Benediction: The Lens Of Love (based on Matthew 5:17-48)

Jesus showed us how to view the world through the lens of love. Following that example can help us to fulfill our calling to be a blessing in this world which God created and called "good."

May God’s Spirit guide and sustain us as we pursue that calling in our everyday lives.

Benediction: Lead With Love and Make Life Better (based on Romans 14:13)

To help to bring out the very best in each other, may we lead with love in all of our relationships; just like Jesus did.

And, like Jesus, may we help make life better for all of those who interact with us by helping to lighten heavy burdens and ease difficult situations.

Benediction: May God's Love Rehumanize Us (based on Matthew 25:35)

May God's Spirit help us to pay attention to its still, small voice. May its guidance help us to weed out any dehumanizing prejudice and fear which have taken root within us and - in their place - cause rehumanizing empathy and hope to bloom in abundance.

May God's Spirit fill us with love and compassion. May we draw upon them to do our part in the work which God has called us to; of bringing out the best in everyone and everything.

Benediction: Everyday Goodness In God's World (based on Zephaniah 3:17)

In our lives, may we continue to seek out the everyday sources of love, joy, grace, and peace which are available to us in God's world.

May we draw upon them for encouragement, hope, and guidance.

Benediction: Hope For The Weak and Grace For The Weary (based on Matthew 11:28-30)

In times when we feel weak or discouraged, God's bottomless goodness and love offer us reasons to have hope. That hope can give us both the strength to carry on and a safe place to rest and recuperate in time.

When life's burdens feel heavy and like too much for us to bear on our own, God reminds us of others who can be the hands and feet of grace to us.

When we lean into living hopefully, purposefully, and with communitarian care; we are aligning with the way in which God the Trinity - itself a community of love - has designed us to live and thrive.

May we live and love like that. 

Benediction: Freed From Burdens To Be Grace To The World (based on Romans 6:16-18)

Thanks to God's goodness and grace, we can be free from unhealthy patterns and cycles in our lives. While brokenness weighs heavily on us and restricts us, God's love and mercy can unburden us and open up our spirits to hope and goodness.

In the freedom of that openness, we can do our part in the work which God has called us to; of being grace and bringing goodness to this world which God created and called "good."

Benediction: The Power Of God's Love In Weakness (based on 2 Corinthians 12:9)

In Christ’s birth, lived example, and sacrifice, God showed the power of love in ways that might initially seem like weakness to us.  May we keep this truth in mind as we look for signs of God in our everyday lives.

Despite the brokenness which we all have in some form or another as human beings, God’s Spirit desires to roll up its sleeves and get to work within and through our weaknesses; with the goal of helping us to be wellsprings of grace and renewal in God's world.

This truth gives us a good reason to have hope. May it inspire us to work towards bringing out the best in everyone and everything.