A simple wedding service

Well, if I think weddings ought to be simpler than they are, I ought to help make it so. I also think that such service should reflect my conviction that two persons of the same sex may be married. The era of liturgical division between “holy unions” and proper marriage should end.

Here’s a rough workflow.

  1. Get a sense of the units and length of services that our grandparents — if they were Protestant — would have recognized. See what features have been added.
  2. Sample these services in parallel with Universalist and Unitarian services to see what theological assumptions carry through.
  3. Compare these with the theological position I think is correct, and the best informed liturgical underpinnings.
  4. Share drafts with colleagues, privately, for review.

Let me know if you want to me on the share list. Perhaps we can come up with a commonly held rite.

This is the last of my to-do projects for the time being.

By Scott Wells

Scott Wells, 46, is a Universalist Christian minister doing Universalist theology and church administration hacks in Washington, D.C.

6 comments

  1. My ownly experience with this part of pastoral liturgy was…getting married by the Boy in the Bands!

    Sadly, the relationship did not last–or rather, the marriage did not. We have an excellent relationship, a sign that the end of a marriage may part of a transformation, and that loss may still produce gain. But that is besides the point. My real point here is–

    Scott knows his stuff.

    I’d love to be involved in something like you’re discussing, but more as an avid observer of the process since I wouldn’t have any clue what I’m doing, and can’t even claim to have time.

  2. Thanks Jim —

    For the sake of blog-appreciation, I should note that PeaceBang officiated at mine and Hubby’s wedding.

    Thanks, PB

  3. We should start a little club, all the lucky ones that were married by the boy in the bands…even if he didn’t actually have the bands at my wedding :) I know part of what made our day so special was that it was officiated, in part, by someone that loved us and respected our need to have some things very traditional and other things not so typical. If only our families could have been as open minded and supportive!

  4. Oh, Joan, you make me laugh! But there’s some truth in your comments. Even though your site isn’t very bloggy, I’ve gone and linked it from my front page.

    Give D., O., E., E., and A. my love.

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