08/14/2025
What’s In A Benediction?
Last Sunday I used one of my favorite benedictions.
It was inspired by a saying from about ten years ago:
Dance like there's nobody watching,
Love like you'll never be hurt,
Sing like nobody's listening,
And live like it's heaven on earth.”
It was popular in part because it fit so well with the Christian virtues of Joy, Love and so on. I latched onto it immediately, but of course fiddled with it over the years. The benediction I used this last Sunday is my current and favorite version:
May you Believe like you’ve never known doubt,
Forgive like you’ve never been hurt,
Give like you’ll always have enough,
And Live as if God is right there with you,
which of course He is and always will be. Amen!
A benediction is sometimes called a dismissal with blessing.
And what I like about these blessings is that they are very much at the core of who we are as followers of Jesus. The only one missing from the list is love (which was mentioned plenty in the sermon). There’s faith, forgiveness, generosity, and the promise of God’s continued presence.
When I think about what is unique and essential about the teaching and ministry of Jesus I usually say that he:
Accepted the unacceptable
Forgave the unforgivable
Loved the unlovable
So that we might believe the impossible—
(That we may do all the above ourselves, through his grace.)
There are so many moments in worship that we don’t usually pay close attention to, but are important nevertheless. Calls to worship, pastoral prayers, affirmations as simple as “the word of God for the people of God,” the poetry of the hymns and praise songs we sing, and everything that goes along with the sacraments.
It is worthwhile to stop and reflect on them every once and while.
Maybe even a short, pithy benediction.
Archived Posts
Here are some quotes that
didn’t make it into Sunday’s sermon.
(But it doesn’t mean that they don’t offer real insight into the power of risk over the fear of failure...)
Such A Rich Passage (Luke 19:1-10)
I reflected a lot on the passage about Zacchaeus because it has been written off as “been there, read that, little guy in a tree.” But it is so rich in getting to the heart of what it means to be saved by grace through faith—to live our lives out of gratitude rather than obligation.
The Power of Presence
This last Sunday I had so much more to share than time to share it. The last Emotional Management Technique was to stay present in the process. Just as Jesus stayed with the woman who was judged and found guilty by the angry crowd, we stay by our children and our friends, especially when they need us the most. Here a couple of examples...
What’s In A Benediction?
Last Sunday I used one of my favorite benedictions.
It was inspired by a saying from about ten years ago:
A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words
There are several powerful and evocative artworks that depict the scene from Mark 9:14–29, where Jesus heals a boy possessed by an unclean spirit... Some of the following have internet links, the others are worth googling. Enjoy!
The Gift of Ourselves As A Gift of Love
The more the giving of myself costs me something, the greater the power of the gift. You know I love quotes, so after a little research, let me share a few of my favorites on this very subject:
The Loss of a Great Christian Leader
The death today of Pope Francis was particularly poignant, falling as it did on the day after Easter. As Protestant Christians we have a once removed interest in the leader of the Roman Catholic church. Yet the pope is the authoritative leader of 1.4 billion women and men around the world. It is worth our time to pause and consider what kind of man and what kind of legacy Pope Francis left behind.