by Gordon B. Hinckley
Thanks be to Thee, O God our Eternal Father, for this sacred occasion when we dedicate Thy house. We come unto Thee in the name of Thine Only Begotten Son. We worship Thee and Him in love and gratitude.
This is a long-awaited day. Our thoughts go back more than sixty years when, as Thou knowest, Thine apostle, David O. McKay, standing on Chinese soil, offered a dedicatory prayer on the great Chinese realm and on Thy work among the generations of the Chinese people.
In that prayer he said, "Heavenly Father…break the bands of superstition, and may the young men and young women come out of the darkness of the past into the glorious light now shining among the children of men. Grant, our Father, that these young men and women may, through upright, virtuous lives, and prayerful study, be prepared and inclined to declare the message of salvation in their own tongue to their fellowmen. May their hearts and the hearts of this people be turned to their fathers that they may accept the opportunity offered them to bring salvation to the millions who have gone before."
So spoke Thine ordained servant long ago, and now we thank Thee, Father, for Thy response to that prophetic prayer. Missionaries have come here from afar to teach the everlasting gospel. Likewise, there have been many Chinese young men and women who have served faithfully and diligently as messengers of Thine eternal truth, speaking to their own people in their own tongue. Thousands have responded to their teachings. We thank Thee for the firm foundation on which Thy Church is now established in this part of the earth. We thank Thee for this day when those who will use this temple may turn their hearts to their fathers, participating in this Thy holy house in those ordinances which will make it possible for their deceased forebears to move forward on the way that leads to eternal life.
Thou art the Father of all men and women. Thou lovest Thy children of all nations. In Thy great wisdom and love, beginning with a glorious vision, Thou hast restored the gospel in this dispensation through the Prophet Joseph Smith for whose life and works we thank Thee. Thou hast established Thy true Church and given it the name of Thy Son. Thy work is spreading over the earth. Now, with the dedication of this house, all of the ordinances, all of the powers of the priesthood under delegation from Thy prophet, and every blessing of Thy gospel is available to Thy faithful saints in this part of Thy vineyard.
Bless them, we pray Thee, Father. May they grow in faith and devotion. May they share the gospel with their friends and associates. May they enjoy the good things of the earth as well as the glorious things of heaven. Wilt Thou pour out upon them blessings that they shall not suffer hunger or privation. Bless their posterity after them that they shall walk in faith and loyalty and be worthy of Thy generous gifts.
We pray for the government of this nation which has been hospitable to Thy servants and Thy work. May peace and prosperity reign in the land. May Thy work spread from here to the vast numbers of Thy Chinese sons and daughters wherever they may be found. Touch the hearts of those who govern that they may open the doors of their nations to Thy messengers of eternal truth. May Thy work grow in beauty and strength in the great Chinese realm.
Now, as Thy servants, acting in the authority of the Holy Priesthood which comes from Thee, and in the name of Thy beloved Son Jesus Christ, we dedicate to Thee and to Him this the Taipei Taiwan Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We dedicate it as Thy holy house and pray that Thou and Thy Son may accept it and visit it. Sanctify it always with the presence of Thy Holy Spirit. May Thy watchful care be over it that it may be preserved from the storms that sweep this land and from the desecrating hands of any with evil intent. May it be sacred to all who enter its portals, and may they rejoice in the eternal ordinances to be performed herein.
Father, bless this temple, its hallowed rooms and altars, its facilities, furnishings and equipment, together with the grounds and ancillary structures associated with it, that all may combine to give beauty and inspiration to those who look upon it and to all who serve within it.
Bless Thy saints that their gratitude for this house may be expressed by using it for their own blessing and the blessing of their forebears.
Our Eternal Father, we pray for Thy Church and Thy people in all the earth. We pray for Thy prophet, President Spencer W. Kimball, that Thou wilt bless and sustain him. We pray for all associated with him, and for all who have responsibility in Thy kingdom.
We pray for peace in the earth that the brotherhood of man, which comes of the Fatherhood of God, may strengthen throughout the earth. May men everywhere recognize Thy Beloved Son as their Savior and Redeemer who gave His life as a ransom for all. May they acknowledge Him as the Prince of Peace. May they in their own lives seek for that perfection which was exemplified in His life.
O God, our Eternal Father, accept our offering of this Thy house. Smile upon us as we return to Thee our love and rededicate ourselves to Thy service, we humbly pray in the name of Thy Beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Church News 25 Nov. 1984: 4.
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