Benediction "My sisters and brothers"
Benediction Based on Isaiah 51
Closing Prayer Based on Psalm 67
Luke 12
Connected to a Larger World
My sisters and brothers,
go from this place in peace,
and may the spirit of the living God empower you and me
to look for the face of Christ everywhere we go.
Let us go into the world and break bread.
Let us go into the world and not grow weary
until all God’s children are fed. Amen.
— from A Place at the Table, written by Katie Cook. Posted on the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee website.
http://www.crwrc.org/ Click here for a Printer friendly PDF
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Commission & Benediction
(based on Isaiah 51:4-5)
When we look around at our broken world,
it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.
We see so much poverty and hunger,
violence and needless death;
so much pollution and greed,
selfishness and injustice.
But that’s not the end of the story.
Into all of that brokenness,
hear again the words of God,
spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
Listen to Me, My people.
My mercy and justice are coming soon.
My salvation is on the way.
My strong arm will bring justice to the nations.
Even faraway lands will look to Me
and take hope in My saving power.
As you go from here, carry that vision with you.
Let it inspire your work and your witness,
your worship and prayer,
so that, in us and through us, God’s will may be done,
and God’s kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.
And may the blessing of our Triune God
be among you and within you
in the days ahead.
— Christine Longhurst,
Faith Matters
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(based on Psalm 67)
Merciful God, we ask for Your blessing.
Look with kindness on Your gathered people,
that we might reflect Your goodness to the world around us.
Then all of the nations will come to know Your ways
and acknowledge Your saving power.
They will praise You as we praise you now.
For You are a God of justice and compassion,
abundantly providing for the needs of the world.
Bless us, O God, and make us a blessing,
that the whole earth may come to experience
Your abundant goodness. Amen.
—Christine Longhurst/Canadian Foodgrains Bank
Commission & Benediction
(based on Matthew 14:22-33)
God calls us to step out in faith,
to follow where He leads
even if what He calls us to do seems impossible,
and the needs around us seem overwhelming.
So let’s go from here with courage,
trusting in God’s presence and power,
and eager to do God’s will.
And may the blessing of God,
Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer,
be among you and within you
wherever you find yourself this week.
—Christine Longhurst/Canadian Foodgrains Bank
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(based on Luke 12)
Do not worry about anything in life—
what you’ll eat, or what you’ll wear.
Look at the birds of the air,
or the flowers in the field.
If God takes such good care of birds and flowers,
how much more will He care for you?
So don’t be afraid.
Instead, let your lives be marked by compassion and generosity,
sharing what you have been given with those in need,
storing up your treasure in heaven
instead of here on earth.
And may the blessing of God—
Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer—
encourage and strengthen you in every good work.
—Christine Longhurst/Canadian Foodgrains Bank
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Go, knowing that your life has been touched by grace.
Go, convinced that you are connected to a larger world.
Go, filled with the love of the Gospel of Christ.
May the blessing of God who loves you, be yours;
the blessing of Jesus, the crucified, be yours;
the blessing of the Spirit, who resides in you,
be yours, now and forever.
— Written by The Rev. Dr. Art Van Seters, Principal Emeritus, Knox College,
Toronto, and published in Believe It! God’s Riches are Here, published by the
Presbyterian World Service & Development, the development and relief agency of The Presbyterian Church in Canada.
Click here for a printer-friendly pdf version of the benedictions.