PREPARING YOUR HOME FOR A SERVICE OF WORSHIP, DEDICATION, AND BLESSING
Is your home a place of divine peace and blessing?
Do you want the Lord's blessing upon your home and your life there?
Many people ask to have their homes cleansed and blessed with prayer,
set aside as God's holy ground, and this is very good!
Our church is happy to come to your home when you are ready
and claim God's blessing with you!
Before we come to bless your home,
we encourage you to take some time with the other people
who live in your home to prepare your home and lives to serve God.
Too often we want Jesus to bless us, but we haven't let Jesus direct us.
We encourage you and your family to spend time preparing each room in your house.
Focus on dedicating not only the physical building,
but the thoughts and feelings, words and deeds, and objects
brought into and used in your home.
Pray about the items in each room and the room itself and the things that happen there.
Do all of the items and events honor God?
If we want God to work in our lives
we must clean house spiritually and make room for Jesus.
Then your house blessing will be more than a ceremony trying to "bless our mess,"
or a rubber stamp on the old way you lived,
but a dedication of house and home, a setting apart as holy,
your residence and your LIVES in God's kingdom.
The Ceremony:
Bring:
Bowl of water - may cme from a place particualrly meaningful to this family.
Bread, wine or juice, plate and cup
7 Candles and candle holders
Song sheets: Create in Me a Clean Heart, and Amazing Grace or other songs substituted
Service order for each person
Scriptures cut up to hand out to participants to read
Communion Service order for leader
At the start of the service each person is assigned
scriptures to read,
parts in the service to lead,
and one or more rooms in which to offer a prayer of consecration and blessing as the Spirit leads them.
BLESSING THE HOME:
The Binding Prayer
In the Name of Jesus Christ,
and by the power of His Blood and His Cross,
we bind all spirits in the air, and the fire and the water,
in the ground and the underground and the nether world,
and we bind any satanic forces of nature.
We bind all curses, hexes, or spells,
or any witchcraft or occult activity.
We bind the interaction and interplay of spirits.
And we claim the protection
of the shed Blood of Jesus Christ
over this house and grounds, and over every person here.
We call upon Michael the archangel
and his company of angels to surround this place,
making it both safe and sacred.
And we call out to you, O Holy Spirit.
Come now and fill this place, never to leave!
We pray in the name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening Scriptures:
"Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." (Romans 1:7b)
"Jesus said, "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock.
If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will go in..."
(Revelation 3:20)
Opening Prayer:
Most loving God,
we thank you that through faith in your Son Jesus Christ,
you make us all members of your eternal family.
We give thanks for all the love that you send
to draw our earthly families together,
to heal us, and to heal those who have gone before us.
Fill this house with your divine presence, we pray.
Pour out your love to deepen the fellowship shared here.
Let your wisdom guide us, your trust free us,
and your peace bless us, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Song: "Bless This House"
Bless this house, O Lord, we pray,
Make it safe by night and day;
Bless these walls so firm and stout;
Keeping want and trouble out;
Bless the roof and chimney tall,
Let thy peace lie over all;
Bless this door that it may prove
Ever open to joy and love.
Bless these windows shining bright,
Letting in God's heavenly light;
Bless the hearth a-blazing there;
With smoke ascending like a prayer;
Bless the folk who dwell within;
Keep them pure and free from sin;
Bless us all that we may be,
Fit, O Lord, to dwell with Thee.
-Helen Taylor
House Dedication & Candle Lighting:
We dedicate this home to love and understanding.
May its joys and sorrows be shared
and the individuality of each person
who lives and visits here appreciated.
We light a candle to love. (Light a candle.)
We dedicate this home to work, and rest and play.
May our home have joy and high fellowship,
with kindness in its voices and laughter running within its walls.
We light a candle to joy. (Light a candle.)
We dedicate this home to friendly life.
May its doors open in hospitality
and its windows look out with kindness toward other homes.
