you
when I was in search
You may have a seat I
Didn't plan that one
Good evening and welcome on behalf of
Sabine and Brian Savoie
Bridget and Dionne van Zyl is my honor to officiate the wedding between Luke and Claire
They are Luke and Claire van Zyl
And they will when we are done. But what a wonderful evening we have tonight and
What a ride it has been to get here. So
whether you have traveled through snow or
Atlanta traffic
We're so glad that you're here if you're joining us online
As a pastor, I've said that a few times if you're joining us online
we're so glad that you are joining us and you are dearly loved and appreciated and
We were grateful to share this moment with you. I
feel like you're supposed to
Be a little bit closer. You're about to marry this man
So
I am honored to be here. I'm humbled to be here. And so thank you for allowing me to be a part of this day and
But today is all about you
Today is all about Luke and Claire
Reflecting who you are now to the world
This moment these moments that we will be together. It will be a picture behind me is a landscape that was
cut by your own hands and
Set up here and just like that imagery just like that picture just like this scene
It's a reflection of who you are. So your role today is simply
reflect who you are, be you, and let the world see you shine.
And your role today as family, as friends, as loved ones,
as close and far, your role is to upgrade.
Your role is to update, as you do to your phone.
It gets a new program, and you update it, and you upgrade it.
You get to rethink about who Luke is to you
and who Claire is to you as individuals,
because today they become one.
And the new version of Luke and Claire is a family.
It's a unit.
They are one, and you get to rethink about that.
And who they were yesterday, who you saw Luke as yesterday,
and who you viewed Claire as yesterday
will no longer be, because they are a family,
and they have a calling, and they have a purpose,
and they are whole in the Lord and in his sight.
They are one.
And so we get to reimagine who you can be together.
Just like we talked about a little bit yesterday
during our dinner and during our time together,
Claire has made Luke better.
And Claire, you had just bring Luke along for the ride,
because you're leading this thing.
I'm just kidding.
As his brother, I get to do things like that
and get away with it.
No, but seriously, y'all make each other better.
You make each other better in so many ways.
And a quote from last night was, Luke with Claire
now makes sense.
So we are very, very grateful for that.
But yes, on this wonderful evening, Claire and Luke,
you become one.
You are one family.
You are whole, and you are perfect
in the sight of the Lord.
And today, we introduce a new member,
and that's the marriage.
The marriage is the new member of the family.
It is the third party amongst the two of you.
And your marriage will strengthen you.
It will change you.
It will force you to work and refine you
in wonderfully powerful ways.
And we use that word, refine, when we talk about gold,
when we talk about the metals that we use to create
your beautiful rings.
And that refining process we use in the church as well.
There are a few verses that I want to read for you right now.
Zechariah 13, speaking of the people of God,
said, I will bring that group through the fire
and make them pure.
I will refine them like silver and purify them like gold.
They will call on my name, and I will answer them.
I will say, these are my people, and they will say,
the Lord is our God.
And in 1 Peter 1, 7 in the NLT, it
says, these trials that we may face in our life as a marriage,
these trials that we face will show your faith to be genuine.
It is being tested as fire tests and purified gold,
though your faith is far more precious than mere gold.
So when your faith remains strong through many trials,
it will bring much praise and glory and honor
on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
You see, the refining and the remastering
and the purifying of who you are and who you are
in this beautiful thing we call marriage
brings glory and honor and praise to Jesus Christ
when He is revealed through you.
And in marriage, we go through refining.
And we used to sing this song.
I grew up in a very traditional church.
And we sang this song.
Refiner's fire, my heart, one desire.
And now I think they're crazy.
Because refining is powerful and painful and hot.
You see, I don't know if all this data,
if there is a metallic scientist here, I apologize.
But I'm using Claire's Roots from the Royal Canadian Mint
Refiner Fire.
Their gold uses five-step process of pre-melt.
That can be up to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit,
which is hotter than it is outside.
Prior to many actuating refining it, the impure gold is melted.
Once molten dip samples are taken
to determine the purity of the metal.
And then there's chlorination.
It's injected molten metals and chlorine gas,
which forces all metals but gold to float.
And in this process that we go through with the Lord,
and as y'all grow with marriage being not very easy all the time,
but beautiful all the time,
the things that don't need to be there any longer
kind of come to the surface.
And they get to make their way out.
The purification process of things rising to the surface,
letting them bubble out
getting them out into the open, but then you get purified from them, which is a beautiful thing,
but everything that's not gold is removed. And then there's D-gold, and once the molten chloride
slag has been recovered from chlorination, soda ash is added. This causes a reaction,
making gold particles settle at the bottom of the crucible in a silver-gold alloy.
And then there's electrolysis. Through this process, gold is purified to 99.99% pure. An
electric current is emitted, dissolving an anode, while gold plates on the titanium
cathode and impurities settle at the bottom. You see this process of purifying gold causes
pressure, and this pressure produces such a wonderful, pure process, and marriage is such.
