Liturgie en evangelisasie met besondere verwysing na die seën

Abstract

In most worship meetings the final act before believers disband is the sending-away blessing. Is the, maybe unconscious, denial of the connection between the blessing in the church service and the call to evangelisation not perhaps one of the reasons why believers do not participate in active evangelisation? The blessing that Jesus pronounced at his ascension is linked directly tot the commission to evangelise. In public worship the function of the salutatory blessing is to have a benedictory effect on every action of the assembled congregation. At the dismissal of the congregation the members are blessed to be a blessing to others, and the greatest blessing to others is to bring them the gospel. The blessing in the church service, both the salutatory and the sending-away blessing, affords participants in public worship important guidelines for fulfilling their call to evangelisation.