The benediction is always at the end.
The benediction is the last word as the people leave the worship service and go into the world to live out their service to Christ.
The benediction is the blessing given and received in the name of God.
Writing this final article for The Record feels a bit like a benediction for me. My service as Moderator comes to an end at the opening of the 132nd General Assembly on June 4. I have been blessed over the last year as I have been among the people who are The Presbyterian Church in Canada. It has been a gift to be welcomed into the rhythm of congregational life, from coast to coast, through worship and pastoral care, programs and special events for all ages and stages of our church.
What has been most inspiring and encouraging for me are those congregations who are engaged in gospel ministry beyond the walls of the church. Many places I have visited, take seriously the charge, which usually accompanies the benediction, urging us as disciples of Jesus to take our faith into the world and live it beyond the church building. Fresh in my memory are the places I was taken in and around Vancouver that witness to the church being the church in the world. What a joy it was to participate with Mary Fontaine in a healing circle with members of the Sechelt Nation. It was a sacred moment to take the greetings of our church and be invited to share in their circle. Leading worship at St. Andrew's Hall, with Presbyterian students studying at Vancouver School of Theology, was another example of a place where our ministry extends beyond the congregation. Observing the work of Central in downtown Vancouver and assisting in the distribution of food at their weekly food bank, and a visit to Dunwood Place, which is an amazing complex of Senior's housing begun by the Presbytery over 30 years ago, were other examples of the church, being the church, in the world. Finally, I was able to bring greetings to the Taiwanese Golden Age Academy, a group of seniors who meet a number of times a week within Kerrisdale Presbyterian for education and fellowship. Elders and the minister from the Vancouver Taiwanese Presbyterian Church provide leadership for this active group of seniors who nurture body, mind and spirit in their meeting together. These are examples of the kind of creative, vibrant and faithful ministry of our church in many communities across Canada. The vision of congregations, presbyteries, other agencies and ecumenical partners, can make the charge and benediction that happens at the end of a worship service, become active service for Christ in the world.
I am more convinced than ever that getting out of the church and into the world is the call of Christ for our time. While we need to nurture congregational life as home where, through word and sacrament, pastoral care and education, we are equipped to be faithful followers of Jesus, we need to have an intentional ministry beyond ourselves. My experience over the last year has enriched my faith as I have seen the power of Christ's ministry in the world through the congregations and other ministries of The Presbyterian Church in Canada. As I have shared my stories with friends, who are not Presbyterians, the most common response is, “I didn't know Presbyterians were like that.”
We are like that! We are people committed to sharing the ministry of Christ with the world that God loves. And we are doing it in amazing and creative ways! We are getting out of the church, to be the church in the world. Thanks be to God!
The benediction gives us God's blessing for our lives, and for our life together as the church. It sends us out with faith, hope and the assurance of Christ's presence with us.
My benediction for our church is one of Paul's.
“Keep alert, stand firm in your faith,
be courageous, be strong.
Let all you do be done in love.
The grace of the Lord Jesus be
with you.”
My love be with all of you in Christ.
