so so so so Let's go in. so so so so so so I love you. StSq2 2.60 Let's go. so so so It's right beside me. How are you? Good. I want to sit down. so so so so so StSq2 2.60 Okay, listen to it. so so so so so so so So, So, so so so so you you so so so so so so so so so so so Who gives this woman to this man? Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth, who keeps truth forever, and who never forsakes the works of his hands. Amen. Grace, mercy, and peace be unto you, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, in the communion of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Shall we sing psalter 71, the verses 1 and 3. you so Shall we pray? Most blessed and good doing Lord God, what a joy it is to be here on this beautiful day. The sun is shining outside, and inside, Lord, here in thy house, we may be under the sun of righteousness. with healing in its wings. O Lord, we pray Thee for Thy presence in this worship service. Will Thou especially remember Ryan and Carissa? Will Thou give them Thy nearness in their lives as we are here gathered to solemnize their marriage will Thou make everything well. May Thy word be in focus, and may Thy word speak to our hearts and souls. We thank Thee that so many have come, also from far away. And Lord, we remember also those who cannot be with us, who would have otherwise desired to be here We pray Thee, Lord, that Thou would remember Carissa's Nana, who is in Parry Sound. Will Thou watch over her, as she could not be present, and also Carissa's sister, who was also not able to be here this morning. Lord, we also remember in these moments Carissa's father, who passed away three years ago, Lord, we pray if Thou wilt comfort those who still experience the empty place in their lives. And Lord, we thank Thee that Thou has brought yet also various grandparents with us who can be present at the wedding of their grandchildren. And Lord, we humbly ask Thee if Thou in Thy grace will cause Thy word to go forth and Thy word is so very full of life. Thy word tells us that it is not good for man to be alone, and that Thou hast therefore made a helpmeet for him. O Lord, we thank Thee, and we pray, Lord, if Thou in Thy mercy would also so bless Carissa and Ryan, that they may experience Thy nearness, that they may be a helpmeet to each other, that they may support each other on the narrow path that leads to life everlasting, that before all things they may honor thy name, that they may seek thy kingdom and thy righteousness. Wilt thou grant them that their wedding may be rooted in the fear of the Lord, and that the love of God may dwell in their hearts, and that from thy love poured out into them that they have love for one another. Lord, wilt thou bless them and go with them. Remember all loved ones, parents, and Carissa's mother, and Lord, we thank thee for this special occasion Will thou go with us and make everything well? We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen. So we will continue with the confirmation of marriage, as we find in the back of your Psalter. whereas married persons are generally by reason of sin subject to many troubles and afflictions, to the end that you, Ryan Cornelius Vandenberg, and you, Carissa Lauren Green, who desire to have your marriage bond publicly confirmed here in the name of God before this church, may also be assured in your hearts of the certain assistance of God in your affliction. Hear, therefore, from the word of God how honorable the marriage state is, and that it is an institution of God which is pleasing to Him. Wherefore, He also will, as He hath promised, bless and assist the married persons and on the contrary judge and punish whoremongers and adulterers. In the first place, you are to know that God our Father, after he had created heaven and earth and all that in them is, made man in his own image and likeness, that he should have dominion over the beasts of the field, over the fish of the sea, and over the fowls of the air. And after he had created man, he said, It is not good that man should be alone. I will make him and help meet for him. And the Lord caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept, and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof. And the rib which the Lord God had taken from man made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of man, Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife, and they too shall be one flesh. Therefore ye are not to doubt, but that the marriage state is pleasing to the Lord, since he made unto Adam his wife, brought, and gave her himself to him to be his wife, witnessing thereby that he doth yet, as with his hand, bring unto every man his wife. For this reason the Lord Jesus Christ did also highly honor it with his presence, gifts, and miracles in Cana of Galilee, to show thereby that this holy state ought to be kept honorably by all, and that he will aid and protect married persons even when they are least deserving it. but that you may live godly in this state, you must know the reasons wherefore God hath instituted the same. And the first reason is that each faithfully assists the other in all things that belong to this life and are better. Secondly, that they bring up the children which the Lord shall give them in the true knowledge and fear of God to his glory and their salvation. Thirdly, that each of them, avoiding all uncleanness and evil lusts, may live with a good and quiet conscience. For to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and every woman