| Reciprocal Blessing - article by Joel Hempel Twice during a typical liturgical worship service, the pastor or worship leader and the congregation exchange a reciprocal blessing: The Lord be with you. And with thy spirit. If we were to update the language in the liturgy (I’m not suggesting we should), we could say: The Lord is with you. He is with you too. It doesn’t have the same liturgical pizzazz, but it clearly communicates the truth: The Lord, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, is with you. Whatever words are spoken, the point of this article is to remind us to hear the truth of the blessing and receive it. Why make this point? For those of us who have offered this blessing to each other thousands of times over the course of a lifetime, it may have lost its meaning and value. But not in actuality! There is a little-known theological doctrine: If, during communion, a pastor or officiating minister speaks the words of consecration over the elements of bread and wine and then gives you communion without himself believing in the value and miraculous nature of communion, the Lord’s Supper we receive is still efficacious. That is, whether or not the minister believes what he is saying, the Lord’s Supper IS (a) the body and blood of Christ in, with, and under the bread and wine, and (b) we benefit from it in multiple ways. The same could be said of the reciprocal blessing. Whether the minister or we the people are paying attention and receiving the blessing, the truth remains the truth: The Lord is with us. Well then, is it really that critical that we pay attention so we can receive and remember that Christ is with us? That’s like asking if it’s important for children to know their parents love them. Absolutely, it is critical! Jesus wants us to be frequently reminded not only of the certainty of our salvation, but also to be shaped into the people he wants us to be. But that assurance, and that shaping doesn’t happen automatically when he comes into our lives. It’s the awareness, the welcoming, and the embracing of Jesus and his love for us that make the difference in our lives. It is our Spirit-empowered and grace-directed submission to our Lord’s presence that turns us toward what he is recreating within and through us. The Lord is with us! There is nothing we can’t face, manage, overcome, leave behind, defeat, or forgive. | 
