“Sanctify” from Heroes Day, HCC

In the opening worship session at the Heroes day yesterday at HCC Bradford, there was a time of spontaneous worship I got the word “sanctify” very clearly as a single word. This was  quickly followed by remembering Simple Minds’ song Sanctify Yourself.

It was interesting to get a single word as many people instead of resolutions pick a single word to focus their lives on for the year. Ivy Church in Manchester had the word “excellence” as their word of last year.

sanctify:
set apart as or declare holy; consecrate

consecrate:
make or declare (something, typically a church) sacred; dedicate formally to a religious purpose

Then when Google-ing for the definition of “sanctify”, I stumbled over this blog post about that song and the author runs through the lyrics and assesses their spirituality.

I found the lyrics helpful during the worship session, especially the last verse:-

You can't stop the world for a boy or a girl
Sweet victims of poor circumstances
But you can pour back the love, sweeping down from above
Giving hope and making more chances
Well, I hope and I pray that maybe someday
You'll come back down here and show me the way
Control yourself, love is all you need
Control yourself, open up your heart
Open up your heart
Sanctify yourself, sanctify
Sanctify yourself, sanctify
Sanctify yourself, set yourself free

Then today I was reminded me of the baptismal song “Take My Life”:

Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands, and let them move at the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet, and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice, and let me sing always, only, for my King.
Take my lips, and let them be filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold; not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect, and use every power as Thou shalt choose.

Take my will, and make it Thine; it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own; it shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour at Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for Thee.

And there is also the Delirious song “Sanctify”:

And all you want is all I have
Come to me, rescue me,
fall on me with your love
Sanctify I want to be set apart
Right to the very heart
Prophesy to the four winds
And breathe life to this very place