What are vows, and when do we make them? You might not think about such a thing much, and you might be right to do so. I can’t think of very many times I have made any vows myself. But then I think of an extremely popular event in many people’s lives and think again. I am talking about marriage of course, where the vows are at the center of most of the ceremonies. I looked up the history of vow making for weddings and found it is traced back to pre-conquest Anglo-Normandy. We know the practice goes back to at least the 10th century because we have found poems from that time that refer to wedding vows made.
Wedding vows can be original or they can be traditional. By the year 2021 the ratio was about half-and half. There are even professional vow writers who help people write their own vows.
Then we have vow renewal ceremonies. Have you ever been to one of those, or had one yourself? I can’t say that I have but I have heard of them. Why would people have a vow renewal ceremony? Maybe it’s because they couldn’t have that dream wedding the first time and they can afford a better one now. Maybe two people want to celebrate having so many years together, or they want to celebrate after making it through a tough time. Some said they had a renewal ceremony to mark a new beginning.
Do we make vows in the church? Some denominations do. There are baby dedications, for example, where parents vow to raise their child in a Christ-like way. In a baptism ceremony there are vows made to reject sin, to follow Christ, and to commit to serving God and the church.
And there are examples of vows being made in the bible.
Numbers 6:1-8
6 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘If a man or woman wants to make a special vow, a vow of dedication to the Lord as a Nazirite, 3 they must abstain from wine and other fermented drink and must not drink vinegar made from wine or other fermented drink. They must not drink grape juice or eat grapes or raisins. 4 As long as they remain under their Nazirite vow, they must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, not even the seeds or skins.
5 “‘During the entire period of their Nazirite vow, no razor may be used on their head. They must be holy until the period of their dedication to the Lord is over; they must let their hair grow long.
6 “‘Throughout the period of their dedication to the Lord, the Nazirite must not go near a dead body. 7 Even if their own father or mother or brother or sister dies, they must not make themselves ceremonially unclean on account of them, because the symbol of their dedication to God is on their head. 8 Throughout the period of their dedication, they are consecrated to the Lord.
Genesis 28:20-22
And Jacob vowed a vow, saying: ‘If God will be with me, and will
keep me in this way that I go [walk], and will give me bread to eat,
and raiment to put on, so that I come back to my father’s house in
peace, then shall the Lord be my God, and this stone, which I have
set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house; and all that Thou shalt give
me I will surely give the tenth unto Thee.
So these vows are voluntary. They follow along the same lines as “If God does something for me, I will do something for God.”
People make a kind of a vow at the first of the year don’t they? These vows are couched as New Years Resolutions and often include declarations to be physically better (losing weight, sleeping more, working out, etc.). But they also include other things such as reading more, keeping better habits, and praying more. Do these vows need to be renewed? They often are.
Do spiritual vows need to be renewed? Think about that for a second, and then ask yourself why some churches have revivals. Isn’t that all about renewing vows?
Is now a good time for us to look at what vows we have made and renew them? Let’s look at the wedding renewal of vows again. Here are common reasons given for having them:
Reaffirmation of commitment
Reflection on the journey
New memories to be created
Strengthening communication
Celebration of love
Now think of those things in the context of spiritual renewal. Isn’t it the same?
Now may just be the best time for us to take our vows seriously, and see if any spiritual ones are in need of renewal.