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Benedictions
meaning "to speak well of"; "bene" is the adverb "well," and "dicere" is the infinitive "to speak." Mr. Webster lists several definitions: 1) the act of blessing. 2) a blessing pronounced in favor of any person or thing; a solemn invocation of divine blessing, especially at the end of a worship service. 3) a giving of thanks; grace. 4) blessedness. Sadly, I think, many churches define benediction as "another closing prayer at the end of the service just before the postlude." Today's WORSHIP QUOTE is a good word about benedictions. BENEDICTIONS Giving a benediction at the end of the service of worship is one of the oldest traditions of biblical worship. In the worship of the temple it was one of the high points of the service. When the sacrifice had been made the high priest would raise his hands in blessing and pronounce the Aaronic Benediction: 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. Numbers 6:24-25 This form of prayer was already ancient when Jesus ben Sirach mentioned its use (Sirach 45:15), and it was greatly beloved and a high point of the synagogue liturgy, even in the days of Jesus. - Hughes Oliphant Old, from LEADING IN PRAYER: A WORKBOOK FOR WORSHIP, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995. p. 349. [Actually, the above title is what is printed on the cover of the book, but on the inside, the subtitle is A WORKBOOK FOR MINISTERS. Either way, this volume is a tutorial in public prayer for anyone who is responsible for leading God's people to the throne of grace. Highly recommended! Some of the various sections of the book are The Invocation, Psalms as Prayer, Prayers of Confession and Supplication, The Prayer of Illumination, Prayers of Intercession, Communion Prayers, Prayers of Thanksgiving, Hymnody, and Benedictions and Doxologies. The author writes, "The reason I have wanted to publish these prayers is that I have found studying the prayers of other ministers very helpful in my attempt to learn how to lead the congregation in prayer. I have no objection if some other ministers were to use the prayers I have written, but that is not what they were written for."] Have a great week. May the Lord bless you! (That's a benediction) Chip Stam Director, Institute for Christian Worship School of Church Music and Worship Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Louisville, Kentucky www.carlstam.org www.sbts.edu |