A Good Word

Church, first and foremost, must be about worship.

Beyond that, it is also a place where we become refreshed and renewed.

It is when we leave church that the work really begins.

After all, the “Great Commission” is still in effect.

Matthew 28:18-20 (NET) - Then Jesus came up and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

That is why I always look forward to the benediction.

This is the blessing with which the worship leader dismisses the congregation.

For me, the benediction does not merely mark the end of the service.

Rather, it is a blessing for everyone to help them fulfill the “Great Commission” in the week to come.

The benediction itself can be offered in different ways.

My personal favorite is known as the “Franciscan Benediction”.

May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain into joy.

May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.

And the Blessing of God, who Creates, Redeems and Sanctifies, be upon you and all you love and pray for this day, and forever more. Amen.

The word benediction comes from the Latin roots bene, meaning "well" and diction meaning "to speak" — literally meaning “to speak well of”.

I look upon it as a blessing that strengthens us to fulfill the “Great Commission” in the days to come.

The “Franciscan Benediction” not only strengthens, it reminds us just how much work there is to be done.

It also reminds us that we do not do this work alone.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com/ on Friday, August 25, 2017.

I’ll be back here on Friday, September 1, 2017