The Standard January 31, 2026
The oldest standard wedding vows are from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer of 1549 which was compiled by Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury. Cranmer derived these vows from Latin liturgy that dates back to the late 11th century. The husband-to-be says, “I [Name] take thee [Name] to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness, and in health, to love and to cherish, til death us depart: according to God’s holy ordinance.” The 1662 version changed the ending to “till death us do part.”
In the Christian Church, marriage is much more than a legal contract. It is a sacred, lifelong vow made between one man and one woman before God as witness and sealer of the bond, demonstrating the unconditional love between Christ and the Church. Love is not always a feeling, but without exception involves action. It might mean sacrifice, but each day requires faithfulness.
Both Jesus and then the Apostle Paul quote the creation narrative from Genesis 2:24 about the husband and wife becoming one flesh. “’For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.” Ephesians 5:31-32
Of course, there are loyal people who are committed to their spouses without them believing that it is a covenant before God. Marriage is an institution which benefits society as a whole, in the secular realm as well.
It is unknown to the public if comedian Jay Leno’s commitment to Mavis, his wife of over 45 years, has faith-based roots, but it certainly is a fine example for all of us. In January Maria Shriver interviewed him on her Life Above the Noise podcast. His wife suffers from advanced dementia. Leno said, “I can afford to have someone with Mavis when I’m not there, so I come home at 6 p.m. and make dinner, and it’s good. You know? I never want to be all ‘woe is me,’ because it’s not. I’m very fortunate. And like I’ve said a bunch of times, you take a vow when you get married, and people are stunned that you would live up to it.” “A guy said to me: ‘So, are you going to get a girlfriend now?’” Jay replied, “I have a girlfriend. I’m married. I’ve been married for 45 years!” “No. We are in this together.”
“They’re making a big thing out of it when you’re just doing the right thing, which you’re supposed to do.” “That used to be the norm, and then, when you strayed, that was the out-of-whack part. Now, the out-of-whack part is fairly common, and staying and doing what we’re supposed to do is stunning to people. We kind of made a deal, you know?”
Shriver asked Leno what his “biggest surprise” has been about being Mavis’ caregiver. He replied, “Probably, how much I enjoy it. Changing somebody is not the most romantic thing you can do, but you realize it doesn’t get more intimate than that if you still care for the person. I just find myself going, ‘Okay, this is not that bad,’ and I enjoy going home. I don’t take the long way home and arrive late; I get home as soon as I can, and I enjoy taking care of her and trying to come up with things she likes and things to make her laugh.”
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