We light a candle to friendship. (Light a candle.)
We dedicate this home to cooperation.
May its duties be performed in love,
its furnishings bear witness that the work of others
ministers to our comfort,
and its table remind us that God works with us
for the supply of daily needs.
We light a candle to cooperation. (Light a candle.)
We dedicate this home to the appreciation
of all things good and true.
May the books bring wisdom,
the pictures symbolize things beautiful,
and the music bring joy and inspiration.
We light a candle to appreciation. (Light a candle.)
We dedicate the time and talent of those who live here
to help build a world in which every family
may have a home of comfort and fellowship.
We light a candle to Christian service. (Light a candle.)
We dedicate this home as a unit in the Church universal,
an instrument of the Kingdom of God,
a place of worship and Christian training
and a threshold to the life eternal.
We light a candle to spiritual enrichment. (Light a candle.)
As the flames point upward, so our thoughts rise in gratitude
to God for this home, and in prayer for God's blessings upon it.
Scriptures and Reflections about Homes and God's Care
(Offered by friends and by the Pastor)
1. The Bible teaches us that a home is far more than a physical building.
Proverbs 24:3-4 (RSV)
By wisdom a house is built,
and by understanding it is established;
by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.
2. We need God's presence, power and direction for our lives and homes to be fruitful.
Psalms 127:1 (RSV)
Unless the LORD builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain.
3. The Bible indicates that it is important to dedicate our homes to God.
Before going into battle, the men in the Bible were warned to dedicate their homes!
Deuteronomy 20:5 (RSV)
Then the officers shall speak to the people, saying,
'What man is there that has built a new house and has not dedicated it?
Let him go back to his house,
lest he die in the battle and another man dedicate it.
4. God told his people to write his word on the doorposts of their homes.
Many Jewish people today place a portion of God's Word on a parchment scroll in a container
on the doorposts of their homes. They touch the scroll every time they go in or out
to remind them that their homes belong to God,
and what happens there is to be directed by God's Word.
Deuteronomy 6:6-9 (RSV)
And these words which I command you this day
shall be upon your heart;
and you shall teach them diligently to your children,
and shall talk of them when you sit in your house,
and when you walk by the way,
and when you lie down, and when you rise.
And you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand,
and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
And you shall write them
on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
5. When a person dedicates their house to God, we trust that God responds to their commitment. When Solomon dedicated the temple, God responded, speaking to him.
2 Chronicles 7:15 (RSV)
Now my eyes will be open [says the Lord]
and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place.
For now I have chosen and consecrated this house
that my name may be there for ever;
my eyes and my heart will be there for all time.
6. When people in the Early Christian movement gathered to teach and preach about Jesus, and to pray in the power of the Spirit, they often met in homes.
Acts 5:42 (RSV)
And every day in the temple and at home
they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.
Acts 28:30,31 (RSV)
[Paul] stayed two full years in his own rented quarters,
and was welcoming all who came to him,
preaching the kingdom of God,
and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ...
7. Jesus can use our homes to minister to us and with us if we will welcome him.
Revelation 3:20 (RSV)
Behold, I stand at the door and knock;
if any one hears my voice and opens the door,
I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
8. In his teachings, Jesus presented home life as a model of what it means to live a life in God's presence and love.
John 14:1-3 (RSV)
"Let not your hearts be troubled;
believe in God, believe also in me.
In my Father's house are many rooms;
if it were not so,
would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?
And when I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come again and will take you to myself,
that where I am you may be also.
9. The Psalmist saw God's care in a similar way.
Psalms 91:1-2 (RSV)
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High,
who abides in the shadow of the Almighty,
will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress;
my God, in whom I trust."
10. How will we use the homes God has loaned to us?
Dedicating our homes to God is not a one-time act.
It is an ongoing ministry!
Hebrews 13:2 (RSV)
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers,
for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
11. We are accountable to God for the use of our homes and our hospitality. God honors those who consecrate the use of their homes to bless others in need.
