After the Benediction
by Arthur Lin
Many of us are familiar with the term, compartmentalization. While this may be a helpful strategy for some things, if we’re not careful we can compartmentalize our worship and begin to think that worship only happens on Sunday mornings or during our MC gatherings. The gospel doesn’t just affect a particular morning or evening but rather it changes every moment of our lives.
For many of us (including me) it’s easy to think that worship ends as we leave the church building or when Monday rolls around. Yet, worship is all of life. Every moment of our lives is worship because there is no moment in our lives when our hearts do not long for something. This is how God created us, with hearts of worship. Because of the Fall, our hearts now wander and long for things other than their intended desire: God.
Sundays are a really special time at New City Church. We gather as a family united by the blood of Christ. We remember and celebrate the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus through, song, Scripture, sermon, and communion. At the end of every service, we end with a benediction, which means “a blessing for the road”. I’m sure you’ve heard, “You are sent!” at the end of the benediction, right? It’s a commission that reminds us that remembering and living out the gospel in our lives doesn’t stop when we leave the doors of the church building. From the moment we leave our seats we are then graciously given the opportunity to live as a family of missionary servants with those around us throughout the week.
We’re learning a new song this week and my hope is that God would use this song to encourage and remind us to live every part of our lives in light of the gospel, to seize the opportunities God gives to grow in faith, to share the hope of Jesus with friends or strangers, to help love, serve, and encourage. So take a moment to listen to this song. Listen. Learn. Be Encouraged.
Come ready to sing with us Sunday morning!
After The Benediction
Verse 1
After the benediction
Is all said and done
After the lights go down
And everyone’s gone home
That’s when our worship
Truly begins
May our lives be to you
The sweetest song we sing
Verse 2
After the sermon’s ended
And we’ve said “amen”
When all of the pews are empty
And conversations end
That’s when our worship
Truly begins
May our lives be to you
The sweetest song we sing
Chorus
May our song be the same on Monday morning
As the melody we sing on Sunday too
So that every hour of every day in every way we’re true
Lord unto you, Lord unto you
Verse 3
After the music’s over
And we’re shaking hands
Everyone goes our way
I hope we understand
That’s when our worship
Truly begins
May our lives be to you
The sweetest song we sing
Chorus
May our song be the same on Monday morning
As the melody we sing on Sunday too
So that every hour of every day in every way we’re true
Lord unto you, Lord unto you
Bridge
Let your Kingdom come, we pray
Let your will be done each day
All that we do and what we say
Lord, it’s for you
You establish all our plans
Bless the labor of our hands
Loving the stranger and our friends
Lord, it’s for you
Words & Music: Russ Mohr, Cole McSween
After the Benediction
℗ The Journey Collective