The power of a good word
In which we bless and send each other into the year
If the whole month of January is indeed “the new week between Christmas and the new year,” then never fear, we’ve still got time to pause and intentionally set our hearts toward 2024. There’s no need to hurry or worry you’ve already fallen behind.
Perhaps your first few weeks of this year have been a mixed bag of sickness, sadness, exhaustion, and unmet expectations. You haven’t had the wherewithal or the time to reflect or recharge or write goals or create new routines. Your spirit is willing but your flesh is weak. Same.
Read on, today’s poem+practice+prayer is for us!
What if instead of the hustle to harness and manage 2024 when it’s barely even started, we try something a little different?
What if we bless and send each other into the new year?
What if we took the pressure off of ourselves to dream and organize and get our little acts together, and instead simply receive a word of care and courage from one another to send us on our way?
Here’s what I mean.
Have you ever experienced the power of a benediction? Literally, a “good word.” A timely word. A word spoken to both encourage and challenge you. A word that pierces your soul and heals your heart. A word that beckons you further up and further in.
The man who did this better than anyone I’ve known was my dear friend and mentor Martin Sanders. He passed away early this week and left behind a large community filled with grief, alongside our immense gratitude for loving him and being well-loved by him.
The thing about Martin was, he didn’t as much pray for you, as he spoke words of blessing and commissioning over you.
He somehow knew exactly what you most needed to hear and exactly how to say it. His words carried the kind of weight that brought dead things in you to life. He admonished you to step up your game and it never sounded like shame. He saw your true self, your whole self, and called you out of your false self.
Martin’s good words commissioned me (and countless others!) to live this one precious life purposefully and passionately,“with all your heart.”1
Today, I’m taking a page from Martin’s book and sharing a Benediction for the New Year with you. It is for all of us in this Selah community. And it is from all of us to one another, too.
This poem is both a blessing as well as a commissioning. It calls us to embrace the good story God is still writing with our lives, and sends us to carry His presence as we go.
May today’s poem+practice+prayer relieve some of the January pressure and allow you to simply receive a good word for the way.
with peace,
Sarah
A New Year’s Benediction
By Sarah Bourns Crosby
To the Selah community gathered here,
Together, we bless you
And we send you.
We bless you with the courage
To say yes to God’s invitation
We bless you with the humility
To lay aside your own expectations
We bless you with the wonder
To lift your eyes and see with His kingdom vision
We bless you with the wisdom
To discern your call in His great mission
We bless you with the grace
To extend compassion again, and again, and again
We bless you with the urgency
To take a risk and just begin
We bless you with the strength
To go wherever he might send
We bless you with the hope
To endure until the very end.
We bless you
And
We send you.
We send you to be bridge builders
On the path of reconciliation
We send you to partner with Jesus
In the weighty work of redemption
We send you as faithful stewards
Of your own unique vocation
We send you with friends who join hands
In the long collaboration
We send you to build wells
That won’t run dry
We send you to speak words
That bring dead things to life
We send you with power
In your hands to heal
We send you with hope
In your hearts to persevere.
So,
Go with passion
Go with grace
Go in wisdom
Go in peace
Go swiftly
Go gently
Go humbly
Go bravely
Go the distance
Go the long way
Go together
Go today.
And now,
May the peace of Christ
Dwell here below
May the joy of the Spirit
Well up and overflow
May the love of the Father
Stretch wider than you now know
And may the presence
Of the triune God
Carry you
As you go.2
A PRACTICE
Give a good word. Receive a good word.
You can do this a few different ways.
Perhaps you’ll want to return to the benediction above and let one of the phrases gently rise to the surface. It may be a word for you to hold onto as your personal desire or posture for the year. Or it could be a good word you’re invited to pass along to someone else in the form of a blessing.
Another option would be to head to the comment section below and add your own word of “blessing” or “sending” for those within this community. There may be one there for you to receive for yourself, too. I’ll go first.
Or maybe in your everyday ordinary life you can find someone to bless, with your simple, out loud words. Put a hand on their shoulder and look in their eyes.
Lastly, you could steal a blessing from Scripture like the following one that Martin spoke often from Philippians 1.
Let the blessing begin!
A PRAYER
A classic Martin kind of blessing
I thank my God every time I remember you.
In all my prayers for you I always pray with joy
Because of your partnership in the gospel
From the first day until now.
Being confident of this
That he who began a good work in you
Will carry it on to completion
Until the day of Christ Jesus.
It is right for me to feel this way about you
Since I have you in my heart.
Philippians 1:3-7
P.S.
My monthly Prayer and Practice zoom groups are back! This was one of my favorite things to do before the boys were born and I have missed it. So, here’s the plan. On the last Thursday each month at 3pm Eastern (noon Pacific), we’ll carve out about 45 minutes to walk through a “selah” time to pause with God together. I’ll guide us through prayer and silence, moments for listening to the Spirit, journal prompts, and thoughtful reflection questions.
This month, on January 25th at 3pm EST, we’ll use parts of the brilliant book and companion workbook The Intentional Year by Holly and
Let me know you’re IN by replying to this email or clicking “I’m Interested” here!! These groups are always free :)
One of Martin’s favorite sayings. “Did you know, “with all your heart” is one of the most common phrases used in both old and new testaments?”
This poem also works well as a benediction for your Sunday gathering, a commissioning for new ministers, a family blessing, and probably more! I’d be happy for you to speak it over anyone you wish.
I bless you friends with a slow Sabbathy kind of day. A warm breakfast, a sweet conversation, a good book, a cozy place to curl up. May the Lord grant peace and healing for you today.
Go with assurance from listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit. He will never guide you wrong!