Matthew 25:31-46 selected (RSV)
"When the Son of man comes in his glory,
and all the angels with him,
then he will sit on his glorious throne.
Before him will be gathered all the nations,
and he will separate them one from another
as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats...
Then the King will say to those at his right hand,
'Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom
prepared for you from the foundation of the world;
for I was ...a stranger and you welcomed me...'
Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord,
when did we see thee...a stranger and welcome thee...?
And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you,
as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.'
Prayer of Blessing:
L: Our help is in the Name of the Lord
ALL: WHO MADE HEAVEN AND EARTH.
L: The Lord is with you.
ALL: AND ALSO WITH YOU.
L: Let us pray
God the Father Almighty,
we thank you for the desires of this family, t
hat all they have and do here
may be in accord with your divine plans,
that this home and its residents may be truly and completely dedicated to you, and to serving your kingdom.
We ask you to strengthen them in this commitment.
We pray to you, O God, for this home,
its occupants and possessions,
that you may bless and sanctify them,
enriching them by your kindness in every way possible. Pour out on them, O Lord, heavenly dew in good measure, as well as an abundance of earthly needs.
Mercifully listen to their prayers,
and grant that their needs be fulfilled.
As we bow before you, bless this home & every aspect of it, cleansing any misdeeds of the past,
and leaving it pure, fresh and holy.
Bless this house, just as you blessed
the homes of Abraham and Sarah, of Isaac and Rebecca,
of Jacob and Rachel.
Within these walls, let your angels of light preside
and stand watch over those who live here,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Response: AMEN!
Prayers to Exorcise and Bless Water:
O water, creature of God,
I exorcise you in the name of God the Father + almighty,
and in the name of Jesus + Christ His Son, our Lord,
and in the power of the Holy + Spirit.
I exorcise you so that you may put to flight
all the power of the enemy,
and be able to root out and supplant that enemy
with his apostate angels:
through the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who will come to judge the living and the dead
and the world by fire.
Response: AMEN.
O God,
for the salvation of humankind
you built your greatest mysteries on this substance, water;
in your kindness, hear our prayers and pour down
the power of your blessing + into this element,
made ready for many kinds of purifications.
May this, your creature, become an agent of divine grace
in the service of your mysteries,
to drive away all evil and dispel sickness,
so that everyone in the home and other buildings of the faithful that is sprinkled with this water
may be rid of all uncleanness and freed from every harm.
Let no breath of infection, no disease-bearing air
remain in these places.
May the wiles of the lurking enemy prove of no avail.
Let whatever might menace the safety and peace of those who live here be put to flight by the sprinkling of this water, so that the health obtained by calling upon your holy name may be made secure against all attack.
Through Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns
with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever.
Response: AMEN.
Note: + Make the sign of the cross.
Scripture:
In the Psalms, the believer declares:
Sprinkle me, O Lord, with hyssop, and I shall be purified; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
In his vision, Ezekiel declared:
I saw water coming forth from the temple, from the right side; and all those were saved to whom the water came,
and they shall say: alleluia,
Response: ALLELUIA!
Sprinkling the doorways, windows, rooms, and the outside around the house, with a short prayer by a friend in each room or area.
THE HEALING EUCHARIST:
The Rite of Forgiveness
Hymn: "Create in Me A Clean Heart" Praise #22
Introducing the Eucharist for Healing the Generations
(Explain who to bring to prayer and why)
Confession:
L: Let us confess our sins
and the sins of those we bring to God:
O God, we and our departed ones have sinned before you.
ALL: LORD, HAVE MERCY.
L: We and our departed ones have failed to forgive
one another.
ALL: LORD, HAVE MERCY.
L: We and our departed ones have failed to pray
with expectant faith.
ALL: LORD, HAVE MERCY.
L: We and our departed ones have failed to forgive
our families and ancestors back to Adam and Eve.
ALL: LORD, HAVE MERCY.
