“Therefore Father, through Jesus Christ Your Son…”

Therefore, Father, through Jesus Christ your Son, give your Holy Spirit to Morris; fill him with grace and power, and make him a priest in your Church. May he exalt you, O Lord, in the midst of your people; offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to you; boldly proclaim the gospel of salvation; and rightly administer the sacraments of the New Covenant. Make him a faithful pastor, a patient teacher, and a wise councilor. Grant that in all things he may serve without reproach, so that your people may be strengthened and your Name glorified in all the world. All this we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

The Ordination of a Priest, BCP page 531

In 2016, these words were spoken as a bishop laid his hands upon my head, “make him a priest in your Church.” They are intentionally simple, bold, and direct. While the Bishop of Mississippi, The Rt. Rev. Brian Seage, officiated the service, my father, also a bishop, stepped in for this sacred moment. I remember his familiar hands and his voice, careful yet resolute.

This portion of the ordination service is known as the consecration. It is the moment in which the Church sets apart a person for a holy purpose. To consecrate means to set apart for sacred use. In my case, the Church was setting my life apart for the ministry of a priest: to preach the gospel, teach the faith, and administer the sacraments of the Church.

Tomorrow, we will consecrate your pledges made to Emmanuel for the upcoming year. These promises to support the life, mission, and ministry of our church are more than donations to meet our budgetary needs. They are offerings made to God in thanksgiving for the abundance we have been given in our lives.

And because these are gifts offered to God, they must be received and used with care, reverence and faithfulness. Consecrating our pledges reminds us that the resources entrusted to Emmanuel are not ours to use carefully. Our vestry, ministry committees, and staff have a responsibility to steward these gifts intentionally, in keeping with the trust and generosity with which they have been given.

Thank you for your generosity toward Emmanuel and for your oblation to God. We receive these gifts with gratitude and commitment ourselves to using them faithfully, to administer the sacraments of the Church, and to reflect the light of Christ from generation to generation, all to the glory of God as revealed through his Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Morris+