The Journey of Benediction

“For all that has been, thanks.

For all that is to come, yes.”

–Dag Hammarskjöld

This last Sunday, two of our pastors shared their last morning of worship with us.

The next season is unclear, except that we move on toward the goodness of Jesus, deeper into the heart of God.

And Sharyn and Julie move on in it, too.

They will wake up every morning and do exactly what they are called to do, coffee cup steaming in hand.

And the rest of us– well, we’re all called to things too, every single holy thing that shapes and molds us into more beautiful reflections.

I’ve never been through this before, but when Julie asked us all yesterday morning, “What do we know?”

Then, I knew.

I knew that we are not all journeying on completely separate journeys, because we’re all under one canopy.

They walk on, and we walk on.

And God is good to them, and God is good to me.

Before we even knew them, I encountered Julie and Sharyn from afar. I listened to Julie’s sermons online every week, listened to the cadence in her voice, her intentionality in shepherding and walking with the people in her church family. And I emailed Sharyn for help finding a house, and she poured her compassion out to me through the cyber waves.

Because we had no one in Georgia, no one to tether us to community.

These two women pulled me close, told me I was a writer, asked me to speak and teach, to give my good gifts and to not be afraid.

So, we are not afraid.

We walk in the light.

We call ourselves holy.

We call the Church blessed.

And we give each other and ourselves, every day, the benediction, this utterance of blessing, just as Julie gave it to us every Sunday:

Amen.