First Reading
Song of Songs 2:8-10, 14, 16a; 8:6-7a
Reader: Martha Crosser
The voice of my beloved!
Look, he comes,
leaping upon the mountains,
bounding over the hills.
My beloved is like a gazelle
or a young stag.
Look, there he stands
behind our wall,
gazing in at the windows,
looking through the lattice.
My beloved speaks and says to me:
‘Arise, my love, my fair one,
and come away;
O my dove, in the clefts of the rock,
in the covert of the cliff,
let me see your face,
let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet,
and your face is lovely.
My beloved is mine and I am his;
he pastures his flock among the lilies.
Set me as a seal upon your heart,
as a seal upon your arm;
for love is strong as death,
passion fierce as the grave.
Its flashes are flashes of fire,
a raging flame.
Many waters cannot quench love,
neither can floods drown it.
If one offered for love
all the wealth of one’s house,
it would be utterly scorned.
Psalm
Psalm 145
Reader: John Eure
R. How good is the Lord to all.
The Lord is kind and full of compassion,
slow to anger, abounding in mercy.
How good is the Lord to all,
compassionate to all his creatures.
R. How good is the Lord to all.
All your works shall thank you, O Lord,
and all your faithful ones bless you.
The eyes of all look to you
and you give them their food in due season.
R. How good is the Lord to all.
The Lord is righteous in all his ways
and holy in all his deeds.
The Lord is close to all who call him,
who call on him in truth.
R. How good is the Lord to all.
Second Reading
1 Corintians 12:31-13:8a
Reader: Tom Osborn
A reading from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians
Brothers and sisters:
Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts.
But I shall show you a still more excellent way.
If I speak in human and angelic tongues
but do not have love,
I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal.
And if I have the gift of prophecy
and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge;
if I have all faith so as to move mountains,
but do not have love, I am nothing.
If I give away everything I own,
and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love,
I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind.
It is not jealous, it is not pompous,
it is not inflated, it is not rude,
it does not seek its own interests,
it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury,
it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.
It bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails.
The Word of the Lord.
Alleluia
1 John 4:8b and 11
Musicians
Whoever does not love does not know God,
because God is love.
This is how God showed his love among us:
He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.
This is love: not that we loved God,
but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
Dear friends, since God so loved us,
we also ought to love one another.
Gospel
John 2:1-11
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John
There was a wedding in Cana in Galilee,
and the mother of Jesus was there.
Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding.
When the wine ran short,
the mother of Jesus said to him,
“They have no wine.”
And Jesus said to her,
“Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come?“
His mother said to the servers,
“Do whatever he tells you.”
Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings,
each holding twenty to thirty gallons.
Jesus told them,
“Fill the jars with water.”
So they filled them to the brim.
Then he told them,
“Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.”
So they took it. And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine,
without knowing where it came from
(although the servants who had drawn the water knew),
the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him,
“Everyone serves good wine first,
and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one;
but you have kept the good wine until now.”
Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs in Cana in Galilee
and so revealed his glory,
and his disciples began to believe in him.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Petitions
Presider:
As we pray to the Lord for Jia and Luke on their wedding day, let us also remember the needs of the Church and the world.
Reader:
For this bride and groom, and for their well-being as a family. We pray to the Lord.
For all who show grace in misfortune, kindness in conflicts, and love in hate. May they be an example of love to this couple. We pray to the Lord.
For all the hungry and thirsty, stranger and cold, sick and imprisoned. May they find nourishment, refuge, and comfort. We pray to the Lord.
For all who are working to achieve a peaceful resolution to conflicts throughout the world. May they have the wisdom and skills to reduce violence and bloodshed. We pray to the Lord.
For Sino-American relations. May Jia and Luke's marriage serve as a beacon of bilateral cooperation for a better tomorrow. We pray to the Lord.
For these personal needs, which we now mention in the silence of our hearts ...(pause)... We pray to the Lord.
For the family and friends gathered here, who have supported, assisted, and loved Jia and Luke. May they enjoy the warm company of family and friends and have safe travel on their journey home
Presider:
God of love, you create people to become one. Hear the prayer of your church and answer the needs of your children, Jia and Luke. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.