Thursday, April 11, 2013

Dedicated

“All things come of thee O Lord, and of Thine own have we given Thee.”  1 Chronicles 29:14

I pray that you are well and are enjoying these beautiful spring days. The flowers and blossoms on some of the trees are literally bursting forth in this warmer weather and I am reminded of all the many gifts that God has given us so freely and abundantly to enjoy and to use for God’s good purposes.

This Sunday, we have an opportunity to remember all that God has given us and how we have used some of those gifts to complete part of the building program we started back in 2004. The lower level, below the new Chapel, has been completed! We now have a fine choir rehearsal/meeting room, a new classroom, real offices for our music staff, and a place for our choirs and acolytes to robe. The completion of this important space is a tangible example of how we, as a community, have given back to God some of the gifts that God has given us for God’s purposes. I am excited to think of all the lives that will be formed up through music and learning in that space and want to thank everyone for their prayers and financial support in making this a reality.

And because this space is a concrete example of using some of the gifts for God’s purposes, we will be dedicating the space with prayer and some refreshments after the 9:15 service (followed by a shortened segment of my class on prayer). I hope you will come to give thanks with us and dedicate this space for God’s purposes at St. David’s and in the world.

Dedication is one of the ways that churches and individuals can focus on their true purposes, but more importantly, when we pray in dedication we open the way for God’s Spirit to renew us and empower us for the purposes and lives we are about. In fact, each day is an opportunity for you and me to dedicate ourselves to God, to our families, our work or learning and to whatever path we are walking with God. When we dedicate we keep in mind what we are about and open the way for God to come in.

So allow me to share my favorite prayer of daily dedication with you and invite you to pray it regularly. It comes from our Prayer Book (page 461):

This is another day, O Lord. I know not what it will bring forth,
but make me ready, Lord, for whatever it may be. If I am to stand
up, help me to stand bravely. If I am to sit still, help me to sit quietly.
If I am to lie low, help me to do it patiently. And if I am to do nothing,
let me do it gallantly. Make these words more than words, and give
me the Spirit of Jesus. Amen.

May God continue to bless you with all God’s gifts and the courage to use them wisely for God’s purposes. See you Sunday.


Grace and Peace
WFA

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