Over my years serving as the music leader for PHBC, I have had many opportunities to speak benedictions over all of you. A benediction is simply a blessing uttered or bestowed at the end of a service. The benedictions at the end of our services are always a verse or two from Scripture. Allow me to offer one from my heart here. I offer two praises and one encouragement.

I praise God and am thankful eternally for the way you sing. Preston Highlands is a precious and wonderful place to worship the name of God. Week after week, I have had the privilege of looking at the light in your eyes as you sing to the Lord. Week after week, it has been a deep wellspring of joy for me. I hear how you sing with your whole being. Not merely loudly, but joyfully. Not merely harmoniously, but genuinely.

You have taken Paul’s exhortation in Colossians 3:16 to heart, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Truly, I have seen your thankfulness. I have felt the word of Christ dwell among you richly. I have received your teaching and admonishment and wisdom. I have heard the joyful noise you offer to the Lord, and I am blessed by it.

My second praise is how passionately you love the Lord with your mind. Few churches pursue the truth of the Lord in the manner you do. It is exceedingly rare to find a church that would have designated teaching time for logic, Christian philosophy, systematic theology, apologetics, and other manners of intellectually pursuing God. It is a rare treasure that will go on to bless generations of Christians as you pass along the knowledge you devoted yourselves to.

Lastly, I offer an encouragement. As the ocean of Christ’s love billows up in our hearts, it ought to overflow into the community and the lives around us. I see the members of Preston Highlands regularly loving each other exceedingly well. This is part of the blessing of being joined to any church, but our church specifically. You have loved me well while I’ve been in your midst.

However, loving the body of believers should overflow as well to our neighbors, to the needy, and to the voiceless. I would love to see our church think more critically about how to be more hands on in mission work and mercy ministry. How can we elevate the oppressed, the poor, the widow, and the orphan? How can we live in our communities as though Jesus really is the hope of the world? Not only with our means, but with the hours of our lives, with the strength of our hands.

You have been a blessing to me. A place where I was raised up in the Lord, trained in his ministry, and loved well.

“The LORD bless you and keep you;

The LORD make his face to smile upon you and be gracious to you;

The LORD lift up his face toward you and give you peace.”

Numbers 6:24-26

In Christ,

Mason Smith