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Jan 05, 2025

Benediction at the Beginning

Benediction at the Beginning

Passage: Hebrews 13:20-21

Speaker: Patrick Lafferty

Series: Worthy: His Worth, and a Life Worthy of Him

Keywords: peace, shepherd, glory, covenant, worthy, pleasing

It’s a unique word that possesses the power in some cases to inspire and in others to haunt. One word that shares that dual potency is “worthy.” Men, women, and children have been roused to feats of courage, stoked by the call to live worthily of the moment (and, to be sure, also feats of great malice). While how many of us live too many days with a gnawing sense of unworthiness in who we are or what we’ve accomplished. That word finds its place often in scripture including in the book of Hebrews. We begin this new year by hearing not the first word of Hebrews, but by its last–its benediction. And from its closing comments we will hear how to think of worthiness in its only proper and most fruitful light.

 

CENTRAL TEXT:  Hebrews 13:20-21

Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

 

PREPARATION:  Psalm 18:3

LEADER:  I love you, O LORD, my strength.

ALL:  The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,

LEADER:  my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

ALL:  I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.

 

PRAYER/SCRIPTURE READING/CONFESSION OF FAITH:  Luke 15:11-24

LEADER:   Luke 15:11   And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. 13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. 14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.Luke 15:17   “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ 20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.

The Word of the LORD

ALL:   Thanks be to God

 

RELATED SCRIPTURES:

  • Isaiah 63:11
  • Matthew 10:37, 38
  • Mark 1:7
  • Luke 15:19-21
  • Acts 5:41
  • Romans 15:33, 16:20
  • 2 Corinthians 5:1-6
  • Ephesians 4:1 /Philippians 1:27
  • Philippians 2:12-14
  • 2 Thessalonians 1:11

 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

  1. Let’s play word-association. What first comes to mind when you hear the word “worthy”? Why those words? Discuss the helpfulness and harmfulness of the word, depending on your experience with it.
  2. Why, according to just these two verses, is Jesus worthy of honor in the form of a life lived for Him?
  3. What, according to just these two verses, is a life worthy (in the language of the text, “pleasing”)  of Him?

 

ILLUSTRATIONS:

 

 

 

QUOTES:  

  • I’ve never been diagnosed with an obsessive compulsive disorder, but it seems to be going around these days so I can’t be too sure. I have lots of friends who seem to have it and I’ve also noticed some family members exhibiting weird tendencies that beg the question. My craving to prove my opinions about various political topics and news items are the end all, be all capital-T Truth probably fits the bill. The logic goes something like this: If I can prove my opinions are right, maybe I’ll feel secure, finally. Finally I’ll feel worthy of love and belonging. Maybe I’ll get into heaven, be worthy of the kingdom of God, and be blissed out or whatever. The alternative — the notion that there’s nothing I need to do, no set of hypotheticals to prove, no need to put together arguments to try and justify my existence, the idea that I can simply be and that what is, is enough — has, at times, felt like a terrible idea. Because for so long, proving my worth was all I really knew how to do.
    - Chloe Valdary

 

  • As a great Christian writer (George MacDonald) pointed out, every father is pleased at the baby’s first attempt to walk: no father would be satisfied with anything less than a firm, free, manly walk in a grown-up son. In the same way, he said, ‘God is easy to please, but hard to satisfy.’
    - C.S. Lewis,     Mere Christianity 
  • That man is perfect in faith  who can come to God in the utter [lack] of  his feelings  and  desires,  without a  glow or an  aspiration, with the weight of low thoughts, failures, neglects, and wandering forgetfulness, and say to Him, "Thou art my refuge."
    - George MacDonald
  • Let me learn by paradox that the way down is the way up, 
    That to be low is to be high, 
    That the broken heart is the healed heart, 
    That the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit, 
    That the repenting soul is the victorious soul.
    - The Valley of Vision

 

  • May the Son of God 
    who is formed in you 
    grow strong 
    and immense in you 
    and become for you 
    great gladness 
    and exultation 
    and perfect joy
    - isaac of stella

 

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