My Dear Shepherds,
Will Willimon once asked a woman how she liked their new pastor.
“Oh, he is wonderful,” she replied enthusiastically. “He gives the best benedictions.” … I asked her to explain.
“Well, we had never thought much about benedictions. … But the first Sunday he was with us, at the conclusion of the worship service, rather than rush back to the door to greet everyone, he stayed at the front and said something like, ‘Now I am going to bless you. I want you all to look at me and receive my blessing because you may really need it next week.’ We all watched as he raised both hands high above his head, stretching out as if to embrace us, looking at each one of us, and almost like a father, blessing us in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. His benedictions have become the highlight of each Sunday as far as I’m concerned.” (Pastor: A Reader for Ordained Ministry, p. 80)
Old Testament priests were commanded by God “to pronounce blessings in his name forever” (1 Chron. 23:13). Their principal blessing was given to Aaron in Numbers 6:24-26, “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you, and give you peace.” I imagine Jesus using those ancient words as he laid his hands on children or as he disappeared from his disciples’ sight.
When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. (Luke 24:50-51)
Jesus did more than speak the blessing. He became its ultimate fulfillment. Matthew Henry wrote, “This was a type [anticipation] of Christ’s errand into the world, which was to bless us (Acts 3:26), as the high priest of our profession.” Drew Hunter wrote, “On the cross, Jesus essentially heard, ‘May the Lord curse you,’ so that we can now hear, ‘May the Lord bless you.’ Jesus took the malediction we deserve so we could receive the benediction we don’t.”
Rich benedictions punctuate the epistles: Romans 15:5-6; 15:13; 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13; 5:23-24; Hebrews 3:20-21; 2 John 3; Revelation 22:21; and more.
Pastor Chris Brauns told me he practices what he calls “benediction jazz.” He draws New Testament phrases together, “riffing on them,” like this:
The Lord bless you and keep you — the Lord Jesus, who is coming soon — whom we will behold face to face — our King who advocates for you — this King turn his face towards you and give you peace.
Many pastors draw a benediction from their morning’s text, maybe in a Trinitarian formulation. Occasionally we might use a doxology, a word of glory to God, like Jude 24-25. In a benediction my extended hands are palms down, while a doxology is palms up.
When Mary first came to our church she said,
I’ve been part of a church family for as long as I can remember but this is the only church where the pastor blessed his people at the end of the service. When you stretched out your arms and sang a song of blessing over us, I was moved to tears. You weren’t just sending us out to face the world on our own, you were pouring out God’s blessing and Spirit on us so that we would be better prepared to face the world.
And with that, dear shepherds, “the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you all.”
Pastor Lee
