Worship Forms: Benediction
You’ve probably heard “trust the process.” Coaches, politicians, and the C-suite have all employed this phrase to reassure people that an outcome that may seem out of reach can be achieved if they would just submit themselves to a time-tested, proven plan. At City Church we riff on that and say “trust the liturgy.”
Within Christianity there are few topics more misunderstood than worship. It’s understandably overwhelming when you step back and consider what’s happening: finite man communing with the God of the universe. Thankfully we don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Throughout Scripture and the history of the church there have been passed down forms of worship that have proven pleasing to God and beneficial to man. These make up the different elements of our worship service’s liturgy.
This month we’re going to explore these different forms of worship to better understand what they are and how they form us as the body of Christ. Our hope is that through this you will grow to “trust the liturgy”—to let it guide you when your heart is so full that you can’t put it into words and when it is so downcast that words fail.
Every now and again when I’m at a Christian event in Richmond, someone stands up to offer a closing blessing. In that moment I immediately recognize all the people from City Church. They’re the ones with their heads titled up slightly and their hands raised in the air.
They’ve been conditioned by years of worship on Sunday afternoons, receiving the benediction at the end of the service. If you ever needed proof that worship forms us, here it is. Many Sundays I see toddlers (too young even to talk) raising their arms, stretching their fingers to receive God’s blessing. They’ve learned it, of course, by watching their parents. It’s a picture of how worship forms City Church.
The benediction isn’t just a fancy way to dismiss people from church. It’s a rich Biblical practice. Benediction literally means “to speak well.” A benediction is a good word from God to His people, sending them out into the world, assured of His favor.
Pronouncing the benediction is often the highlight of my week. In his book Love Big, Be Well, pastor Winn Collier writes, “Passing a blessing may be the pastor’s truest work.”
When I speak a benediction I’m reminding you that God loves you and welcomes you, that you are not alone. In the bustle of our everyday lives, through the valley of tears we often walk, amidst the piercing anguish we feel, I consider the responsibility of pronouncing a benediction a sacred joy.
But the benediction isn’t just a sacred moment for the pastor. Through the years I’ve heard from a number of people how meaningful the benediction is to them. When we suspended public worship last March, it was the part of worship people missed most. Where else in our week do we have a few moments to linger in quiet, letting the hope of God’s good news seep into our hearts?
While benedictions don’t have to come directly from the Bible, I prefer to use Scripture. That way, every benediction is a blessing of what God promises to do for us and a command to us about who we are to be in the world. Benedictions pulled directly from Scripture also remind us of the conversational quality of worship—the give and take of God calling to us and us responding. Every service begins with God’s Word calling us into worship. Every service ends with God’s Word sending us into the world.
One of the most well known benedictions comes from Numbers 6:24-25. It’s known as the Aaronic (not the ironic) blessing. This blessing was given to Moses by God, with the instruction that Aaron and his sons use it to bless Israel. It says:
“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious unto you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”
That simple blessing became a touchstone of Israel’s identity: they carried the blessing with them wherever they went and it gave them security and confidence.
The blessing is repeated in Psalm 67:1: “May God be gracious to us and make his face shine upon us.” There, the blessing for Israel extends to others. Israel is blessed to be a blessing. Psalm 67 ends with all peoples praising God and the ends of the earth luxuriating in God’s goodness. That’s how a benediction still works: we carry the blessing of God with us and offer it to others.
Calvin College philosopher Jamie Smith has formed my understanding of Christian worship as much as anyone else. He explains that a benediction “is both a blessing and a charge.” It is a moment that seals twin realities: 1) that God’s favor rests on us and, 2) that we are invited into God’s mission.
Next Sunday as you lift up head and heart, as you see the tiny fingers of City Church’s youngest members reach to the sky, remember: Your Father’s face shines on you. Love surrounds you. Go and live in that peace.
For more on the benediction…
Read this article from TableTalk magazine: The Benediction of God
Watch this short teaching on the benediction: What Is a Benediction?
Listen (or re-listen) to this sermon : Gathering & Forming by Worship
Meditate on these passages from Scripture: Numbers 6:24-25; Psalm 67; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; 2 Corinthians 13:14
Introduction written by Harrison Ford. Text written by Erik Bonkovsky.