The last, best word
Nancy Kennedy
When I first started writing professionally, I mostly wrote humor stories for magazines. That meant I always wrote the ending first — the punchline. The whole story hinged on the last (hopefully best) words.
Although I don’t write humor stories anymore, whenever I write a newspaper story I still write the ending first so I know where I’m going. It’s just the way my brain works.
Besides, sometimes the best stuff is at the end of things.
The other day I came across a story in a Christian newsletter titled, “Don’t Forget the Benediction.”
Simply put, a benediction is the pastor’s parting words during a church service, after the last song and before everyone rushes out for coffee and snacks or to their cars to leave to go home.
I said “simply put,” but a benediction is far from simple. It’s not an afterthought, an “Oh, by the way.”
It’s more than, “Have a good week. See ya soon.”
The pastor who wrote the newsletter story was writing to other pastors, encouraging them to be intentional about the benediction, to give it as much importance as their sermons.
It’s like a P.S. in a letter, the last words before the letter is sealed and sent.
Sometimes the last words are the most meaningful.
P.S. Remember I love you. P.S. I can’t wait to see you again.
A pastor friend once told me that a benediction is a “blessing with the power of God behind it.”
I love that!
I also love how Christianity Today writer Lee Eclov explains it: A benediction is a “good word, the best of words from God.”
It’s not not merely a wish — “I hope the Lord blesses you” — but a declaration — “The Lord blesses you. He really does!”
“It doesn’t tell us what God WILL do for us, but what God is doing ever and always for his people,” Eclov writes. “It’s sort of an uber-promise. When a pastor raises his hands and says these words of benediction as an emissary of the Lord himself, then God’s people really are blessed.”
Often, a pastor will say, “Let’s stand for the benediction.” Some will invite the people to hold out their hands, palms up, as a reminder that a blessing from God is to be received, a gift of grace.
“Please rise and receive the benediction,” the pastor might say.
As Eclov writes, “Ultimately, that’s the secret to being blessed. We must receive what God gives, and we do that by faith.”
At my church, the pastor often begins his benediction by saying how much he loves worshiping with us. He’ll say, “I needed to see your faces, hear your voices singing.”
I love that so much.
And then he’ll read a verse of scripture, something encouraging and comforting:
“The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you…and give you peace” (Numbers 6:24-26).
“May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23).
“Remember I (Jesus) am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20).
“Now to him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy…” (Jude 24).
Good words — best words!
So to pastors and parishioners alike, let’s not forget the benediction where the Lord blesses you and me. He really does.Contact Nancy Kennedy at 352-564-2927 (leave a message) or email at nkennedy@chronicleonline.com.
