Gen 1:27 

So God created man in his own image,

in the image of God created he him;

male and female created he them.

The completed image of God is when man is united with his wife. Woman was part of Adam before the separation.

Family reflects the image of God

Marriage is a reflection of the relation between Jesus and his church.  Church is called bride of the lamb and at the end of the age, the marriage of the lamb will take place when the Kingdom of God starts.  The relationship between the husband and wife is a foretaste of the Kingdom of God and heaven.

The imagery and symbolism of marriage is applied to Christ and the body of believers known as the church. These are those who have trusted in Jesus Christ as their personal savior and have received eternal life.As the two shall become one in marriage, so shall be for the Church and Christ. Separate but United as extension. 

 In the New Testament, Christ, the Bridegroom, has sacrificially and lovingly chosen the church to be His bride (Ephesians 5:25-27). Just as there was a betrothal period in biblical times during which the bride and groom were separated until the wedding, so is the bride of Christ separate from her Bridegroom during the church age. Her responsibility during the betrothal period is to be faithful to Him (2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:24). At the Second Coming of Christ, the church will be united with the Bridegroom, the official "wedding ceremony" will take place and, with it, the eternal union of Christ and His bride will be actualized (Revelation 19:7-9; 21:1-2).

The Power of Two

The Power and authority of God is given to the two as they form one body.

 
Matthew 18:19 "Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven.”

God did try to bring in the Kingdom on earth.  He started with Adam and mankind.  Now we are at the verge of the final mode – the family. 

With the fall of Adam, God’s plan of salvation continued.  Bible shows that God experimented with other nations and then chose Israel.  When the Israel  theocracy failed God chose the Churches.  The Experiment with Church communes failed and hence today God is experimenting with the Family as the unit to usher in the Kingdom.  That is the smallest molecule of human community.  The Sacrament of matrimony is the call for that purpose.

With the satanic forces trying to destroy the family will it explode from family to homosexual perverted units in this world? 

The Extented Christian Family

The Nuclear Christian Family

Today the even the nuclear family is at the point of explosion.

Individualism is destroying the family.

 In the Western Churches

In the Western Churches the betrothal is done outside the church by the individuals or families depending on the culture.

The wedding itself consists of declaring vows to one another and then confirming it with an exchange of rings. 

In the western churches the marriage itself consists of

taking vows between the couple

and with an exchange of rings. 

 It is a contract between the two parties.

The two parties agrees with the “I do”

In the Eastern Churches

In the Eastern Churches the betrothal is part of the Sacrament.  In some churches it is done at the entrance of the Church while in most Kerala Churches, it is done in front of the Holy of Holies.  This part of ceremony is called the ‘Blessing of the Rings.”  There is no “I do”

The betrothal rings are placed on the fingers of bride and of the groom by the Priest on behalf of the Church. It is the community of saints, the Worshipping Church - the Mother Church that give the ring as a symbol of sanctification or separation of the couple for the fulfillment of God's plan on earth.

Three party Covenant

Marriage in the Eastern Churches therefore is considered as a three party covenant in which the parties are:

1. Jesus and his bride the Church as party of first
2. The man
3. The Woman

 Thus marriage is neither an arrangement of convenience nor a contract between man and wife.  An abrogation of the marriage affects the whole church as will as the cosmos.

After the betrothal ceremony there is a break  before the actual wedding part is done.  The wedding part is called “The Crowning Ceremony”.  The whole picture represented here is the marriage of the Church with Jesus.  Jesus came down to the earth and took a bride from among the gentiles.  He paid the bride price with his own blood and bore the sin of the bride on the cross.  He has then gone home to prepare a place for his bride.  When he comes there will be crowning – The Church reigns with her beloved.  The liturgy repeats this theme often forgetting that this is a real down to earth marriage between two people on earth.

The Crowning Ceremony

 In this ceremony most eastern churches use real crowns. 

Some times elaborate crowns are used, while others use symbolic crowns. 

In the Malankara Churches we use gold chains with a cross and chants the descent of the crown from heaven to adorn the bride and the groom.

“Vaanil ninnoru makudam”

The Crown from Heaven descents on the head of the bride

and the groom

Then the symbolic expression of the church being set apart for Christ through the sacrificial blood on the cross and adorned with the glory of Christ himself  is expressed with the tying of the “Minnu” (Shining glory)

The minnu itself is made of pure gold with the cross as its main picture,  The cross itself is  made of seven small globules of gold.  Seven obviously denotes the completion of creation in its pristine state.  It is a very small token which will remain on the neck of the wife to death.  Even in the burial it goes with her.  It is hung on seven strands of thread taken from the Wedding “Manthrakodi” (The Mystic New Cloth) with which the bride will be covered soon after.

The seven strands are pulled out carefully from the Manthrakodi and made into one by adding starch from rice.  This process is done by a couple (Usually sister and brother in law) who is a close relative of the groom

Covering the bride with the manthrakodi is the last part of the sacrament.  It is an expression of the ancient Judeo-Christian tradition where the wedding is completed under a Chuppa.  In Jewish tradition of Chuppa is actually a Prayer Shawl called Tallit with its four cornered Tzitzit – tassels which are commanded by God to Moses to remind the wearer of the Laws of God all through the day.  Jewish weddings are done under the Chuppa where the tassels on the four corners safeguards the couple to walk in the Way.  It also acts as a personal tent.  Bringing the bride into the tent was considered as the process of marriage.  Thus

“Gen 24:67  And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife”

Covering the bride with the Tallit was considered as a legal wedding.  Thus in Ruth we see

Ruth 3:9  And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.