her own husband, insomuch that all who are come to their years and have not the gift of continence are bound by the command of God to enter into the marriage state with knowledge and consent of parents or guardians and friends, so that the temple of God, which is our body, may not be defiled. For whosoever defileth the temple of God, him shall God destroy. Next, you are to know how each is bound to behave respectively towards the other according to the word of God. At first, you who are the bridegroom must know that God has set you to be the head of your wife, that you, according to your ability, shall lead her with discretion, instructing, comforting, protecting her as the head rules the body. Yea, as Christ is the head, wisdom, consolation, and assistance to his church. Besides, you are to love your wife as your own body. As Christ hath loved his church, You shall not be bitter against her, but dwell with her as a man of understanding, giving honor to the wife as the weaker vessel, considering that ye are joint heirs of the grace of life, that your prayers be not hindered. And since it is God's command that the man shall eat his bread in the sweat of his face, therefore you are to labor diligently and faithfully in the calling wherein God hath set you, that you may maintain your household honestly, and likewise have something to give to the poor. And in like manner must you who are the bride know how you are to carry yourself towards your husband according to the word of God. You are a to love your lawful husband, to honor and fear him, as also to be obedient unto him in all lawful things as to your Lord, as the body is obedient to the head and the church is to Christ. You shall not exercise any dominion over your husband, but be silent. For Adam was first created, and then Eve, to be an help to Adam. And after the fall, God said to Eve, and in her to all women, you shall be subject to your husband. You shall not resist this ordinance, of God, but be obedient to the word of God, and follow the examples of godly women who trusted in God and were subject to their husbands, as Sarah was obedient to Abraham, calling him her lord. You shall also be an help to your husband in all good and lawful things, looking to your family, walking in all honesty and virtue without worldly pride, that you may give an example to others of modesty. And wherefore you, Ryan Cornelis Vandenberg, and you, Carissa Lauren Green, having now understood that God hath instituted marriage, and what he commands you therein, are you willing thus to behave yourselves in this holy state, as you here do confess before this Christian assembly? And are you desirous that you be confirmed in the same? What is your answer? And your answer? I take you all who are met here to witness that there is brought no lawful impediment And since then it is fit that you be furthered in this your work. The Lord God confirm your purpose, which he has given you, and your beginning be in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth. I request you now to hold each other by the right hand. Ryan Cornelis Vandenberg, do you acknowledge here, before God and this His holy Church, that you have taken and do take to your lawful wife, Carissa Lauren Green, here present? promising her never to forsake her, to love her faithfully, to maintain her as a faithful and pious husband is bound to do to his lawful wife, that you will live wholly with her, keeping faith and truth to her in all things according to the holy gospel, what is your answer? Carissa Lauren Green, do you acknowledge here before God, and this is Holy Church, that you have taken and do take to your lawful husband, Ryan Cornelius Vandenberg, here present, promising to be obedient to him in all things? never to forsake him, to serve and assist him, to live wholly with him, keeping faith and truth to him in all things, as a pious and faithful wife is bound to her lawful husband according to the holy gospel. What is your answer? the Father of all mercies, who of his grace hath called you to this holy state of marriage, bind you in true love and faithfulness, and grant you his blessing. Amen. We will now proceed with the ring ceremony. If I could have the rings, please. Ryan Cornelius Vandenberg, do you give this ring to Carissa Lauren Green as a symbol of your constant faithfulness and abiding love? I do. Carissa Lauren Green, do you give this ring to Ryan Cornelius Vandenberg as a symbol of your constant faithfulness and abiding love? What is your answer? According to the laws of the province of Ontario and the ordinances of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride if you wish. Congregation, let us now stand, and we will sing psalter 255, the third stanza, and then you will kneel. We need to have this here. We will now pray. Almighty God, Thou who dost manifest Thy goodness and wisdom in all Thy works and ordinances, and from the beginning hast said that it is not good that man be alone, and therefore hast created him a helpmeet to be with him, and ordained that they who are two should be one, and who dost also punish all impurity. We pray Thee, since Thou hast called and united these two persons in the holy state of marriage, that Thou wilt give them Thy Holy Spirit, so that they in true love and firm faith may live wholly according to Thy divine will and resist all evil. Will thou also bless them as thou hast blessed the believing fathers, thy friends and faithful servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in order that they