The Circle of Blessings, June 7, 2015

The Circle of Blessings

Isaiah 55:6-13, Ephesians 1:1-8

June 7, 2015

Grace Presbyterian Church

Rev. Dr. Richard E. Miller

 

Count Your Blessings Achoo! Gesundheit!* God bless you! To your health! What a great way to start a sermon. With a sneeze! And a blessing! But it’s appropriate since this is a sermon about blessings. [not sneezes!] Since this congregation will soon be blessed by Pastor Josh, I thought it appropriate to share some thoughts about blessings.

Bless is a great word. To bless someone means to express a wish of good fortune upon that person. It brings happiness and smiles wherever it is used. And we use the word bless or blessing in many different ways. We say “Bless my soul” and “Bless your heart.” In 1932, Kate Smith made “God Bless America” popular. You older folks like me will remember that Red Skelton ended his radio programs by saying, “Good night, and God bless!” We talk about being blessed with good health or blessed with many friends. And we thank God for blessing us so abundantly. When something happens that we think is bad but it turns out to be good, we call it a blessing in disguise. In worship, we sing such hymns as “Blessed Assurance” and “Blest Be the Tie that Binds.” The gospel hymn, “Count Your Blessings,” encourages us to, “Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.” [1897...Music: Ed Excell; Lyrics: J. Oatman, Jr.].

Last Sunday, I was asked to give the blessing on our potluck at the end of the service so that people didn’t have to wait for me to come down and offer grace over the food. And this morning I will use the benediction, “The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”

When I do this, I am asking that the Lord bless you in whatever ways you need. I am asking that he keep you, or protect you; that he be gracious unto you and give you shalom and oneness with him.

Circle of Blessings   This morning I suggest that blessings should flow in a circle - God blesses us, we bless one another, and by blessing one another, we bless God.

Being Blessed by God  The first part of the circle of blessings is God’s blessing us and his creation. God’s blessings occur very early in the Bible. In Genesis 1:27-28, we read, “God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it...” God’s blessing was his act of bestowing his divine favor and conferring his divine benefits upon all humans. “God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31) Because what God did was very good, it was a blessing to all creation and to all humankind. In the Hebrew’s mind, God’s blessing meant living a long life, having many children, and having wonderful crops and herds.

Blessing of Abraham  When God called Abraham to leave his country and his people to go to a strange land, he said to Abraham, “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great and you will be a blessing. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” [Genesis 12:1-3] Abraham was blessed and he was a blessing to others. In that way God’s blessing returned to God. The divine Circle of Blessings was continuous throughout Abraham’s life. God blessed Noah and his sons as well as Abraham’s son, Isaac. And the blessing of God continued down through the years on Isaac’s descendants.

Blessings    As we know, Jesus was in the blessing business. He took little children into his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them. 

 

In his Sermon on the Mount, he blessed the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake. Just before his ascension, he blessed his disciples.

What this means to me is this: God’s blessings of grace and mercy, of life and freedom, of family and friends, come to us every day of our lives.

God asks us to share those blessings with others by working for justice, by not abusing the environment, by telling others about Jesus, by forgiving and serving and loving.

By our living and our loving we become a blessing to others. In this way, our blessings return to God and the Circle of Blessings is complete.

Through Jesus and his crucifixion and resurrection, we receive God’s blessings of salvation, forgiveness, comfort, guidance, and strength.

We don’t have any problem with this part since we are made happier by such blessings.

Many of you have been kind in telling me that I have been a blessing to Grace over these past two years. If I have, to God be the glory. But what you many not realize is that you all have been a mighty blessing to me. You gave me the honor to preach 100 sermons and you gave me over two years of waking up in the morning and realizing that there was a congregation who still needed me. You made me feel valued and of great worth. So you see, you have blessed me countless times for which I am eternally grateful.

And each of you has been blessed in countless ways over the years. Some of you have been blessed with the birth of your baby or grandchild. And as you held your precious child in your arms, you felt God’s blessing surrounding you both.

