Since the day we got married, there’s one song I’ve played first every single time I’ve played the keyboard, and I plan to keep playing it first for the rest of my life. That song is “Gentle Shepherd,” and it was sung over us on our wedding day, right after we promised ourselves to each other.

We said our vows, and then we knelt as our dads prayed. When they stepped off the stage, we didn’t stand up. Instead our talented bridal party gathered around us and sang “Gentle Shepherd,” and it is still one of my favorite moments of the entire ceremony.

Gentle Shepherd, come and lead us,
For we need You to help us find our way.
Gentle Shepherd, come and feed us,
For we need Your strength from day to day.
There’s no other we can turn to
Who can help us face another day.
Gentle Shepherd, come and lead us,
For we need You to help us find our way.

That was our prayer over our marriage, and it continues to be my prayer over our home, every time I turn on the keyboard.

Gentle Shepherd, come . . .

He has come, and He has led us, and He has fed us, and He continues to do so in ways we don’t feel worthy of.

I loved our wedding songs. (Of course. I chose them.)

The prelude began with “The Lord Is In His Holy Temple.” No one walked in; no one walked out. We had specifically told our wedding coordinator, “No movement during first song.” And it was perfect. Quiet. Reverent. Waiting. Holy.

The Lord is in His holy temple.
Let all the earth keep silence . . .
Keep silence before Him.
Amen.

The ministers, the groomsmen, and Eric walked in on the second song, “Come, Let Us Worship and Bow Down.”

Come, let us worship and bow down;
Let us kneel before the Lord our God, our Maker.
For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture,
And the sheep of His hand.

The processional song was “Alleluia.” I know it was beautiful because we had a wonderful group of singers, but at that point I wasn’t really listening to the music anymore. I was barefoot, and I was walking down the aisle, and I was marrying the man I’d asked God for time and again.

Then there was the welcome and prayer, the message (which was wonderful), the vows, the fathers’ prayers, and "Gentle Shepherd."

And then we were pronounced man and wife, and we happily walked back down the aisle to the chorus of “Good Is Jehovah the Lord.” My second favorite song of the wedding.

For good is Jehovah the Lord,
His mercy to us never ends.
His faithfulness, true to His word,
Through ages unending extends.

We weren’t in there long enough to hear the verses of that song, but I love them, too.

All people that dwell on the earth,
Your songs to Jehovah now raise;
O worship Jehovah with mirth,
Approach Him with anthems of praise.
For good is Jehovah the Lord . . .
Know ye that Jehovah is God;
Our Sovereign and Maker is He;
His people who bow to His rod,
And sheep of His pastures are we.
For good is Jehovah the Lord . . .
O enter His temple with praise,
His portals with thankful acclaim;
Your voices in thanksgiving raise
And bless ye His glorious name.
For good is Jehovah the Lord,
His mercy to us never ends.
His faithfulness, true to His word,
Through ages unending extends.

We were going to go back into the auditorium and release our guests row by row, but we had other important business to attend to first.

After the recessional, the entire congregation sang “Lead Us, O Father, in the Paths of Peace.” One of Uncle Wes’s favorite songs, and in our repertoire just for him.

Lead us, O Father, in the paths of peace;
Without Thy guiding hand we go astray,
And doubts appall, and sorrows still increase:
Lead us through Christ the true and living way.
Lead us, O Father, in the paths of truth;
Unhelped by Thee, in error’s maze we grope,
While passion stains, and folly dims our youth,
And age comes on, uncheered by faith and hope.
Lead us, O Father, in the paths of right;
Blindly we stumble when we walk alone,
Involved in shadows of a darksome night;
Only with Thee we journey safely on.
Lead us, O Father, to Thy heavenly rest,
However rough and steep the path may be;
Through joy or sorrow, as Thou deemest best,
Until our lives are perfected in Thee.

There were three songs sung as we ushered people out: “The Sacred Moment,” “There Is Love,” and “By His Hand.”

