A Christian Wedding Sermon: Love as Christ Loved the Church
Quick Summary
A Christian wedding reflects Paul’s vision of love that mirrors Christ’s care for the church. This sermon explores mutual submission, shared help, and the steady pattern of self-giving love that shapes a marriage grounded in grace.
Introduction
Christian marriage begins with a promise spoken before God and witnessed by family and friends. It is a promise shaped not by cultural ideals, but by the pattern of Christ’s love. Paul wrote to early believers about a love that honors, serves, and lifts the other. These teachings were not meant to burden a household but to free it. They describe a relationship formed by humility, strengthened by compassion, and guided by the gentle way Christ loved the church. This sermon invites the couple to imagine their life together as a reflection of that love, expressed through mutual care and shared commitment.
Happy preaching!
-Pastor Jason B. Elder
Wedding Sermon
Paul writes, “Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ” (Ephesians 5:21). These words stand at the heart of Christian marriage. They remind couples that love is not a competition for control but a willingness to place the other’s well-being at the center. (You can give personal examples or acknowledge what the couple has done for one another in the engagement or even in preparation for the day’s festivities).
When Paul speaks of submission, he is not offering a hierarchy. He is describing a posture of humility shared by both people. A posture that says, “This relationship matters more than winning an argument. This covenant matters more than being right.”
Then Paul turns to the example of Christ. “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25). The image is not stern but tender. Christ’s love is patient. It restores. It protects. It bends low to lift those who stumble. This is the love that serves as the foundation for Christian marriage. A love that does not demand but offers. A love that does not cling to pride but chooses compassion. A love that does not retreat when life becomes complicated, but remains steady, creating a place of safety and trust.
In a household shaped by Christ’s example, submission becomes another word for devotion. It becomes the willingness to listen with patience when the day has been long. It becomes the decision to forgive before resentment has time to settle. It becomes the quiet choice to help shoulder a burden, even when that burden is not easily understood. Mutual submission does not erase individuality. It deepens it. It teaches the couple to honor each other’s gifts, to celebrate each other’s strengths, and to make room for each other’s growth.
Paul also reminds believers that love is active. It moves toward the other. It steps into moments of need with gentleness. It reaches out when the other is tired or discouraged. In Christian marriage, this kind of help becomes the rhythm of daily life. Help in the form of encouragement. Help in the form of small acts of kindness. Help in the form of prayers spoken in the quiet before sleep. Help in the willingness to admit weakness and receive comfort. These small acts become the braided cord that binds two lives together.
This love is not earned. It is given. It echoes the grace of Christ, who loved the church not because of perfection but because of mercy. When grace enters a marriage, it softens sharp edges and opens doors that once felt closed. Grace makes room for learning and for trying again. It reminds the couple that God’s love meets them in their promise, surrounds them in their journey, and holds them even when the path is uncertain.
As this covenant begins, there is a beauty in naming the hope that accompanies it. Hope that love will grow deeper through every shared experience. Hope that forgiveness will be a familiar companion. Hope that joy will rise often and unexpectedly. Hope that God’s presence will guide this home through the seasons ahead.
The love Christ showed the church was a love that lifted, healed, and restored. May this marriage reflect that same love. May this couple learn to submit to one another with humility, to help one another with tenderness, and to love with a steadiness that endures all things. May the life they build become a quiet testimony to the grace of God, who delights in their promise and walks faithfully with them.
FAQs
What does “mutual submission” mean in a Christian marriage?
Mutual submission reflects Paul’s teaching that both partners honor and serve one another with humility, creating a relationship where each seeks the well-being of the other.
How does Christ’s love for the church shape a wedding sermon?
Paul uses Christ’s love as the model for self-giving, patient, and restorative commitment. This becomes the foundation for Christian understanding of marriage.
Is this sermon suitable for ceremonies outside a church building?
Yes. Its themes of humility, devotion, and shared commitment fit weddings held in churches, chapels, homes, or outdoor settings.
How can a couple practice mutual help in marriage?
Through small acts of support, patient listening, shared responsibilities, forgiveness, and gestures that strengthen trust and tenderness.
See Also
Christian Wedding Ceremony Script
Wedding Ceremony Script for Officiants
Christian Wedding Ceremony Order and Outline
5 Opening Prayers for a Wedding Ceremony
4 Closing Prayers for a Wedding Ceremony
12 Bible Verses for a Wedding Ceremony
10 Scripture Readings for a Wedding
Wedding Vows for a Christian Ceremony
Declaration of Intent for a Christian Wedding
Wedding Sermon: Love as Christ Loved the Church
Wedding Sermon on 1 Corinthians 13
