today;
let it be the foundation of everything we are;
let it hold firm, come what may.
Help us, God, to love you in response to your love for us.
In the name of Jesus. Amen.
Hymn
e.g. 'Great God, your love has called us here' (R&S 339)
or 'We are one in the Spirit' (Tune: Saint Brendan's)
Expressions of friendship and exchange of rings
(or other symbols)
Eternal God,
whose love is always faithful and whose promises never fail,
we pray for A and B as they ask for your blessing now.
Strengthen them by your Spirit,
that they may remember the promises they have made,
grow in love and honour for one another
and live according to your will.
Fill them with joy, guide them in future days
and surround them with your love,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
If they so wish, each partner may make a promise to the other, for example:
Either:
In the presence of God and all here today,
I, A, declare my love for you, B,
and rejoice in God's presence in our friendship.
I intend to love you, care for you,
and consider you before my own needs,
in good times and bad times;
I will be pleased when you are happy
and grieve when you suffer;
I will share your interests and hopes for the future;
I will try to understand you even when I don't agree with you;
I will help you to be your true self –
the person God wishes you to be.
For all this I ask God's help, now and in the days to come.
In the name of Jesus.
Or:
B, I, A, have chosen you as my partner.
I promise to share my life with you.
holding to you in good times and bad,
in anger and forgiveness, in pain and in hope.
Forgive me when I fail; support me when I am weak.
Please go on trusting me, as I grow in love and trust you.
If the partners wish to exchange rings or some other symbol of their friendship, then the leader says this prayer:
Let us pray:
Eternal God, whose love, like a circle, never ends,
we pray that these rings (symbols)
may be signs of unending faithfulness.
Give A and B a love that lasts, joy in one another,
and years of peace together.
And may your presence, the perfect Trinity of love,
be always with them.
Amen.
May these rings (symbols) be a reminder to A and B of the bond between them and a witness to God's blessing upon them.
Partners say together.
May these rings (symbols) be a sign of our love.
May we be held together within the circle of God's love
in joy, faithfulness and trust.
If either partner, or both, has children, the minister may say to the partners:
Do you promise to include N (and N) within the circle of your love?
We do.
A friend of the partners may present some flowers, saying:
We bless you with these flowers –
a sign of joy and laughter in your life,
and also of tenderness and vulnerability,
and the blossoming of your dreams.
Expression of God's blessing:
Either:
The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face to shine upon you,
and be gracious to you;
the LORD lift up his countenance upon you,
and give you peace.
Amen.
or:
God cheer you and look after you;
God convince you that life is good;
God assure you that love is the lasting reality;
God satisfy your deepest needs;
God give you peace, now and forever.
Amen.
or a prayer of blessing, such as the following:
May God bless you, care for you and protect you from all harm.
May he put good people by your side,
that you may not be alone.
May God's face shine upon you,
may he be merciful towards you
and regale you out of the wealth of his goodness.
May he give you open eyes and ears
that you may see his mighty acts and miracles
in the small things of everyday life.
May he give you strength and courage
to seek and find the path of life that is yours.
May he give you peace and salvation, that you need not fear.
May he give you self-confidence and trust,
that you need not know rejection.
May he give you a gladsome heart, a smile on your face,
laughter that is contagious and liberating,
that even in times of sadness you may know joy.
May he be near you at all times with his blessing,
so that you may grow and mature.
So may God keep you and be your guiding star,
today and always. Amen.
Readings from Scripture
Some suggested readings:
Old Testament
Ruth 1:1-18
1 Samuel 18:1b-4
Psalm 67
Psalm 118.1-9,29
Psalm 139.1-18,23-24
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Ecclesiastes 5.1-4
Song of Songs 8.6-7
New Testament:
Matthew 5:3-9
Romans 12.9-13
1 Corinthians 13
Galatians 3:26-29
Philippians 2.1-5
Philippians 4:4-9
Colossians 3:12-17
1 Peter 4.8-11
Short address
Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession
Loving God,
we thank you for every blessing we have known.
Thank you for the simple, everyday pleasures of life
and for the great, amazing days when life is made as new.
Thank you for the moments when we know
that we are blessed and that life is good.
Thank you for this day,
for what it means to A and B and to all of us,
and for everyone for whom today brings joy.
You promise blessing for those who are suffering
and on the darkest days in all our lives you are there.
We pray that the poor will be blessed with justice,
that those who are sad will find comfort and strength,
and that all who work and pray for peace
will receive their reward.
We pray that broken hearts will be mended,
that bitter disputes will be resolved
and aggression be smoothed by gentleness.
Where your creation is cursed by suffering and struggle,
come with blessing upon us all.
We thank you that we have seen this day,
and witnessed such joy together.
May we carry your blessing with us
to our homes, our friends, our families.
May the places where we live, and the places where we work,
the people we love, and the people we serve,
be blessed by your presence and by holy joy.
May your name be blessed, among us and through all the world,
this day and for ever. Amen.
The Lord's Prayer
or:
The Pattern Prayer (John Henson)
Loving God, here and everywhere,
help us proclaim your values and bring in your New World.
Supply us with our day to day needs.
Forgive us for wounding you,
while we forgive those who wound us.
Give us courage to meet life's trials and deal with evil's power.
We celebrate your New World, full of life and beauty,
lasting forever.
Hymn
Blessing
May the God who created us out of love,
whose Son loved us even unto death,
and whose Spirit warms us with holy friendship,
bless and keep us, now and forever, Amen.
Approved 08.05.07
Acknowledgements
This service includes material (some of it adapted) from:
Courage to Love An Anthology of Inclusive Worship Material (ed. Geoffrey Duncan; Darton, Longman & Todd, 2002) © Geoffrey Duncan
Worship: from the United Reformed Church © United Reformed Church, 2004.
An unpublished blessing service by John Henson.