Benediction
Clyde talks about giving a benediction, which reminds me of a conversation I once had with a member of my Worship Associates Team in a former congregation. He described how the minister of a church he once attended gave a benediction so powerful that he actually felt that she was not just giving a "good word," but calling down a blessing upon the gathered congregation.
This much-decorated career military man had tears in his eyes as he wondered at the power of it: "It was as though she wasn't just casually asking for God's blessing, she was invoking it. She was expecting it."
His beautiful memory really got to me, and I have forever since tried to bring down that same sense of blessing in my benedictions, almost always using words that echo some theme of the service, in addition to something like "May the Spirit of Love guide and guard you until we meet again."
And then we sit down for the Postlude, but we have a new Music Director now and THINGS IS GONNA CHANGE!! But that's a whole 'nuther subject.
This much-decorated career military man had tears in his eyes as he wondered at the power of it: "It was as though she wasn't just casually asking for God's blessing, she was invoking it. She was expecting it."
His beautiful memory really got to me, and I have forever since tried to bring down that same sense of blessing in my benedictions, almost always using words that echo some theme of the service, in addition to something like "May the Spirit of Love guide and guard you until we meet again."
And then we sit down for the Postlude, but we have a new Music Director now and THINGS IS GONNA CHANGE!! But that's a whole 'nuther subject.
posted by PeaceBang at 7:50 PM
3 Comments:
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Yes, it's from one of Paul's letters and is a beautiful benediction. And although "performance" has many connotations with "acting" and therefore "inauthentic," ministers do indeed perform the liturgy.
Thanks for sharing this lovely memory.
It is beautiful. Thank you.
The full text, I think, is:
"[So,] go into the world in peace. Be of good courage; hold fast that which is good [or: to what is good]; render to no one evil for evil; strengthen the faint-hearted; support the weak; help the afflicted; honor all people. " And then, depending on your religious persuasion, "Love and serve the Lord, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit" (which I think is part of the original blessing) or the alternative "remain in the power of love until we meet again" or or......
Peace to all,
Caroline Divine
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