are co-heirs of the covenant which thou hast established with these fathers, may bring up their children, which thou wilt be pleased to give them, in the fear of the Lord, to the honour of thy holy name, to the edification of thy church, and to the extension of the holy gospel. Hear us, Father, of all mercy. For the sake of Jesus Christ, thy beloved Son, our Lord, in whose name we conclude our prayers, our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for Thine is the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen. You may now rise. At this moment, Elder Lutie will pass on the wedding Bible on behalf of the Dundas Consistory. Ryan and Carissa, on behalf of your consistory, the consistory of the Ebenezer Free Reform Church of Dundas, I'm honoured to give you your first gift as a married couple. This is your wedding Bible, and we trust that you each already have multiple copies of God's Word, but this Bible is your first as a married couple. We sincerely wish the best for you as you begin your journey together. And since we wish the best for you, we want to give you the best gift possible that we could think of, the gift of God's Word. because it's powerful and it's quick and it gives eternal life and direction for life on earth. We know and believe that it contains and it is all we need to know for time and eternity and for married life. It actually is the Word of God himself. and it contains all that we need to know to live and to die happily. It contains the gospel, and the gospel is that which speaks and tells and reveals the Lord Jesus Christ and the work that he did and how that can be of a benefit to each one of us personally. The gospel's about Jesus Christ, and he's clothed in the gospel from Genesis to Revelation. I just want to share one verse with you and that verse is found in Jeremiah 23 verse 29 God says he's actually asking us Is not my word like as a fire, saith the Lord, and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? We'll come back to that in a moment, but in the meantime, let's think about how Jesus tells us when he tells Martha that there's but one thing needful. There's only one thing in life that really matters. Like he said to Nicodemus, we must be born again. and as he commands us elsewhere, to repent and believe the gospel. So how does this all happen? It happens by His Holy Spirit and by the Word of God. Ezekiel 36, verse 26, there God speaks about taking away our stony heart and giving us a new heart of flesh, and He puts a new spirit within us. We need to be changed. We can't leave this life the way that we've come into it if we want to live and die happily. And that change we also learn from God's Word. It's not a one-time change, but God works an ongoing change within us. We die once to ourselves, and again, and again, and again. It's a lifelong process. Back to Jeremiah 23, verse 29. It says, "'Is not my word like as a fire,' saith the Lord, "'and like a hammer that breaketh a rock in pieces?' God's word can be like a fire when it warns us to flee the wrath to come. God's word can be like a hammer that breaks our hard, stony hearts. It has a burning and a consuming force and energy. Sometimes a hammer needs to strike more than once to break a stone, and it might take many repeated blows to break the stone. By God's grace, when a hard heart is broken, and by his word, God's word can be like a fire from which we feel warmth and comfort, and God's word can be like a hammer in the hands of a skilled craftsman that he uses then to reshape us, to mold us. to remake us ultimately to be vessels that live to his honor and to his glory. Ryan and Carissa, we sincerely wish you God's richest blessings as you begin your life journey together. You may be seated. We will read the continuation of the form. Hear now from the gospel how firm the bond of marriage is, as described in Matthew 19. The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female? And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they twain shall be one flesh. Wherefore, they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? He saith unto them, Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, suffered you to put away your wives. But from the beginning it was not so. And I say unto you, whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, commiteth adultery. And whoso marrieth her which is put away, doth commit adultery. Believe these words of Christ, and be certain and assured that your Lord God hath joined you together in this holy state. You are therefore to receive whatever befalls you therein with patience and thanksgiving as from the hand of God, and thus all things will turn to your advantage and salvation. Amen. Hearken now to the promise of God from Psalm 126, 128. Blessed is everyone that feareth the Lord, that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands. Happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee. Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house. Thy children like olive plants round about thy table. Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord. The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion, and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem. All the days of thy life, yea, thou shalt see thy children's children, and peace upon Israel. The Lord our God replenish you with his grace, and grant that ye may long live together in all godliness and holiness. Amen. Congregation, we will now sing Psalter 360. We'll sing all the verses of Psalter 360, and you may be seated if you so wish. And to the cross that he was, I give thee glory. In my heart I trust thy kindness, Jesus, my hope and faith. I believe. ♪ Hallelujah ♪ We will open the Word of God and read thereof Lamentations chapter 3. Lamentations 3. We will read the verses 1 through 26. We read Lamentations 3, verses 1 through 26. I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath. He hath led me and brought me into darkness, but not into light. Surely against me is he turned, he turneth his hand against me all the day. My flesh and my skin hath he made old, he hath broken my bones, he hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail. He hath set me in dark places, as they that be dead of old. He hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out. He hath made my chain heavy, and when I cry and shout, He shutteth out my prayer. He hath enclosed my ways with ewen stone. He hath made my paths crooked, He was unto me as a bear lying in wait and as a lion in secret places. He hath turned aside my ways and pulled me in pieces. He hath made me desolate. He hath bent his bow and set me as a mark for the arrow. He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins. I was a derision to all my people, and they sung all the day. He hath filled me with bitterness. He hath made me drunken with wormwood. He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones. He hath covered me with ashes. And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace. I forget prosperity. And I said my strength and my hope is perished from the Lord. remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gull. My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me. This I recall to my mind. Therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul, therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. The text for the sermon is found in the verses 22 through 26. And there we read, it is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul. Therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. Shall we now sing Psalter 268, the stanzas one and four, all people that on earth do dwell. ♪ Sing to the Lord, O Israel ♪ ♪ Sing to the Lord, O Israel ♪ Thank you. Dear Ryan and Carissa, it is with friends and family that we are gathered here in this, your wedding solemnization. It's an important day for you, a day you've looked forward to. It was your desire to reflect upon Lamentations chapter 3. And then especially as a text, you chose the verses 22 through 26. So we hope to consider these verses briefly and gather some vital instruction and hopefully some guidance for your lives. So the setting of Lamentations 3 is one of sorrow. Because Jeremiah, as the author of the Lamentations, speaks about the miseries which came upon Jerusalem. And he speaks about the sorrow and the pain and how he was afflicted. The Babylonians had come and they had destroyed the temple. They had pulled down the city walls and taken the population into exile. In this book, Jeremiah laments the great distress that came upon his people. Jeremiah is called the grieving and the weeping prophet. And so he was a man of sorrows. And in this regard, he can even be seen as a type of the Lord Jesus Christ, for he was truly the man of sorrows, the Lord Jesus. But he grieved because of what was going to happen to him. And he was in fear and trepidation because of the wrath of God. And here we see that Jeremiah is also struck by fear and awe for the punishment of God. And we see how God is faithful. He is faithful to his word, faithful to his promises, but he is also faithful to his word of judgment. When the Lord says that judgment will come, then it is also something that will surely happen. The Lord executes judgment because the Lord is faithful to His word. Those who live outside of Him, in disobedience to Him, who live in sin, they will be struck with the judgment of God. and that therefore the gospel is brought forth and proclaimed that people would find life and salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the gospel that whosoever would believe in the only begotten Son of God would not perish, but have life everlasting. And that's also what the prophet Jeremiah is proclaiming. But matters were so severe for Jeremiah, what he had experienced and seen, that he draws this conclusion as we find in verse 18, I said, my strength and my hope is perished from the Lord. And yet, as Jeremiah meditates further, upon the calamities that have fallen upon Jerusalem, and all the trouble he witnessed, that he says, but the Lord is still faithful to his people. In verse 21, he speaks about hope, and he recalls the faithfulness and the goodness of the Lord. He recalls the mercies of the Lord. And then in spite of all he has witnessed, and in spite of all the destruction that the Babylonians caused upon Judah and Jerusalem as a punishment for their sins, Jeremiah concludes, it is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness, And we repeat especially these words, great is thy faithfulness. And these words have special significance for both of you. And I believe these words have also significance for many who are gathered here with us, who may know in their own life of the faithfulness of the Lord in their lives, in their individual circumstances in which they are. It's very encouraging to reflect upon these words, because these words are the truth. They are true when we are being blessed, when the Lord looks upon us in mercy, when the Lord opens His hand and satisfies all