From the Pastor - November 2018

 What does it mean to be blessed?  On social media, people use #blessed a lot.

One woman (@shloks) used #blessed when she became a homeowner for the first time.  Another person (@juliem228) felt #blessed when she realized that her bank balance was bigger than she thought.  One man (@ldreiling) typed #blessed after announcing that he was at home after his medical procedure.  Another guy (@RotoRadarCEO) believed that his scenic drive to Starbucks justified a #blessed.

Is being blessed only about having good fortune or things going to your advantage? 

In the Old Testament, blessing is a chain reaction.  One blessing begets another.  First, God blesses humankind after creating us in the divine image, and then our response as God’s people is to bless or worship God.  In fact, the Hebrew word barak means both to bless (with a gift) and to kneel (in deference, adoration, or gratitude). 

As those who reflect the image of God, our true nature is not simply to receive blessings but also to bless God and to be a blessing to other people. 

In the New Testament, the word for “blessed” (makarios) means to be happy or content.  Paradoxically, in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus declares that people who do not meet the usual standards of good fortune are blessed ─ the poor, those who mourn, the persecuted, those who hunger for what is right. 

Jesus teaches us to find contentment in him and in his self-giving love, not in the accumulation of material wealth or the accolades of success.  Whereas specific blessings can be conditional or transient, being blessed is unconditional.  In good times and bad, our relationship with God assures that we are always blessed.

Take a few minutes at the end of each day.  Ask yourself: “How am I blessed?  Whom did I bless today?” 

For those of us following Jesus, being blessed is more than getting a good parking space.  Whether or not everything is presently going our way, we find happiness in Jesus who has blessed us to be a blessing.  Praise the Lord!