Wednesday, June 25, 2008

A million monkeys at a million typewriters

We've begun searching for some readings for our ceremony. We don't really have any poems or essays that are us or that we love (but if anyone knows any good quotes from Discworld I'd love to hear those, we really bonded over Reaper Man in our early days). For me I lean less towards the poetry from the romantic period (I hate those damn daffodils) and more towards Swift and Pope. I don't think that Heloise to Abelard or Rape of the Lock would go over very well at a wedding (never mind Gulliver's Travels).

So in trying to keep it more traditional and to not freak out the catholic side anymore we've been looking for some bible readings. I don't want to do 1 Corinthians, everyone does it and it really is too sappy for us.

A lot of people use various passages from Song of Solomon, but I remember my first introduction to that book was from watching a program called "The History of Sex" and I do agree with them. It sounds a bit racy to me.

Instead I found a simple prayer from a book I don't know (it's only in the Catholic bible as it is all about an angel and a guy, not sure if they fight crime or not). It's Tobit 9:5-7.

"She got up, and they started to pray and beg that deliverance might be theirs. He began with these words:
'Blessed are you, O God of our fathers; praised be your name forever and ever.
Let the heavens and all your creation praise you forever.
You made Adam and you gave him his wife Eve
to be his help and support; and from these two the human race descended.
You said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone;
let us make him a partner like himself.'
Now, Lord, you know that I take this wife of mine not because of lust,
but for a noble purpose.
Call down your mercy on me and on her,
and all us to live together to a happy old age."

The passage comes about because apparently every time this womans parents try to marry their daughter off the guy dies and it's happened 7 times, so that's why they're hoping Tobiah doesn't bite the big one. (Eventually the angel defeats the deamon, I think. At least he makes a quick trip to Egypt, possibly to get some souveniers.)

I like it for the fact that while you do get some mention of Adam and Eve there is no rib stuff, no real "the woman is lower because of such and such" and who doesn't like to hope to live to a happy old age?

For another reading we might have COLOSSIANS 3:12-17, (well unless someone comes up with a good Pratchett quote) or we might keep looking.

Is anyone else circling the drain trying to come up with something to be read at their ceremony? So much emphasis is put on everything else about the wedding it's really hard to google up anything about the actual ceremony part.

We're still looking for a good hymn to sing at the wedding as well (we methodists loves our singing) and if anyone knows anything good for the catholic crowd that would be much appreciated.

But really, anyone got anything from Death on love and marriage?

2 comments:

One and Doll said...

So my partner and I (I found your link through IndieBride) are using Jesus' sending the disciples two by two to neighboring towns. We are modifying parts of it because it gets pretty harsh. But we are both ministers and want to emphasize that we are called together!

Anonymous said...

You could try Everlasting Love as a hymn.