In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

     As we come together this weekend on the Festival of the Baptism of our Lord, to dedicate our new building addition and celebrate its completion, one almost wants to hear the words of the God the Father in our gospel lesson, speaking not to Jesus, but to us-the voice from heaven saying, "These are my beloved sons and daughters, these members of Saint Luke's-with whom I am well pleased." There's a sense in which we are well pleased with ourselves, today, and we can imagine, and hope that God is also pleased with us. Our congregation is now but 35 years old, and in that time, we have had two major remodeling projects, we have added on to our church building twice, in two major construction projects, and we have tried to build here a mission center that would serve not just we who are the members of Saint Luke's, but our community, our city, little children and their families, and all those who for generations to come, will come seeking Baptism and the Lord's Supper, Sunday School and Christian Education, Confirmation, marriage, and yes, the burial of the dead. We are now dedicating a great hall-"Luther Hall" I'm calling it-that will be a place of Christian fellowship, conversation and consolation, learning, youth activities, music, drama, and a plethora of uses we can't even yet imagine! And downstairs, just think of the childcare, preschool and Sunday classes that will take place in our new rooms, where the little ones will come to Jesus, brought to him by parents and grandparents, and teachers who will be for their children, Jesus incarnate-teaching, leading and guiding them as budding young disciples. And let's not overlook the elevator-the simple, mundane, mechanical elevator, that will assist the elderly and the infirmed and the handicapped, to be able to fully participate in our varied ministries, upstairs and down, because our building will finally, be completely accessible. It has been a huge project, and not without its problems and difficulties that have created tensions and stress between members and friends. Our ministry has had to shift focus during the building program, as it's drained us of time and energy that might have been spent elsewhere.and I, for one, will be relieved to be able to get my focus back on our members, and ministry and our mission in this place. Terri and I have decided that sometime in mid-January, we need to celebrate a return to "boring-ness". Not that our ministry is every really slow or boring-but it has to be easier, it will be easier, without construction going on ad nauseum. And don't get me wrong, I love the construction process-my dad and my granddad and my great granddad were all lifelong members of the lumber and construction industry-and we all have a bit of sawdust in our veins, so that the smell of lumber and drywall dust and paint gets our hearts pumping faster and sends a chill through our veins. And thinking this might be the last church building project I'm ever involved with, leaves me grieving a little bit, and feeling a certain sadness. But we've tried to be good and faithful servants-we've tried to build this church in ways that allow us to have a continuing full and active ministry-in a church facility that is practical, and flexible and, well, worthy of the ministry that's been entrusted to us on this corner in this city and this country. We've set goals, and laid out strategies, and worked diligently to get this three phase church campus completed. We didn't listen when our LCA building consultant visited us in 1987, and said, you'll never be able to grow, because your congregation is too small, but you're limited by the size of your building-so you need more members to be able to support a larger building, but you need a larger building to gain more members, so you'll always just have this little- bitty church building." Soon after that demoralizing visit, I was awakened one night after a dream, in which God gave me a vision for growth, that included opening a Children's Center to provide educational childcare that would help us grow, so that eventually, we could expand our church building. And the vision was so vivid, I couldn't fall back to sleep until I'd gotten up, and drawn a picture of the expanded building I'd seen in my dream, that looked very much like our church as it exists today-fully completed, in three phases. We have been committed, together, to our mission and ministry, and to having a complete church building-with beautiful, worshipful sanctuary, warm and inviting gathering space, multi-purpose hall for fellowship, and plenty of educational space for Sunday School and childcare. And there is a sense in which we feel, not like we're finished, not like we're done-but as if we've taken a big step forward. We have accomplished something monumental, and significant in our ministry. And we want to feel proud-we want to hear God speak to us, and say, "You are indeed, my beloved sons and daughters-with whom I am well pleased."

     But we dare not assume such a thing. We dare not presume that this day is about us. We dare not take credit, for anything that has been accomplished among us-especially on this day when we are celebrating the Baptism of our Lord. For the focus, today, as on every Sunday, and every weekly worship service-must be on God, in Jesus Christ! If there is any glory to be enjoyed, it is to be the glorifying of God, and His Son, the Beloved, Jesus Christ!

     In fact, God Himself says that, in our first lesson from Isaiah, when he states, through the prophet, "I am the Lord, that is my name; and my glory I give to no other." Of course, that passage is from one of the "Suffering Servant" songs, where Isaiah is prophesying about the coming Messiah, who would be, a suffering servant. And the Lord God says about Him, "Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him.to be a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness." In short, here, the Lord God Almighty is foretelling the coming of His suffering servant, who would be the suffering Savior of the world-and this suffering Savior, would be Jesus, God's Son, the Beloved. Jesus, who would, as Luke writes in the Acts of the Apostles, "be put to death by being hanged on a tree, that God would raise him on the third day." And this Savior, is our Savior, and this church is His Church, and the ministry in which we participate is His ministry, and this new building, and Luther Hall, and the classrooms and the elevator, are His, to do with as He pleases-and we, are simply blessed, to have this all entrusted to us. We are fortunate, to be able to follow Him into the waters of baptism, to be reborn as God's children, to be a part of his household of faith, here at Saint Luke's-not because of who we are or what we've accomplished; not because we are so faithful and spiritual; not because we've done great things, been hugely successful in mission, or been anyone's Savior. But we are blessed to be able to participate in His ministry, because we are baptized children of God, born again by water and the Spirit, incorporated into the universal, world-wide Body of Christ, through our involvement in this small community of the faithful, in northern Colorado Springs. And whatever has happened here, has happened because of Jesus Christ, God's Son, the Beloved. And God the Father is pleased with Him, because of what He has done, is doing, through us. And glory is given to no one, other than Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. Glory is to be shared, not with bishops or pastors, or church councils, or building committees, but glory is to be given, only, to our great God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Which is why the psalmist exhorts us, saying, "Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings; ascribe to the Lord, glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord, the glory of his name, worship the Lord in holy splendor." This weekend, as we ask God to bless and dedicate our newly expanded church building, let us seek, not glory for ourselves, not glory for what we have done, or accomplished, or finished. Let us ascribe all glory and honor and worship, to the Lord! And may the Lord give strength to His people! May the Lord bless his people, with peace! May God use us, and our congregation, for years, and for generations to come!

     In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.