Mother Sue's MeanderingsText Box: Fredrick Buechner, in his book, “Wishful Thinking, a Seeker’s ABC”, says this about ‘Blessing,’: “In the Biblical sense, if you give me your blessing, you irreversibly convey into my life not just something of the beneficent power and vitality of who you are but something also of the life-giving power of God in whose name the blessing is given.”   I wonder how many who speak the cliché ‘May God Bless You’ or ‘Blessings to you” truly understand that biblical understanding of blessings. Giving your blessings has been a controversial subject in scripture; it caused Jacob to flee his family after he conned his brothers blessing out of blind Isaac. You see Jacob knew the receiving of the blessing was not something that was given lightly and was also something that could not be rescinded or refused. It was a blessing that followed him. Jacob was into blessings in a big way, he would not let God loose when he had spent the night wrestling with him until he received God’s blessing as well.   In the church it is only the priest or the Bishop who has been ‘ordained’ to pronounce a ‘blessing’. Blessing is serious business—not some cliché for which we have become accustomed to using as a form of ‘good by’.   If we understand ‘blessing’ in the biblical sense—imagine the impact those implications have when we say we have been ‘blessed’. If the essence of our vitality and the beneficent power of who we are is truly the intent behind our words we essentially would be wishing and bestowing the best of who we know God has created us to be on the person we are blessing.   Imagine the power that is accumulated when we seek to pass our ‘blessings’ on to others. The uplifting knowledge that comes with even contemplating how I might be affected by a blessing from someone that I view as a blessed person is mind boggling. If I were blessed by say, Mother Teresa I would feel as though the richness of her faith and the essence of her peace had just been bestowed on me. When I am blessed by people in this parish I feel a deep sense of privilege in knowing they are wishing me their best—they are offering so much of who they are in the blessing, maybe without even knowing that.   We are told in scripture to bless those who persecute us and revile us. Interestingly, the power of blessing not only has the ability to give a sense of holiness to the blesser, but bestows so much of the love we have in our relationship with the living Christ on the one being blessed.   The next time you use the phrase ‘God bless you’ or ‘blessings’ know all that goes with that. Use the phrase as scripture has taught us in Christ’s message in the fifth chapter of Matthew’s gospel. Remember our need for peace in our world, remember our love for Jesus and remember ‘Let there be peace, and let it begin with me.’   I pray you will ‘irreversibly’ go about your day blessing as many as you can from your heart and I pray you too will receive the blessing of your neighbors.   May God richly bless you,

Text Box:                                 In Christ’s Service,   The Reverend Sue Eades           Archives Sept 2006 Community Aug 2006 Gifts of God July 2006 He is Risen May 2006 Pentecost April 2006 Easter Mar 2006 (Lent) Feb 2006 (Joshua and the Children) Jan 2006 (Transformation) Dec 2005 (Advent) Nov 2005 (Giving Thanks)        

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