With the Lord and with each other, you are going to walk through some powerful moments. You see,
we can say good, and we can say bad. We can say positive, we can say negative, but no matter what
it may be, it's going to be powerful, and it's going to shock you in ways that you never could
imagine. And yet, at the very end of it all, there's Claire and Luke, and this beautiful moment
with the Lord saying, we are becoming better, and pure, and holy, and refined through every season
of life. And so that's my challenge, that you would take moments of tension and frustration,
or moments that are beautiful, and great, and high mountains, and it's this is refining me.
This is creating in me something that is beautiful, and pure. And so I am thankful to be able to stay
in here with y'all, and share that, and celebrate the refining that is now Luke and Claire. So welcome,
may God bless this marriage, and continue to discover all that you are because of each other.
So I have, I want to read one more thing that Luke and Claire have prepared, and have brought to us,
because we get to see their mission, and their purpose. And so I have one chance to declare to
the world who they are now as a family. And this is in first person, so this is Luke and Claire
speaking. We are called to be stewards of his love, and his light, to bring sustainable life to the
earth, and his people, to restore desolate inheritances, to walk in the land he has prepared
for us, and to lead our community. The Lord says, in my time of my favor, I will answer you, and in the
day of salvation, I will help you. I will keep you, and make you to be a covenant for the people,
and to restore the land, and to reassign its desolate inheritances. And finally, Deuteronomy 8,
1 through 8, a family verse that Luke and Claire have prepared. So it's paramount that you keep
the commandments of God, your God. Walk down the roads, he shows, and reverently respect him.
God is about to bring you into a good land, a land with brooks and rivers, springs and lakes,
streams out of the hills and through the valleys. It's a land of wheat and barley, of vines and figs,
and pomegranates, and olives, and oil, and honey. Sounds very exciting. It's a land where all you'll,
the land where you'll never go hungry, which is like through those doors over there.
Always food on the table, and a roof over your head. It's a land where you'll go iron out of,
where you'll get iron out of rocks, and mine copper from the hills. These are promises of
God to you. This is promises of our Lord to you, of the venture, and the excitement, and the life ahead.
And that we get to hold tight to these promises, in days where it may be hard, in days where it might be
cloudy, and our vision is a little bit skew. But when we hold fast to who he is, and who we are
because of him, then we have a land ahead, where we'll never go hungry, and there will be a roof
over our head, or a van, or whatever you decide to live in. So, oh man, I can't be serious for too long.
They have prepared their own vows, and I would love for someone wonderful to begin. Y'all are both
reaching okay? They've prepared their own vows, and so there you go. This is your mic. I will, um...
Claire, you've known me since I was a skinny, nerdy band kid in high school, so it's safe to say you've
seen me at my worst, and yet here we are. After exactly two years and 11 months to the day of
laughing, crying, and venturing out...
problem-solving, and passionately enjoying life with you, I'm ready to sign
myself up for a lifetime subscription. The following terms and conditions
apply. I promise to love, honor, and trust you through every high and low, to serve
and protect you, and make you smile daily. I vow that whenever there's a spider to
kill, I'll always come to you for help. I promise to never let anything come
between us, and to value you constantly. I promise to always prioritize my
relationship with God over you, and let his peace, joy, and love reign over our
home, and make Jesus the head of our household. I promise to be faithful and
loyal to you, and be your biggest cheerleader. I promise to dream with you,
and never forget that magic is real, because I want to spend my forever like
that. Luke, I see these vows not as promises, but as privileges. The first
time you visited Nashville to see me before we were dating, a friend asked me
if I ever got sick of spending time with you, and I honestly responded no. It's a
privilege and an honor to share my life with you each and every day. You are my
biggest adventure, and my favorite challenge. May the following serve as a
field guide to our next affinity. I will put the Creator first, and promise to
prioritize peace and patience in our home. To love you unconditionally, and be
a garden for that love to grow daily. To explore the world together, learning and
listening to each other's perspectives. Not to kill the spiders, but to take them
outside without harm. To laugh with you when you're happy, and to dare you to
dream and chase after those with you. To challenge you to be a better person, and
allow you to do the same for me, refining if you will. And to listen not only to
your words, but your actions as well. And to serve as a space where your soul
feels at home. With you, the choice of an ordinary life is simply not an option, so
cheers to forever. You can clap. I was also like really close to all that. I felt like I
wasn't in a part of the moment. As a sign of nourishment and care for their
marriage, they have chosen to plant a seed to show growth and strength for
them as a family. So they're gonna step right over, and we're gonna enjoy.
Well as Luke and Claire have already exchanged rings, it is my great honor to
now pronounce you man and wife. Luke, you may kiss your bride.
Kiss her again.
I'm high on believing that you're in love with me.
Lips are sweet as candy, its taste is on my mind.
Girl, you got me thirsty for another cup of wine.
Got a plug from you, girl, but I don't need it.
I'm high on believing that you're in love with me.
Lips are sweet as candy, its taste is on my mind.
But I don't need it.