Introduction

In its worship on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 26-27, 2009, Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Beatrice, Neb., will dedicate new pulpit and lectern Bibles and bless the Bibles that worshipers bring from home. This brief order comes in the liturgy before the first reading.

Liturgy

Our heavenly Father blesses his people with the gift of the Holy Scriptures. Through the work of prophets and sages, poets and apostles, he shares his Word with his people. As Luke tells us in his Gospel:

When [Jesus] came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it is written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’ All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.” (Luke 4:16-22, NRSV)

Today we bring an offering to God. We ask him to receive this Bible and to dedicate it to his glory and our inspiration. We will turn to it regularly in worship and hear from its pages the blessed accounts of his mighty acts among his people.

We also bring the Bibles entrusted to us in our homes and wherever we carry them in our daily ministries. We ask God to bless these books and our prayerful reading and study of them.

Please rise with your Bible. Let us lift these Bibles before God and pray together, responding, “Your mercy is great.”

Receive this pulpit/lectern Bible to your glory. When we turn to it in worship and hear your Word proclaimed, may we be blessed by that hearing with new understanding and renewed faith in you. Hear us, O God.
[C] Your mercy is great.
Bless these Bibles that you have given us. May they be instruments for your Word to guide our daily lives, inspire our service, enliven our praise, and strengthen our trust in you. Hear us, O God.
[C] Your mercy is great.
When we are tempted to twist your words to satisfy our own desires, recall us to obedience to your will, as revealed in these Scriptures and lived by your holy Church. Hear us, O God.
[C] Your mercy is great.
Draw us daily to listen and to live by your Word, that you may mold us for service the way a potter shapes clay into vessels. Then use us to bring you glory in all things. Hear us, O God.
[C] Your mercy is great.
We bless you, O God, for the gift of your Scriptures, and praise you for generously blessing us through your Word in speech and text; through your Son, Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh and spoken by the power of your Spirit.
[C] Amen.