The Right of Betrothal and Crowning
Orthodox Christian Marriage —– a Mystery
The Apostle Paul, in his Epistle to the Ephesians (5:25-32), in the passage
which is read at the Orthodox Christian ceremony of marriage, gives the true
meaning of union between man and women.
“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up
for her...because we are members of His body…” This is a great mystery, and I
take it to mean Christ and the Church. The Orthodox sacrament of marriage
declares that marriage has ceased to be simply the satisfaction of a natural
human instinct or merely the declaration of a legal contract between two human
beings. It is a blessed event which concerns not only the newly married couple,
but also Christ Himself, for two of His members are being joined in one within
the whole Church which is the Body of Christ. This new dimension is what
constitutes the whole difference between an Orthodox Christian marriage and the
one which is concluded outside the Church. Today we truly see a great
mystery blessed by Christ Jesus Himself!
The Rings
The order of marriage is composed in two parts; the Betrothal and the
Sacraments of Crowning. The Betrothal, being an entrance rite, is celebrated in
the Vestibule of the church.
The rings are blessed by the priest who takes them in his hand and making the
sign of the cross over their heads says "The servant of God, <John>, is
betrothed to the handmaid of God, <Marsha>, in the name of the Father, and the
Son, and the Holy Spirit.”
The rings are placed on the right hand; the right hand being the hand of
blessing.
The best man then exchanges the rings three times, taking the bride’s ring
and placing it on the groom’s finger, who in turn returns the ring. The rings
are the symbol of the betrothal from the most ancient times. The exchange
signifies that in married life, the weaknesses of one partner will be
compensated for by the strength of the other, the imperfections of one by the
perfection of the other. By themselves, the newly betrothed are incomplete;
together that are made perfect. Thus the exchange of the rings gives expression
to the fact that the spouses in marriage will constantly be complementing each
other. Each will be enriched by the union.
The Candles
The wedding service begins immediately following the Betrothal Service. The
bride and groom are handed candles which they hold throughout the service. The
candles are like lamps of the five wise maidens of the Bible, who, because they
had enough oil in their lamps, were able to receive the Bridegroom Christ, when
He came in the darkness of the night. The candles symbolize the spiritual
willingness of the couple to receive Christ, who will bless them through this
sacrament.
The Crowning
The office of the crowning, which follows, is the climax of the wedding
service. The crowns are signs of the glory and honor with which God crowns them
during the sacrament. The groom and the bride are crowned as the king and queen
of their own little kingdom, the home, which they rule with wisdom, justice and
integrity.
The Common Cup
The rite of crowning is followed by the reading of the Epistle and the
Gospel. The Gospel reading describes the marriage at Cana of Galilee which was
attended and blessed by Christ, and for which He manifested His first miracle.
There He converted water into wine and gave it to the newlyweds. In remembrance
of this blessing, wine is given to the couple. This is the “common cup” of life
denoting the mutual sharing of joy and sorrow, the token of a life of harmony.
The drinking of wine from the common cup serves to impress upon the couple that
from that moment on they will share everything in life, joys as well as sorrows,
and that they are to “bear one another’s burdens.” Their joys will be doubled
and their sorrows halved because they will be shared.
The Ceremonial Walk
The priest leads the bride and groom in a circle around the Amvon (table) on
which are placed the Gospel and the Cross; the one contains the word of God and
the other being the symbol of our redemption by Jesus. The husband and wife are
taking their first steps as a married couple, and the church, in the person of
the priest, leads them in the way they must walk. The way is symbolized by the
circle at the center of which are the Gospel and the Cross of our Lord. This
expresses the fact that the way of Christian living is a perfect orbit around
the center of life, who is Jesus Christ our Lord.
During the ceremonial walk around the Amvon, a hymn is sung to the Holy
Martyrs reminding the newly couple of the sacrificial love they are to have for
each other in marriage; a love that seeks not its own but is willing to
sacrifice its all for the one loved.
Some interpreters consider this walk a religious dance expressing the joy of
matrimony.
The Blessing
The couple return to their places and the priest, blessing the groom says,
“Be thou exalted, O bridegroom, as Abraham, and blessed as Isaac, and increased
as Jacob, walking in peace and working in righteousness the commandments of
God.” And blessing the bride he says, “And thou, O bride, be thou exalted as
Sarah, and glad as Rebecca, and do thou increase like unto Rachael, rejoicing in
thine own husband, fulfilling the conditions of the law; for so it is well
pleasing unto God.”
![[The Wedding At Cana]](../../images/wedding_cana.jpg)
John 2
Miracle at Cana
- On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee,
and the mother of Jesus was there;
- and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the
wedding.
- When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him,
"They have no wine."
- And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does that have
to do with us? My hour has not yet come."
- His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says
to you, do it."
- Now there were six stone waterpots set there for the
Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons each.
- Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with
water." So they filled them up to the brim.
- And He said to them, "Draw some out now and take it
to the headwaiter." So they took it to him.
- When the headwaiter tasted the water which had become
wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn
the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom,
- and said to him, "Every man serves the good wine
first, and when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poorer
wine; but you have kept the good wine until now."
- This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee,
and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.
- After this He went down to Capernaum, He and His mother
and His brothers and His disciples; and they stayed there a few days.
![[Three-Bar Cross]](../../images/cross.gif)