That We May Give Ourselves

“That We May Give Ourselves” is a short anthem of dedication based on a traditional collect — a prayer comprising an invocation, petition, and conclusion — that appears in various Anglican prayer books.

The invocation, “Eternal God and Father, by whose power we are created and by whose love we are redeemed” acknowledges the eternity, creative power, and redeeming love of God.

The petition, “Guide and strengthen us by your Spirit, that we may give ourselves to your service, and live this day in love to one another, and live this day in love to you” asks for the aid of the Holy Spirit in service to God and recalls Jesus’s words in the Gospel of Matthew, 22:37-39: “And [Jesus] said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”

The conclusion, “through Jesus Christ our Lord,” reflects the mediating role of Jesus Christ the Son, as expressed in I Timothy 2:5 (“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus”) and Ephesians 2:18 (“For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father”).

Appropriate at any time of year, this short anthem of dedication is an ideal offertory selection.

SATB/organ score (4 pages, 8.5×11″)

SAB/organ score (4 pages, 8.5×11″)