We thank You for dreaming up the relationship we're here to honor. Before Leslie and Thomas were formed in their mothers' wombs, You thought of them, first for Yourself, and second, for each other. You saw this day long before they did and we give You thanks for bringing Your vision to fruition. We thank You that family and friends made it safely here today. We grieve for those we've loved and lost who couldn't join us today. But we thank You that they rejoice with You and the angels as You preside over this small celebration that is only a distant foreshadow compared to the glorious wedding feast we'll enjoy with You in Your kingdom one day.

Lord, I pray that if there is anyone here who doesn't know You - if there is anyone who hasn't known the intimacy of conversation with You, the safety of Your comforting arms, the healing of Your gentle hands and the restoration of a weary soul to life with a capital "L," - abundant life, life as You, the Author of Life, intended - if there's anyone who doesn't walk closely with You by faith in the Son You named as the only way to the Father, if there's anyone who strives in his or her own efforts and achievements for contentment, freedom, and security, if anyone here doesn't know Jesus as his or her precious Redeemer, the hope of the whole world, but also of the lonely heart - then great Deliverer, would You romance those ones and all of us closer to Your heart? Would You woo each one today into the dance of new life, into the joy and liberty and security of life in Jesus the Messiah?

Father, You are the creator of all that is good, and today we ask that You would seal, in this ceremony and the coming celebration, the good that You have authored in Leslie and Thomas. We have observed in Thomas the faithfulness, the unconditional love, the self-sacrifice toward Leslie consistent with a man submitted to the character of Jesus. Would You make him a husband and, if it's Your will, a father, who is more and more like Jesus every day? And would You transform Leslie - the crusader, the artist, the contemplative and visionary - would You transform her, as she unites her dreams with Thomas', into a force that the powers of hell have no hope of thwarting? Would You make her a wife, and if it's Your will, a mother who gently and consistently models the character of Jesus to Thomas and their children, the same way her mother modeled it for her?

We thank You for the legacy of faith in the families represented here today. We thank You for the blessing transferred from generation to generation. We ask that each of us who witnesses this ceremony and celebrates with this couple would honor and support their union in complete submission to Your will for them. Father, let the joy of this day and the sincerity of the vows exchanged sustain Leslie and Thomas through harder times they may face in the future. Teach them to love more completely, to sacrifice more joyfully and to serve You more faithfully, as individuals who are in love with the Lover of their souls, and as a couple, chasing that sacred romance with the Author of all Romance. We pray in faith for all these things in the name of Jesus, the hope of our hearts. Amen.