On and off for centuries people of faith have concluded worship with a final benediction – a blessing and sending forth of God’s people into the world. Because the benediction most often comes at the end of the service we tend to view it and perceive it as just that – an ending. But in so many ways it is really just the beginning. It is the beginning of the rest of our day, our week, our life. It is the launching point for the living out of what we learned, experienced, and committed to in worship. So rather than see the benediction as just an ending might we also come to see it as the start of what comes next – the attempt to faithfully live out our calling to follow after Christ?
It is with this thought in mind that I launch BEN-e-diction. It is my hope and intention that this blog will help to continue the conversation concerning what God is up to in the world long after the benediction has been pronounced, worship has concluded, and God’s people have dispersed. Why the name BEN-e-diction for the blog? Well my name is Ben Williams and I serve as the lead pastor of St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in Raleigh, North Carolina. In my role I offer lots of benedictions in worship but realize that often just because the worship service is over doesn’t mean we are done experiencing or processing what God is up to in our lives or in the life of the community. In fact often worship stirs up more than it settles. Just because we exit the sanctuary doesn’t mean issues and concerns that we brought with us to worship or that arose during worship are reconclied and or settled. Furthermore the benediction is not an invitation to just sit on our laurels until next Sunday. No, the benediction is really just the beginning of our call to be faithful followers of Christ.
So I hope this blog can be a place where we continue the conversation about God and what God is up to in the world. I also hope it is a place where folks feel comfortable adding to the conversation. Hopefully together we can reflect on questions such as, What did worship stir up for you? What issues were raised in the sermon that you want to think more about or talk further about? Where did you connect? Where did you feel a disconnect? What did God say to you or to us a community of faith that needs to be further discerned (fleshed out)? What action is Christ calling us to take or not to take?
To be sure other themes, topics, and questions will arise, sometimes not directly connected to a worship service per se, but worth further discussion as we seek to grow in faith. Rest assured we will deal with those as well. But no matter what direction this blog takes, my chief aim will be to keep us listening, praying, seeking, and discerning what God is up to and what role God has for us to play in the ushering in of God’s Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
So let me close this first BEN-e-diction with of course what else but a benediction…May the words of the final verse of the Hymn of Promise bless you and guide you this day.
“In our end is our beginning; in our time, infinity; In our doubt there is believing; in our life, eternity, In our death, a resurrection; at the last, a victory, Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.”
So with every ending…of worship, of the day, or even death…may we remember that in Christ it is just a new beginning. And with that benediction, may this blog begin…
