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November 13, 2005 To God Be the Glory!
Today is dedication day, a day that at one point this year seemed like a million years away. And yet, it is a day that as we got closer to it seemed to arrive faster than we expected. I mean, it was only half in jest that some of us were referring to this as D-day, as we raced to get thing ready for this big day. But now we are here celebrating the dedication of a beautiful building expansion. But exactly what does it mean to dedicate a building? What is the purpose of a dedication service? Some would say that a dedication is a chance to take a little pride in what we've accomplished, puff our chests out a little bit, pat ourselves on the back for a job well done. In the secular world, that's probably what a building dedication is for. You know, to get a little press for the grand opening of the local strip mall. But is that why we're here today? Is that why you're here? Are you here for the glory? Are you here to take credit for what has been accomplished? Did Mount Olive construct this facility for the same purpose as the people of Babel constructed their tower, namely to make a name for ourselves? I hope not. I pray that what the Psalmist wrote over 3000 years ago still applies for our dedication service today. "Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name be the glory." What a fitting theme for this dedication service. Not to us, but rather: To God Be the Glory!Let's consider that theme today. First, we'll consider
First, God's love and faithfulness to us. Really, that's what we're here to celebrate, isn't it? We're not here to focus on what we've done but rather on what God has done for us. The psalmist writes, "O Lord, to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness." Think of the undeserved love God has shown to our congregation, even though this building project. The fact that we enjoyed nearly perfect weather from the beginning of the project to the end. When it rained, it only rained on the weekend or after the building was enclosed. You look at the fact that no one was injured on site. The fact that we had good cooperation from all of our various contractors and suppliers. The fact that we enjoyed thousands of hours of volunteer labor. None of those things were accidents. They were all blessings from God who is the giver of every good and perfect gift. These are all evidence of God's undeserved love for us. And yet, in the big scheme of things, the love God has shown to us throughout this physical building process is nothing compared to the love he's shown to us through another building process. That is a spiritual building process. Did you hear how the Apostle Peter described it in his first epistle? He says, "You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house." Isn't that a neat picture? God taking people like you and me and building us one brick at a time, into this living, breathing house of God, called the Holy Christian Church. Now, you realize what it took for God to do that, don't you? By nature, each one of us was in effect a worthless clod of dirt. Scripture says that we were dead; we were enemies of God; we had nothing of value to bring to God. We were ugly in God's eyes because of the sins we continue to commit in thought, word and deed. But what did God do? In pure, undeserved love, he said, "I'm going to take each one of you dirt clods and make you valuable in my eyes. How did God do that? He did it by purchasing us. He gives us value by paying an extraordinary price for us. It's kind of like what happens on eBay. If I put up for sale some old matchbook that I was about to throw away, and somebody pays $1000 for it, suddenly that matchbook has value. Isn't that what Jesus has done for you and me? He's taken poor, miserable sinners and he's paid the ultimate price. He's sacrificed his life so that we could belong to him. And now that we belong to Jesus, now that he's put the seal of the Spirit on us through the washing of Holy Baptism, now he's building us into a spiritual house. In other words, no longer are we isolated bricks. Now we are being joined to each other as members of Christ's body, the communion of saints. How does St. Paul put it in Ephesians 2:19-20? "Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, {20} built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone." "With Jesus as the chief cornerstone." What a blessing to know that God has built you on the solid rock of Christ. That rock cannot be shaken; it cannot fall. Jesus is faithful even when we aren't. I don't know about you, but there have been times n this building project when I wished that I would have been more faithful. I made promises I didn't keep. I had good intentions that I didn't fulfill. I fell short of my own expectations and probably the expectations of others. I had hoped to spend more time on this or that project. I had hoped to devote more time to this or that person. But I feel short. Maybe you can relate. Maybe you didn't do everything you wanted to do either. Isn't it a tremendous comfort to know that even when we haven't been faithful, Jesus has? Jesus lived up to all of God's expectations. Jesus