Читать книгу Planning Your Marriage Service - Margaret Webber - Страница 9

The first and most important choice you will make is whether or not to include the eucharist (Mass or Holy Communion) in your marriage service. There are two important reasons for choosing to include the eucharist. The first is that God's greatest gift of love is the life of Jesus Christ which we receive at the altar in the bread and wine. God's gift of love strengthens you for the new life you are beginning. Secondly, the eucharist is the family meal of God's family. There is no better way to begin your life as a family, which will be centered around your family table, than to come to God's table to share in the Christian family meal.

Sometimes people will be concerned that non-Christian guests or members of other Christian churches will feel “left out” if they cannot come to the altar. But your friends will want you to receive all the gifts your church has to give and, even if they are not free to receive communion, they will be glad that you have not changed the service on their account. Others are sometimes concerned about making. the service “too long.” The difference in time will probably be less than half an hour and that seems a small investment of time to make when you think of the many years that lie ahead. Nevertheless, there are many factors that bear on this choice and you must make the choices that best fit your circumstances. If you decide not to have the eucharist as part of your service, perhaps you can have a service for yourselves and some of your friends and family earlier in the day. You can at least plan to receive communion together soon after the wedding and regularly thereafter.