Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
This passage is one of the most read at weddings around the world. Paul describes love by what it does and what it does not do. Patience and kindness come first, and endurance comes last. It is a portrait of love that lasts. Many couples choose it because it describes love as daily action rather than feeling alone.
ReflectTry reading this passage with your own name in place of love, and notice which line invites the most growth. Then consider choosing one quality to practice intentionally this week in your closest relationship.
But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.
Ruth 1:16
Ruth spoke these words to her mother-in-law Naomi, not to a spouse. Her loyalty and commitment made them a favorite wedding reading. They express a love that chooses to stay.
ReflectHow might Ruth's loyal commitment inspire the way couples and friends stay faithful to one another?
Many waters cannot quench love, nor can rivers drown it. If a man tried to buy love with all his wealth, his offer would be utterly scorned.
Song of Songs 8:7
The Song of Songs celebrates the beauty of love between a husband and wife. Here love is described as stronger than floodwaters and beyond price. It is a poetic celebration of committed love.
ReflectWhat makes love strong enough that many waters cannot quench it, and how can couples nurture that strength?
Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.
Colossians 3:14
Paul describes love as the garment that holds every other virtue together. Clothing ourselves with love is a daily choice. It brings harmony to every relationship.
ReflectWhat would clothing yourself with love look like in one specific relationship this week?
No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.
1 John 4:12
John reminds readers that no one has seen God, yet God's love becomes visible when people love each other. Love is how God's presence is expressed. It is a meaningful verse for weddings and community gatherings.
ReflectHow can your love for others make God's love visible to the people around you?
A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.
Ecclesiastes 4:12
The triple-braided cord is a favorite image at weddings. Two people standing together are strong, and with God as the third strand, stronger still. It is a beautiful picture of a marriage centered on God.
ReflectWhat practices help keep God at the center of a marriage, like the third strand in the cord?