Silent Prayers of Confession
Collect (Unison):
Almighty and everlasting God,
whose healing and love and forgiveness transcends all time and space, who ministers to the living and to the dead,
we humbly pray to you for your servants whom we name with our lips or in our hearts...
that they and we may obtain from your unlimited goodness the remission of all of our sins, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who with You, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, God, world without end. Amen.
Declaration of Forgiveness:
Beloved,
God has promised us unending mercy, and has given us His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins and the sins of our family members, that we all may live in newness of life. Therefore I announce to you, in the name of Christ:
our sins are forgiven,
according to His promise in the gospel.
Response: AMEN!
Hymn of Forgiveness: "Amazing Grace" Praise #15
Presentation of the Elements
Invitation:
Beloved in Christ, the Gospel tells us that on the first day of the week Jesus Christ was raised from death, appeared to Mary Magdalene, and on that same day sat at table with two disciples, and was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
THIS IS THE JOYFUL FEAST OF THE PEOPLE OF GOD!
MEN AND WOMEN, YOUTH AND CHILDREN,
COME FROM THE EAST AND FROM THE WEST,
FROM THE NORTH AND FROM THE SOUTH
AND GATHER ABOUT CHRIST'S TABLE.
This table is for all Christians who wish to receive the presence of Christ and share in the community of God's people.
Communion Prayers:
God be with you. AND ALSO WITH YOU.
Lift up your hearts. WE LIFT THEM TO GOD.
Let us give thanks to God most high.
IT IS RIGHT TO GIVE GOD THANKS AND PRAISE.
(Thanking God, ending with "...your faithful people everywhere:")
HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, GOD OF LOVE AND MAJESTY,
THE WHOLE UNIVERSE SPEAKS OF YOUR GLORY,
O GOD MOST HIGH.
BLESSED IS THE ONE
WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF OUR GOD!
HOSANNA IN THE HIGHEST!
(Remembering Christ, instituting the meal, living, dying
and rising to new life, ending "...Christ's coming again."
AMEN.
COME, CHRIST JESUS.
(Calling the Holy Spirit, ending "...in all the world.")
AMEN.
COME, HOLY SPIRIT, COME
(Praising God in the power of the Holy Spirit)
Offering Our Selves to God: "I Will Serve You" Praise #21
(Interceding for others)
(Praying as our savior taught us)
Breaking and Pouring the Elements
Resurrection Acclamation:
Christ our Passover is offered for us.
THEREFORE, LET US KEEP THE FEAST.
Sharing Christ's Body and Blood
Please come forward to the Lord's table as you are ready, and bring to the Lord those persons or concerns which are brought to your attention. Do not leave the Lord's table until you have given them and all your concerns for them to Christ. Then receive His Body and Blood, as you are ready, and return to your place.
Prayer of Thanksgiving (unison):
WE GIVE THANKS TO YOU, OUR GOD AND KING,
FOR THE JOY OF THIS HEAVENLY BANQUET,
AND WE ASK THAT THIS SACRAMENT
OF YOUR BODY AND BLOOD
MAY BE FOR US AND FOR ALL THE DEPARTED, ESPECIALLY THOSE WE HAVE BROUGHT TO YOU,
THE CLEANSING OF ALL SIN,
THE STRENGTHENING OF ALL WEAKNESS, AND
OUR STRONG DEFENSE AGAINST ALL ADVERSITY; AND WE ASK THAT YOU, YOUR HOLY SPIRIT,
AND YOUR ANGELS ABIDE WITH THESE PEOPLE,
AND IN THIS PLACE FOR ALL TIMES;
THROUGH YOUR MERCY, O SAVIOR OF THE WORLD, WHO LIVES AND REIGNS WITH THE FATHER,
IN THE UNITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, ONE GOD,
WORLD WITHOUT END. AMEN.
Closing Hymn of Acclamation: "Alleluia"
Passing the Peace of Christ