Order for the Dedication of New Hymnals

This order is to be used within a service of worship. It may follow the opening hymn or sermon, be included as part of the offering, or used elsewhere in the service. If the hymnals have been given in memory of people who have died or in honor of people living, those names may be read as part of the service, or the names may be printed in the bulletin. Leadership may be shared by pastor, musicians, choir, or other individuals in the congregation.

The people of God have sung songs from the beginning of time. We sing in times of ceremony:

"David and all the house of Israel were dancing before the Lord with all their might, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals" (2 Samuel 6:5, NRSV).

We sing because our God is so great and so good:

"Praise the Lord with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings. Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts" (Psalm 33:2-3).

We sing in times of celebration:

"Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob. Raise a song, sound the tambourine, the sweet lyre with the harp. Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon, on our festal day" (Psalm 81:1-3).

We sing because it pleases God:

"Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of the faithful. . . . For the Lord takes pleasure in his people" (Psalm 149:1,4a).

We sing as an expression of our joy and thanksgiving:

"It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night, to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre. For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy" (Psalm 92:1-4).

We sing in times of uncertainty and distress:

"I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives" (Matthew 26:29-30).

And we sing because it is part of our new life in Christ:

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God" (Colossians 3:16).

We present these hymnals to the glory of God and for service in the life of this congregation. We dedicate them in honor and loving memory of family, friends, and others for whom we now offer thanks. [Here the names may be read, or they may be listed here or elsewhere in the bulletin.]

Let us pray.

Eternal and loving God,
We thank you for music and the gift of song through which we
offer our praise and thanksgiving, our confessions and petitions,
and our sorrows and laments.
We give thanks to you for all those who have contributed to this hymnal:
the authors, composers, arrangers, and translators who give us the words
and music to express the thoughts and emotions that may otherwise have remained silent.
We give thanks for the lives and the witness of those in whose
honor and memory these hymnals have been given.
We pray that these hymnals may be used in worship, in education,
in outreach, in evangelism, in nurture, in fellowship, and in faithfulness.
We consecrate them, and our lives, to your service, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Conclude with a hymn or medley of stanzas from various hymns.

See also:

• Order for the Dedication or Consecration of an Organ or Other Musical Instruments, The United Methodist Book of Worship, page 606
• Order for the Dedication of Church Furnishings and Memorials, The United Methodist Book of Worship, page 607
• Order for the Dedication of The Faith We Sing, Discipleship Ministries Worship Website

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Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. All rights reserved. Used by permission.