Benediction are invocations to depart with God's blessing. They are a feature of the church - each piece of liturgy ends with them. In Christ's time, they were a feature in the Synagogue, and Christ himself used them when he dismisses the disciples on a new task.

The word "benediction" is derived from the two Latin words which translate as "to speak well of". They are pronounced at the close of woship services as an expression of hope and encouragement to God's people returning to the world to face whatever the future holds.

This makes benedictions a biblical norm for the close of worship - something to be considered doing each time we leave God's presence to go out into the world.

This book contains the benedictions found in scripture, along with additional scripture enriched blessings for use during worship.