My Charge and Benediction

It's all that easy and it's all that hard

Folks often ask about the Charge and Benediction I use when leading worship. It has gone through many shifts and changes over the past 20+ years and is a mishmash of words and phrases picked up and passed down.

A few years ago, I did shift two phrases, and I still tweak the whole thing every once in a while, but here it is as it stands today.

Go forth into the world with compassion and justice in your heart
Hear voices of the long-silenced
See strength in that which has been deemed weak

See one another
Hear one another
Care for one another
And love one another

It’s all that easy
And it’s all that hard

Now may the grace of Christ
The love of God
And the power of the Holy Spirit
Be with us all, now and forevermore

And all God’s people say,
AMEN

I love that so many folks have gravitated to the It’s all that easy. And it’s all that hard phrasing, so please feel free to use it and attribute and link back to this post as able.