Dedicatory Prayer

Reno Nevada Temple, 23 April 2000

Gracious Father, on this historic day we come unto Thee with thankful hearts and a profound feeling of reverence. We are met to dedicate this sacred temple. It is our offering, freely given, and with great appreciation for the opportunity to have this beautiful house in our midst.

In the authority of the holy priesthood, and in the name of Thy Beloved Son, we consecrate and dedicate unto Thee and unto Him this the Reno Nevada Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Wilt Thou accept it as Thy house, and wilt Thou cause that Thy Holy Spirit may dwell here and that its presence may be felt by all who come here.

We dedicate every feature of this sacred structure including the grounds on which it stands. Their beauty speaks of Thy handiwork in the creation of the earth. We dedicate the structure from the footings to the figure of Moroni. We dedicate all of the interior facilities, including the beautiful baptistry, the endowment rooms, the Celestial Room, and the sealing rooms with their sacred alters. We dedicate the offices and all other facilities of this the House of the Lord.

May Thy watch care be over it. May it stand against the storms of nature. May no unholy hand defile it in any way. We pray that the divine presence of this house in this community may be felt by all who pass by, that it may be looked upon with respect and appreciation.

Bless all who enter the portals of this structure that they may be worthy to come here as Thy Saints. May they do so with reverence and with a desire to promote Thy work in behalf of Thy children of all generations. May the youth who come to be baptized in behalf of those who have passed beyond the veil of death feel of Thy Holy Spirit and never forget the importance of the sacred work which they perform. May it have a beneficent effect upon their lives.

May all who come to be endowed develop a more certain knowledge of Thine eternal purposes in the creation of the earth and in the importance of Thy sons and daughters in Thy grand design. Bless all who serve as proxies in behalf of the dead, that they may be touched by a spirit of unselfishness and of love for those who have gone beyond.

We pray for those who are sealed in this Thy house. May they ever hold sacred the obligations of marriage performed under the authority of the everlasting priesthood.

Dear Father, bless all who have made possible this beautiful structure. May they gain satisfaction from the knowledge that they have had a part in creating this sacred edifice. May they recognize that it is no longer simply a building, but rather a house consecrated unto Thee and Thy Beloved Son, a place of holiness, a sanctuary of faith.

We pray for the nations of the earth that there may be peace among them. We pray for this nation of which we are a part that it may remain a bastion of freedom and that the great purposes of the founding fathers may be realized in blessings upon the heads of its citizens.

Bless Thy work and bless all who serve Thy cause wherever it may be established. Open the homes of the people to Thy servants and open the doors of the nations to the on-rolling of Thy work.

Now dear Father, our thoughts reach up to Thee. Our hearts are softened and are inclined to Thy Beloved Son who has, through the infinite Atonement, brought unto us unmeasured blessings for which we can never fully repay Him. We love Him and wish to do His will. We love Thee and desire to walk in the paths Thou hast laid out for us.

Accept of our thanks, accept of our love, accept of our labors in this sacred temple we humbly pray in the name of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of the world, amen.