Benedictions and blessings

I've noticed that we rarely say a benediction in church these days, and I think there are some good (-ish) reasons for that. In the first place, if we're going to be an open, welcoming and unchurched friendly community, we need to make sure we avoid using language that leaves visitors with a sense of our being like a secret society.

I remember the first time I went to church as an adult and as the service began everyone stood to their feet and sang two verses of a hymn from memory. I later discovered that they always sang the same two verses at the beginning of every morning service and two more in the evening. Fortunately I had someone with me who showed me where to find the words in the hymn book.

The same is probably true, at least in Baptist churches, when we get to the end of the service and announce the grace. It must be quite unnerving to suddenly have all these unknown faces staring at you and reciting words with which you are unfamiliar like some sort of incantation.

So it's probably better to end with a simple prayer.

On the other hand a blessing from the worship or service leader can be simple and doesn't have to follow the well-worn track of the same two verses every week. The end of Jude is always popular and then there's the two verses from Ephesians 3 about God being able to accomplish more than we can imagine. 

A few years ago I came across a benediction Brian McLaren uses that focuses on living our lives in a way that includes others in our journey. I'll look it up and blog in in the next few days. Meanwhile here's a blessing from Paul's second letter to the Thessalonians:

May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say.

Happy Monday!