our needs. But this word is also true, great is thy faithfulness in days of sickness, and in days of trials, and in days of disappointments. Great is God's faithfulness, and that's rooted in God himself. That's why he is faithful. He is faithful to the work he began. He will never forsake the works of his hands. And when you may know of God's work in your lives, you may also know that the Lord will persevere with that work, because He is faithful. And that's a reason for great joy, that God is faithful. The Lord is merciful, compassionate, long-suffering, Great in lovingkindness, God is a good God, and therefore those who know Him and live with Him, they are privileged people. They have a God in heaven who looks down upon them in His faithfulness, giving them all they stand in need of, whatever their day is. This God is not only faithful, He is powerful. He is able. He is willing. He can save to the uttermost. And this God knows all our frame. He knows what's wrong with us, what needs to be changed. He's all-knowing. He knows our needs. He understands who we are. He knows where you live. He knows what you stand in need of. And therefore the Lord says to us that we should first seek his kingdom and his righteousness, and all other things will be given to us. The Lord is gracious. We don't deserve his loving kindness. There's no merit in us that we can say we are entitled to his lovingkindness. It's all mercy. It's because of the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Because the Lord Jesus earned God's faithfulness in the lives of his people. The Lord Jesus earned this. by suffering and paying the penalty for sin. He brought a full, perfect payment. And so the Lord can now look upon people, unworthy people, in faithfulness. And he is inviting us to look unto him to bring all our needs before Him in our circumstances. And that's why it's so good to reflect upon God's faithfulness revealed in the Lord Jesus Christ. And so, in these verses, we are brought to Christ. We see the Lord Jesus coming forth from these verses. Because of the greatness of God's faithfulness, we are to be focused upon the Lord Jesus Christ. He is faithful for the sake of the finished work of his Son. And so when we think about God's faithfulness and God's mercy, we need personally to be united to Christ. We need to belong to Him. And this counts for all of us. It's by God's guidance that we are here in church, that we are witnessing this solemn and this joyful occasion of the wedding of Ryan and Carissa. But here you may receive the Word of God, that we need to be incorporated in Christ. And that means to be grafted into Christ. That means that the Lord Jesus becomes everything for you in your life. That it's not just a name or some person from the Bible that you know some facts about. but a living person who lives in your heart, who is beside you, who teaches you, who leads you in his ways. That's essential. You see, Christianity is not about a list of do's and don'ts. Christianity is not about what churches say. But Christianity is about a person the living person of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is to be united to Him. And that means that you learn to lay down your life before Him. And that means that you confess that you are a sinful person, that you have sinned against all of God's commandments. That's what the Bible tells us. And the Bible is true. That's the Lord's verdict of your and my life. And so it means that we would repent, that we would turn to the living God, this blessed Savior, because the Lord Jesus has made salvation possible. and not only possible, but that he works out salvation in the lives of poor sinners who flee to him, who need him. Do you need Jesus in your life? How often do you think about Jesus? What do you think about his sacrifice on Calvary? And what do you think about his resurrection? Because in Israel, there's an empty grave. Someone was there, but he arose. And where is he now? He's not in the grave. He's not here on earth anymore. Where is he? He's in heaven. And he's coming back from heaven to judge the living and the dead. And we will all see him. You will see him, I will see him. In that day, something we cannot imagine. But that's going to happen. And it's founded, rooted, grounded in the fact that he arose from the dead. He conquered death. And that's how he earned salvation, deliverance for poor sinners. And that's why we need him personally, that we learn to surrender to him, an unconditional surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what is needed. And when you know that in your life, then you can say truly, great is thy faithfulness. Then you may know that he will never leave you nor forsake you. So Ryan and Carissa, you're starting off on a new stage in your life. By God's guidance, you were brought together. And you see also God's faithfulness personally in your life in what happened. That's why it was your desire to reflect on these words, great is thy faithfulness. And so it's your calling now as a married couple to live together with the Lord. That's the first calling of marriage, that you would lead each other on the way that leads to life everlasting, that you would support each other, that that would be your aim, that you first seek his kingdom and his righteousness, and then you will experience his faithfulness. And it can be in times of life that there is disappointment. There will be death, there will be sickness, and death of loved ones, or whatever it is. But when