The wedding was over, but the singing was not. We weren’t about to have such a singing bridal party and not make good use of them. 😊 They sang “Set Me as a Seal” at our reception while the cake was quietly being cut by my cousin and her husband. No cake-smeared faces for us!

Set me as a seal upon your heart,
As a seal upon your arm;
For love is strong as death.
Many waters cannot quench love,
Neither can the floods drown it.

I can't mention the reception without sharing a few detail shots. Pretty sure these pictures make it look prettier than it actually was (thanks, Kristi!), but after all, the pictures are what I have years later anyway. 🙂My sister Dora made the cutest, prettiest, most perfect wedding cake for us.

While the music was one of my favorite things about our wedding, the colors were right up there with it. I had about given up on finding the perfect shade of green for the bridesmaid dresses, and when I did find it, it was kind of awful fabric, but the color was just perfect. We paired it with a light pink and some shades of grey, and I still love looking back at the pictures. So pretty!

But back to the songs at the reception . . . We sang a couple songs with our youth group, one of which was actually written by me and my brother Drew. He put a poem I had written to music. Of course we had to sing that one. 😊 But first, we sang “My Shepherd Will Supply My Need.”

My Shepherd will supply my need;
Jehovah is His name.
In pastures fresh He makes me feed
Beside the living stream.
He brings my wandering spirit back
When I forsake His ways.
He leads me for His mercy’s sake
In paths of truth and grace.
When I walk through the shades of death,
Thy presence is my stay.
One word of Thy supporting breath
Drives all my fears away.
Thy hand, in sight of all my foes,
Doth still my table spread.
My cup with blessings overflows,
Thine oil anoints my head.
The sure provisions of my God
Attend me all my days.
O may Thy house be my abode,
And all my work be praise.
There would I find a settled rest,
While others go and come.
No more a stranger or a guest,
But like a child at home.

And then we sang “May We Reflect You.” I think I’ve posted the original poem here on this blog before, but maybe not the words as Drew tweaked them to fit the music.

May we reflect You in words we say,
In the lives that we live, the prayers that we pray.
May we reflect You from day to day.
May we reflect You.
May we reflect You when laughter abounds,
When our hearts ring with joy; there’s peace to be found.
May we reflect You as praises resound.
May we reflect You.
May we reflect You when the pain is too much,
When we can’t lift our heads; we need Your touch.
May we reflect You and look above.
May we reflect You.
In the light of each moment, each trouble, each tear,
In the light of each moment, in our hearts You are near.
So may we reflect You in our journey here.
May we reflect You.

I had no idea when I wrote that poem at a park in Pennsylvania during a term at SMBI that it would become a song that would be sung at my own wedding and several others as well.

We didn’t plan to stick around once the reception was over and actually wanted to sneak out immediately following one last song by our bridal party, but we’d forgotten to sign our marriage license or something, so that plan had to be scrapped. It was still such a fitting send-off though. “The Irish Blessing.”

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be ever at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall softly on your fields.
And until we meet again,
May the God Who loves us all
Hold you in the palm of His hand.
Amen.

And there you have it, our wedding in song (and of course in pictures because I’m me and I can’t resist).

It was a beautiful day, and so many people worked to make it that way. Thank you to all of them.

And thank You even more to the Shepherd Who leads us and cares for us today as He did eight years ago.

“For good is Jehovah the Lord; His mercy to us never ends . . .”

Happy eighth anniversary to us. What a beautiful gift we’ve been given.

 

 

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Photography Credits:
Kristiann Photography

Song Credits:
“Come, Let Us Worship and Bow Down” (Songs of Faith & Praise, written by Dave Doherty)
“Gentle Shepherd” (Songs of Faith & Praise, written by Gloria Gaither)
“Good Is Jehovah the Lord” (Life Songs, written by James McGranahan)
“Lead Us, O Father, in the Paths of Peace” (Church Hymnal, written by William H. Burleigh)
“Set Me as a Seal” (written by Rene Clausen)
“My Shepherd Will Supply My Need” (written by Isaac Watts)
“The Irish Blessing” (written by Joyce Eilers Bacak)