An Act of Dedication of The Upper Room Worshipbook

Leader: The Word of Life
All: Thanks be to God

Leader: In the beginning, the Holy Trinity sang the song; then came the angels and archangels; then creation itself: crickets and crawdads, pigeons and porpoises, cicadas and songbirds, turtles and tigers, woman and man – a beautiful cacophony of praise.

All: All creation is liturgy and song. We are part of God’s glory.

Leader: Human need gives way to prayer. Songs and bodies and words become offerings to God: praise and desire, lament and thanksgiving, our deepest asking, our deepest joy.

All: All creation is liturgy and song. We are part of God’s salvation story.

Leader: In the desert, alone at night, the Psalmist hears the Song of God and matches that Song with the heart’s desire: "In the morning I will sing glad songs of praise to you….My whole being desires you like a dry, worn, waterless land."

All: All creation is liturgy and song. We are part of God’s new beginning.

Leader: In monastery and hermit cell, in chapel and cathedral, the Song, the Word, the longing is heard. "Almighty God to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hidden. Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name."

All: All creation is liturgy and song. We are parts of God and we belong.

Leader: Psalms are heard and prayed, ancient prayers are spoken, old songs and new songs are sung – the Spirit within and the Spirit among, gives birth to a new thing. May these new song and worship books shape the lives of our people today and tomorrow. May these books reflect the fruit of many lives, bundling up each prayer and pray-er, each song and singer, seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

All: All creation is liturgy and song. We are part of God’s created glory.

Leader: We present this new Upper Room Worshipbook to Almighty God, as an offering of our lives and prayers. May it be for the formation in Christ of all who use it, as individuals, choirs, and groups. And may the Holy Spirit bless us in our singing, our praying, our longing, and in our hope.

Leaders:Not to the past, but to the future, we dedicate this new Upper Room Worshipbook, that it might faithfully shape the spiritual lives of all those who use it, in the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.

All:All creation is liturgy and song. We are part of God’s praise and glory.