Ending on a High Note… Launching Into the Future
The problem with a good illustration is that sometimes it can be taken by people to “illustrate” the wrong thing!
In the 1920s and 30s, it was popular to end a public musical performance with a musician or singer hitting a particularly difficult high note, rousing the crowd in admiration. The idea was, after a pleasing concert or show, the audience would be left with a powerful, moving finale to go home on, thus extending the joy post-performance as one would reflect back on that final moment.
Now, I need to be careful here… in worship the congregation is NOT, repeat, NOT an audience! We all are the participants who direct our worship toward God, the rightful “Audience”. The illustration above is not to parallel the congregation and a crowd passively listening, but to emphasize the power and impact of “ending on a high note”. In worship, that “ending” is the benediction.
If you have been worshipping at Hebron for some time, you will note that we end each and every worship service with a benediction. That is not simply some ritual or action that we do “just because”. A benediction is an important part of a worship service—it both ends the service on a “high note” and it launches the worshipper into their week.
“Benediction” is Latin for “good word” or “good speaking”. So, when the pastor speaks a benediction, he is blessing the congregation with a final “good word”: a good word intended to wrap up all that has been happening during the worship service, and a good word which should spur us on to godliness, service, and adoration throughout the week. The benediction of a Hebron worship service is sometimes a summary statement of the Scripture, sometimes a charge and/or encouragement, sometimes a passage from the Bible.
The classic benediction in Scripture is in Numbers 6:22-27 where Moses is explicitly commanded by God to bless God’s people with words you might be familiar with: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.” The essence of this benediction is the announcement of God’s blessing, His grace and peace—all wrapped up with the promise of His very Presence with His people.
Just as a benediction is to “end with a high note”, to wrap up the worship experience with God’s Presence, and to send us into the world with His blessings; so this week in worship we will give a “benediction” to this past year and look forward to the one coming. For many of us, thinking of the past year in terms of blessing will not be too easy—it certainly has been a challenge! But, as we attend to the Word in Scripture, we will, I trust, hear God’s blessings, and be able to carry them into the future.
Join us, online, for worship this Sunday as we explore a
marvelous scriptural benediction, Hebrews 13:20-21.