 

 

 

Blessing God  What is our response to God for all our blessings? The psalmist put it this way: “Bless the Lord O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” [Psalm 103:1-5]

Peter wrote, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead...” [1 Peter 1:3]

Paul  Paul wrote to Ephesus, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” [1:3] Blessed be God who has blessed us so wonderfully!  Blessed be others who have blessed us with their love and kindnesses.  We’re all in this Circle of Blessings.  And  the beautiful exchange of blessings continues on a daily basis throughout our lives.

Blessing Others  And of course we ask that God would bestow his divine favors upon a person by saying, “The blessing of the Lord be upon you.” [Psalm 129:8] When we say to another, “The peace of Christ be with you. And also with you.” we are blessing each other. As the recipients of such divine blessings, we are to pass those same blessings on to those around us. John Calvin wrote, All the blessings we enjoy are Divine deposits, committed to our trust on this condition, that they should be dispensed for the benefit of our neighbors.”

The following story illustrates what Calvin meant.   At age 16 Andor Foldes was already a skilled pianist, but he was experiencing a troubled year. In the midst of the young Hungarian’s personal struggles, one of the most renowned pianists of the day came to Budapest. Emil von Sauer was famous not only for his abilities; he was also the last surviving pupil of the great Franz Liszt. Von Sauer requested that Foldes play for him. Foldes obliged with some of the most difficult works of Bach, Beethoven, and Schumann. When he finished, von Sauer walked over to him and kissed him on the forehead. “My son,” he said, “when I was your age I became a student of Liszt. He kissed me on the forehead after my first lesson, saying, ‘Take good care of this kiss—it comes from Beethoven, who gave it to me after hearing me play. ‘ I have waited for years to pass on this sacred heritage, but now I feel you deserve it.” The blessing passed from Beethoven to Liszt to von Sauer to Foldes. And God was blessed each time.

Laying on of Hands  When Josh is ordained in July, teaching elders will gather around him and lay their hands upon him. The act of laying on of hands is the act of blessing that person. You who are a deacon or elder experienced this same laying on of hands blessing when you were ordained.

God’s Blessings are to return to God God’s blessings are an investment in us. He expects a decent return on his efforts. In our scripture from Isaiah, God says that the word which goes out of his mouth will not return to him empty, but will accomplish what he desires, and achieve the purpose for which he sent it. God expects to be blessed by the way we use our time, talents and money. He expects us to be a blessing for others which in turn becomes a blessing to him. Jesus said, “As you do it to one of these my brethren, you do it also unto me”  So as we bless those around us by one anothering them we end up blessing Jesus.

The Blessers of our Lives  Who has been a blesser to us? A parent? A friend? Take time each day to look around and appreciate anew the many people who bless our life every day. Write them a note telling them that they are a blessing to you.

ILord’s Supper  In a few minutes, we will gather about the Lord’s table to partake of Holy Communion. Mark tells us that Jesus took bread and blessed it before giving it to his disciples. Here his blessing was an act of giving thanks to God and an act of setting the bread aside from a secular to a sacred use. And Paul said, “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ?”

As you eat the bread and drink the cup, allow the Spirit of God to transform your life so that others will blessed by your behavior, blessed by your words, and blessed by your very presence in their lives. In this way, God will be blessed and the Circle of Blessings will be complete.

 Isaiah 55:6-13 NRSV

 

Seek the Lord while he may be found,

   call upon him while he is near;

let the wicked forsake their way,

   and the unrighteous their thoughts;

let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them,

   and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

   nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

   so are my ways higher than your ways

   and my thoughts than your thoughts.

 

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,

   and do not return there until they have watered the earth,

making it bring forth and sprout,

   giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;

   it shall not return to me empty,

but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,

   and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

 

For you shall go out in joy,

   and be led back in peace;

the mountains and the hills before you

   shall burst into song,

   and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;

   instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;

and it shall be to the Lord for a memorial,

   for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
 Ephesians 1:1-8a NRSV

 

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us.