you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior, as your Redeemer, then you do not have to despair of His faithfulness, because He is faithful. Even when everything seems to go wrong in our lives and there are difficulties, we may bow our knees to this Savior, confessing His faithfulness. And that's what Jeremiah was doing in the midst of the ruins of Jerusalem. And indeed, it was not an overstatement. Great is Thy faithfulness, Because after 70 years, the Lord already announced through the prophets and through Jeremiah that the people would return. They would come back. They would rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. They would rebuild the temple. And the Lord would show his mercy, his faithfulness. Because the Lord did not make an end of his people. And that's the hope of God's children, that the Lord can still work out all things very well. When everything in our life seems to go wrong, that faith tells us, great is thy faithfulness. Great. Very great. Far above our expectation. For this God does not put to shame. It's good to realize this. Ryan and Carissa, may you realize these words throughout your life. And that it may be as what we read in verse 24, the Lord is my portion. That's a beautiful expression. Do you know what it means? The Lord is my portion. That means the Lord is my inheritance. That's what it means. So when everything fails in my life, then the Lord will be my inheritance. I will inherit him, and his kingdom, and his blessing, and his communion. That means that his people will be forever with him, and that God will dwell with people, and they will be with him, they will see him as he is. and be made like unto him, the Lord is my portion. Now that's the expectation of a child of God. May that also be your expectation. Live close to the Lord, and may in your home God be honored. And how can we do all that? Because we are unfit. We are inclined to go astray, inclined to make wrong decisions. We're fully dependent upon the Lord. And so it says in verse 25, that the Lord is good for those who wait for him. That's waiting by faith. There are things you need in your life, maybe in five years' time. Not now, but in five years. Or in 10 years, if the Lord spares us. And He gives it when you need it. That's why it's good that every day you look up to Him in your personal prayer room. Ryan you and Carissa you seek the Lord personally and there you pour out your heart and you wait upon him for his direction in your life for his instruction for his nearness and then you may have a life of expectation a blessed life a You may look continually outside of yourselves to the Lord. For it is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord, realizing we can do nothing without the Lord, and that we need him to guide and lead us into all truth. What a comfort to reflect upon God's faithfulness. May this characterize your lives, and may those words also echo in our hearts as we leave this church and we hope to have a beautiful wedding day further with Ryan and Carissa. May that word accompany us. Great is thy faithfulness. You need his faithfulness. You can't do it alone. You can't say, I'll manage things in life. There are powers that you cannot control. But what a blessing when you may see His faithfulness, and that you may live close to this God and Savior. And He will abide with you. He will comfort you. He will lead you. And may so these words echo in our heart, great is thy faithfulness. Amen. Shall we pray? Lord God, in heaven we humbly thank Thee for Thy precious Word, that Thy Word is the truth, and that Thou art at work, gathering unto Thyself a people who flee to Thee, who need Thee, because they cannot stand before thy righteousness. They have sinned, and they confess that, and they need a Savior for their souls. And this Savior will guide and lead them in his faithfulness. What a blessed life, Lord, to live with Thee! Then we are not put to shame, and Thou art good, faithful, for great is Thy faithfulness. Will Thou so work, Lord, in our hearts? We've come from various parts of Canada even, from various backgrounds, but we all have this one mutual need, and that is we need Thy faithfulness. We need Thee in our lives. We cannot afford to live outside of Thee, for then there's only darkness, and there's nothing left but outer darkness. O Lord, we pray Thee, will Thou draw each one of us unto Thee? that we may know Thee and Thy faithfulness. Go with us further this day. Bless Ryan and Carissa, their parents, their loved ones. May we have a good day in Thy favor. We ask it all in Jesus' name. Amen. Shall we sing Psalter 55? We'll sing all the stanzas of Psalter 55. That's one, two, and three. you Nice. Beloved, there is one announcement. You are informed that due to time constraints with family and bridal party photos, there will be not a receiving line immediately after the ceremony, but you are all invited to make your way to the fellowship hall for refreshments. The bride and groom would like to thank you all for coming and look forward to seeing many of you at the reception so far this announcement. Could you please rise for the benediction? the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. Shall we then now sing before we proceed with the signing? Shall we first sing, Great is thy faithfulness. you so Could the two witnesses also step forward? You may all be seated. so so you Ladies and gentlemen, May I introduce you to Mr. and Mrs. Ryan Vandenberg. So, you you so so so so Oh they just go there right away. Yeah.