Bishop Eric Menees
This week, in our examination of the 2019 BCP service of
Holy Eucharist - Standard Text - we come to the blessing at the end of the
service.
At this point, the congregation has just concluded the Post
Communion Prayer asking God to send us out to “do the work you have given us to
do.” In order to do that we require God the Holy Spirit to propel us forward,
often out of our “comfort zones,” and into the world. Therefore, we require
God’s blessing which the Bishop or Priest pronounces upon the congregation:
The Blessing
The Bishop when present, or the
Priest, gives this or an alternative blessing
The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your
hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son Jesus Christ
our Lord; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit, be among you, and remain with you always. Amen.
Note that the blessing comes in two parts - the desired
outcome and the pronouncement of the blessing in the name of the Trinity. In
this case, the desired outcome is a fulfillment of St. Paul’s exhortation to
the church in Philippi when he states: “Rejoice in
the Lord always; again I will say rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to
everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in
everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be
made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians
4:4-7)
The blessing, in the context of Philippians 4 makes perfect
sense. We have asked God to send us forth - in doing so, we should always
rejoice and be thankful to God for his Grace, which is always sufficient to the
moment. We ask him to allow our reasonableness to shine - meaning that we do no
insist on our own way. We demonstrate a calm confidence in our faith in Christ
as we make our requests known to God. In that process, we receive the fruit of
the Spirit - peace. This is not a peace that is simply the absence of violence;
this is the true “Shalom” that comes from God. This is the peace that rests
upon the knowledge that we are never alone, forsaken or abandoned by God. We
simply know that we know that we know that HE is the King of Kings and the Lord
of Lords and in Him we receive the peace that allows us to go into the storms
of life in perfect confidence.
This Sunday as you are preparing to go forth into the world
remember that you do so with the Blessing of God Almighty. No matter what it is
you have to face you need not do it alone, because God is at your side!
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