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Weddings and Funerals

Rituals are important in the life of the church. In some cases, they provide a sense of beginning, and in others, a sense of ending. According to William Willimon and Robert Wilson in "Weddings and Funerals: Crises within the Family" (article 8-13), rituals link the past and present and help us to cope with anxiety and stress associated with periods of life crisis. Two such life-crisis include marriage and death. Willimon and Wilson noted that the wedding is for the bride and groom and for the families. They stated that weddings are worship services and should be viewed in the same way as any other worship services. Similarly, funerals are a family affair and are worship services. Thus, rituals "can help the small church proclaim that Word with the clarity, warmth, and care the world so desperately needs" (p. 100).