Commontide
Holy Matrimony
O God, the giver of all that is true and lovely and gracious: we thank you for binding us together in these holy mysteries of the Body and Blood of your Son Jesus Christ, uniting us with him, and giving us a foretaste of the great marriage supper of the Lamb. Grant that by your Holy Spirit, N. and N., now joined in Holy Matrimony, may become one in heart and soul, live in fidelity and peace, and obtain those eternal joys prepared for all who love you; for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Draft — AI-assisted research under editorial review.
A modern prayer written for the 1979 American Book of Common Prayer that weaves four New Testament threads into a single post-communion collect: the Philippians 4:8 catalogue of good things, the Eucharist as foretaste of Revelation's "marriage supper of the Lamb," Acts 4:32's "one heart and soul," and the eternal joys of 1 Corinthians 2:9. The ACNA BCP 2019 enriched the 1979 text by making the eschatological connection explicit.