Luke 2:29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:

These are the first words spoken by Simeon in the Temple when he first saw Jesus as a baby. It’s the perfect lead  to the end of our series called the Way of Worship. We will close with the final part of worship called Sending Forth. Whether or not Communion was celebrated, the actions of this part of worship are the same.

This segment is very short, really just 2 actions. The first action includes a hymn or song and a dismissal with a blessing. According to the book of worship the song or hymn selected should be one of the following:

• A hymn of thanksgiving and praise or a doxology.

• Consecration to service in the world.

• A recessional.

• A favorite hymn or theme song sung every week.

Churches with very formal, “high church”, traditional services will have a processional and a recessional. In this case, the service leaders “process in” and the during the last song “process out”. That’s a topic for another day.

One of my favorite songs for closing a service is “Lord Dismiss Us With Thy Blessing” (UMH 671) The first verse seems to be inspired by those words of Simeon from Luke.

Lord, dismiss us with Thy blessing;
fill our hearts with joy and peace;
let us each, Thy love possessing,
triumph in redeeming grace.
O, refresh us, oh, refresh us,
trav’ling through this wilderness.

There’s a story behind author of this hymn. John Fawcett was orphaned at the age of 12. He was self-educated and became a tailor. He became a Christian after hearing a sermon from George Whitefield. (One of John Wesley’s Holy Club friends.) This changed his life forever, because he became a preacher. He started in a small Baptist church in Wainsgate, Yorkshire and seven years later was called to the very large Carter’s Lane Church in London. He was packed up and ready to go, but his small church in Wainsgate begged him to stay. He changed his mind and remained at that little church earning 25 pounds a year. In addition to Lord Dismiss Us, he wrote another beloved hymn, “Blest Be the Tie that Binds.”

The Dismissal with Blessing is better known as “The Benediction. Per the instructions of the Book of Worship, (BOW) This is to be given facing the people (check). It should address the people, not God (Check). It should be given given from the front, not the back of the sanctuary. (Oops!) I kind of like the way we do it with me in the middle. I personally try to tie my benediction to the topic of the sermon. Bonus if I can tie a good line of the sermon to it.

The last action of this part of worship and the service itself is, “Going Forth”.  As long as people are with others in our worship space, the service is considered to be continuing. The Going Forth section can include things like:

1. Organ or instrumental music (Prelude).

2. Silence – We especially do this during our Holy Week services.

3. Putting out candles and carrying out the light. This symbolizes the light of Christ leading us into the world.

4. Informal greetings, conversations, and fellowship.

So, there you have it! The Way of Worship for we who are part of the United Methodist Church. It’s a way that has been celebrated for about as long as America has been a country. Each part has it’s own beauty and richness. I hope you’ve enjoyed learning about each part.

We will take a break from the devotion next week because of Annual Conference. Who knows where God will lead this devotion next. Blessings!