Almighty God,to whose glory we celebrate the dedication   of this house of prayer:we praise you for the many blessings you have given to those who worship you here:and we pray that all who seek you in this place may find you,and, being filled with the Holy Spirit,may become a living temple acceptable to you;through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,who is alive and reigns with you,in the unity of the Holy Spirit,one God, now and for ever.

1 Chronicles 29.6–19    

6 Then the leaders of ancestral houses made their freewill-offerings, as did also the leaders of the tribes, the commanders of the thousands and of the hundreds, and the officers over the king’s work. 7They gave for the service of the house of God five thousand talents and ten thousand darics of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of bronze, and one hundred thousand talents of iron. 8Whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the Lord, into the care of Jehiel the Gershonite. 9Then the people rejoiced because these had given willingly, for with single mind they had offered freely to the Lord; King David also rejoiced greatly.10 Then David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly; David said: ‘Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, for ever and ever. 11Yours, O Lord, are the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heavens and on the earth is yours; yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. 12Riches and honour come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might; and it is in your hand to make great and to give strength to all. 13And now, our God, we give thanks to you and praise your glorious name.14 ‘But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to make this freewill-offering? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. 15For we are aliens and transients before you, as were all our ancestors; our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope. 16O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own. 17I know, my God, that you search the heart, and take pleasure in uprightness; in the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things, and now I have seen your people, who are present here, offering freely and joyously to you. 18O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our ancestors, keep for ever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people, and direct their hearts towards you. 19Grant to my son Solomon that with single mind he may keep your commandments, your decrees, and your statutes, performing all of them, and that he may build the temple for which I have made provision.’

Ephesians 2.19–22    

19 You are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, 20built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.21In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; 22in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling-place for God.

Psalm 122    

1 I was glad when they said to me, ♦︎   ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’2 And now our feet are standing ♦︎   within your gates, O Jerusalem;3 Jerusalem, built as a city ♦︎   that is at unity in itself.4 Thither the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, ♦︎   as is decreed for Israel,      to give thanks to the name of the Lord.5 For there are set the thrones of judgement, ♦︎   the thrones of the house of David.6 O pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ♦︎   ‘May they prosper who love you.7 ‘Peace be within your walls ♦︎   and tranquillity within your palaces.’8 For my kindred and companions’ sake, ♦︎   I will pray that peace be with you.9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, ♦︎   I will seek to do you good.

John 2.13–22    

13 The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money-changers seated at their tables. 15Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. 16He told those who were selling the doves, ‘Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a market-place!’ 17His disciples remembered that it was written, ‘Zeal for your house will consume me.’ 18The Jews then said to him, ‘What sign can you show us for doing this?’ 19Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’ 20The Jews then said, ‘This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?’ 21But he was speaking of the temple of his body. 22After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

Father in heaven,whose Church on earth is a sign of your heavenly peace,an image of the new and eternal Jerusalem:grant to us in the days of our pilgrimagethat, fed with the living bread of heaven,and united in the body of your Son,we may be the temple of your presence,the place of your glory on earth,and a sign of your peace in the world;through Jesus Christ our Lord.