kept all his promises, met all God's standards. And what's even more amazing, he's done all those things in our place. God looks at us and sees Jesus. God looks at us and says, "In Christ, I see that you've done everything well." That means that because of Christ, you and I are forgiven. We have a clean slate. We're all right in God's eyes-all because Jesus was faithful. My friends, is it any wonder that the Psalmist says, "To you, O Lord, be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness"? Is it any wonder that we are here today to say those very same things? To God be the glory for his love and faithfulness! But now, someone might ask, "What does that mean, 'To God be the glory"? How do we go about glorifying God on this dedication day? That's a good question. Let's consider for a moment: II. Our Praise and Glory to God The psalmist writes, "Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name be the glory." In other words, the psalmist says, "Let's give credit where credit is due." Whether we're talking about the salvation of our souls, or the construction of a building, or the thank offerings that have made this building possible, the bottom line is still the same. God deserves the credit. Give the glory to God. Isn't that what King David did in our Old Testament reading? After the leaders of Israel gave an offering of over 500 tons of gold to be used for the building of the temple, whom does David glorify? The people? No, he says, "Praise to you, O Lord. Yours is the greatness and the power…wealth and power come from you…we have given you only what comes from your hand." Couldn't the same thing be said by you and me today? One year ago, our congregation pledged $1.7 million for Building Together. What a tremendous outpouring of gifts! Can we take any credit for that? No, to God be the glory. He is the one who gave us everything we have. He is the one who moved our hearts to give us the desire to return to him what he has so generously given to us in the first place. The same thing could be said for the thousands of volunteer man hours invested in this building project. Who gets the credit for all the work those people did? God does! To God be the glory. In your Dedication Day folder, you'll find a list of people who devoted an exceptional amount of time and talents to the building project. Are their names listed there because they want some of the glory? Absolutely not. In fact, that was one of the few disagreements we had on the Building Committee this year. The committee said, "Don't put our names in the bulletin." I said, "Yes, I think we should list your names. Not so that the congregation can glorify you, but rather so that they can give glory to God for you." Really, anyone who has helped in any way with this project, from the guy running the crane to the gal wiping the last bit of dust off the countertop, from the person who gave $1 toward Building Together, to the person who gave $100,000-each one of these people gives us reason to praise the Lord. Isn't that what this dedication service is all about? "Not to us, O Lord, but to your name be the glory!" There is one more aspect to the glory we give to God on this dedication day. We glorify God not only by the credit we give to God for this building, but also glorify God by the way we conduct ourselves in this building. Dedicating this building to God's glory means committing ourselves to using this building for the things that God wants it to be used for. What does that mean? It means that when we as individuals hold fast to the truths of God's inspired Word, when our pastors and teachers preach and teach the full counsel of God, then God is glorified in this building. When we gather as brothers and sisters in Christ, and carry each other's burdens, encouraging one another in Christian love, then God is glorified in this building. When we offer to our young people a place to grow closer to Christ and closer to each other through a study of God's Word, then God is glorified in this building. When we open our doors and open our hearts to the lost and wandering, the hurting and broken people in our community, then God is glorified in this building. The bottom line is this: A building can't glorify God. But God's people can. By God's grace, through faith in Jesus Christ, you are God's people. God has called you, redeemed you and set you apart for his purpose. Our mission as a congregation is not to build a building. This building is merely a means to an end. It is a tool to enable us to accomplish our real goal. And what is our goal? What is our mission as a congregation? I think you know the answer to that question: It's printed on the back of your service folder. Our mission is "to use the gospel in word and Sacrament to win the lost for Christ, to nurture one another in Christian love and to equip God's people for lives of Christian worship and service"-how does it end? "All to the glory of God." No matter what we do, no matter what God allows us to accomplish from this day forward-may our attitude forever be the same: "Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness. In Jesus' name. Amen. |
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