Words from the Office
A benediction is just a fancy word for a “spiritual blessing,” and as you might imagine the Bible is full of them. One of the most well-known is the Aaronic Blessing from Numbers 6:24–26. As someone in ministry, I use benedictions often. We’re asked to pray more than most, and they are helpful when leading as many worship services as we do—from Sunday mornings to mid-week funerals.
While historic benedictions are striking and meaningful, I also sometimes write my own. One that I have used throughout my few years at Maplewood—which is what you hear each week—is this: “May the Lord our God be your anchor in joy and in pain, with you now and forevermore, until the very end of the age. Amen.”
I hope you can hear in my voice that I truly mean it. It is my prayer for you as the service concludes: that you would be valiant for the Lord, celebrating life’s joys while also courageously facing the sadness, chaos, pain, and suffering that also come our way.
This is a big part of why we gather regularly—to praise God, learn from His Word, fellowship with one another, and serve. Together, we strengthen our resolve to live in such a way that we can declare, in the words of the great hymn: “My Comforter, my All in All / Here in the love of Christ I stand.”
As many of you have heard me say: yesterday is done—unchangeable. There’s no remixing or reproducing it, no matter how hard anyone tries. And tomorrow, as hopeful as we are about it, is not guaranteed. No one knows what’s next, but we trust that God, Emmanuel—‘God with us’—is more than able to see us through.
Lately, I have been reflecting on my benediction in light of the mass shootings that continue to plague our nation. Like unpaid parking tickets that go ignored, there’s something we as a society are missing.
If I can be honest, being a preacher these days feels a different. It’s unsettling that, whether due to mental or spiritual darkness—or both—more and more people are becoming so consumed by rage that violence, particularly around killing those they see as “the opposition,” feels like a viable option to them.
I know that there isn’t any one place that can ever be completely safe. But I’ll say this: standing alone in a pulpit each week, and spending time in a large church building during the week, doesn’t feel good in the climate we’re experiencing. None of us want to become the victim of someone’s hate, but that possibility is always present.
This reminds me how important it is to look out for one another—and for strangers, too. One mark of godly character is how we treat those who seemingly have nothing to offer us. Are we willing to sacrifice our time, treasures, or talents to care for them as we would for ourselves, or even better?
You may have heard the phrase, “If you see something, say something.” That’s a good principle—not just in security situations, but for life in general. In the context of what’s brewing around us, it’s not only appropriate, but responsible, to make sure the church doors aren’t left wide open, or that unknown individuals aren’t wandering the building unnoticed. It is good to ask questions or follow up if something (or someone) feels off.
The last thing we want is to become paranoid—but we do want to be careful and discerning, adhering to healthy boundaries, wisely stewarding the people and resources God has entrusted to us. I wish we weren’t dealing with so much as a nation right now, but we are. Denial won’t help anyone—and it certainly doesn’t honor God either.
While trying to remain faithful to God in a time of unyielding trouble, the prophet Daniel declared this about Him: “He changes times and seasons; He deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning” (Dan 2:21).
Yes, times have changed—and they will continue to change, in all honestly maybe for the worse in this current chapter of life. But if that’s true, then by definition, positive change is also a possibility, both now and in the future. Don’t forget that. And above all, remember this: right in the middle of great instability, God remains dependable.
He is an attentive, ever-present help. Nothing surprises or intimidates Him. He cannot and will not be defeated. He does not ask us to do His part. Why would He? He simply asks us to do what He has called us to do, in the way He has called us to do it, and to leave the rest to Him by faith.
- Pastor James
