Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven and said: “LORD, the God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below—you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way. You have kept your promise to your servant David my father; with your mouth you have promised and with your hand you have fulfilled it—as it is today. “But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built! Yet give attention to your servant’s prayer and his plea for mercy, LORD my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day. May your eyes be open toward this temple night and day, this place of which you said, ‘My Name shall be there,’ so that you will hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place. Hear the supplication of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place.
I Kings 8:22-29 

You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:14-16 

Gratitude to all who dreamed, and planned, and gave, and created, and toiled to bring us to this day when we gather to dedicate this sacred space to God, and all the ways that God’s presence is revealed to us and present among us here. I was blessed to have a private tour with your good chaplains Brooks Hundley and Mellissa Hollerith last week, and their joy was palpable as they showed me the master craftsmanship, artistry, and embedded technology here. You could spend hours here, with insights and inspiration to glean in every corner. 

As King Solomon said long ago at the dedication of the first Temple in Jerusalem, the highest heavens cannot contain God, much less as a temple created by human hands. Yet something changes in us, I believe. We are often more open to receive the mysterious presence we inadequately call God, in sacred spaces such as this, particularly when they are made sacred by the music and reflections, tears and laughter, solitary moments and communal expressions of prayer. A friend of mine used to say that you can always tell when a church has been prayed in over time–there’s something in the walls themselves that convey spiritual counter, through all the prayers offered, not only in the dramatic times marked by rites of passage and joyful celebrations, but also in the quietness of of our hearts on the most ordinary of days. 

Before this magnificent expansion and renovation, the Little Sanctuary was a place that prayed in feeling that engendered fierce loyalty and affection among students, alums, faculty and staff, and all the new space here will surely be so in the future. We are here to embed our prayers and our love into the space where St. Albans community members will gather for years and years to come.

When Headmaster Robinson first told me of the plans to expand and renovate the Little Sanctuary, and how excited he was about the project and the care with which the team that led it were going about it, I was really glad. For such an investment into a beloved space that had grown too small and needed significant updating, was a statement of priorities here at St. Albans. It expresses your commitment not only to the academic, athletic, artistic, and social lives of the students, but their spiritual lives as well. While the Little Sanctuary is set apart as a place of prayer and communal gathering, it is fully integrated into the school’s life, just as our spiritual lives aren’t over here in a box somewhere, but a part of all that we do. That you invested so much to ensure that your worship space reflects the breadth of your intentions. The spiritual life of boys is not an  afterthought here; it’s not a quaint addition to the curriculum. The spiritual life of boys and young men is your priority. 

I am a mother of sons, so I am hardly objective about these things. My sons are grown men now, and I know how much it matters to raise boys well. 

As I prepared for today, I kept thinking about another celebration that will take place in two weeks at the other sanctuary on the close, when we gather to honor the graduating class. At that ceremony, the headmaster begins with words that bring me to tears every time I hear them. 

In my mind, I hear Vance Wilson and Jason Robinson say these words. Perhaps you remember another man’s voice: 

That’s a lot to place on the shoulders of young men. 

Students of St. Albans are children of great privilege, we know this, and with privilege comes intense pressure to perform, and also high expectations. That is all to the good–as a mother of sons, I would expect nothing less.  

Yet how good it is that St. Albans not only places high expectations on its students, but also supports them as children, adolescents, and young men, and encourages them, as Jesus said, to let their light shine. This Little Sanctuary is where they can come and know that they are loved and prized for who they are, by God and all who surround them here.  

Thank you for caring so deeply in the spiritual lives of young boys and young men.