So that

Echoing the priestly blessing Aaron spoke over the Israelites back in the day, Psalm 67 opens with these words:

May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face shine on us…

They are encouraging words of grace and blessing. But this morning when I read this psalm, the words that followed really struck me:

…so that…

Now, if I had finished the original sentence, I might have written something like: “…so that I can have a good day.” Or “…so that I can experience health, wealth, and happiness.” Or “…so that I’ll always have plenty of ice cream in the freezer.” The Spirit-inspired psalmist, however, goes in a very different direction:

…so that your [God’s] ways may be known on earth,
your salvation among all nations.

In other words, God blesses you and me so that we can be blessing to him in return and so that we can bless others. It goes way back to God’s call to Abraham where God says:

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…
And all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.

You and I are blessed to be a blessing. Yes, we certainly benefit from God’s blessings, but that’s not the final purpose of being blessed. God means for his blessings to flow not only into us but through us so that others can be touched by God’s grace just as we have been. In fact, I’d argue from Scripture (Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians comes quickly to mind) and from experience that God wants to bless us with far more than we could possibly keep to ourselves anyway!

This reminds me of something J.R. Briggs prays:

God, we would be pipes,
not buckets.
In your grace and mercy,
you have poured so much into us.
We don’t want to keep
this grace and mercy to ourselves.
We want to pour it out into others.

The Holy Spirit inspires me to say “Amen!” to that.

Rest you merry

The churches in which I grew up and have served as a pastor did not often sing the Christmas carol “God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen.” That’s a shame. Perhaps its archaic language forms a barrier, but, once you decipher it, it’s very meaningful.

The word “rest” does not here refer to sleeping or taking a break; it means “to keep.” It reminds me of Aaron the priest’s blessing, “The Lord bless you and keep you…” And we use the word “merry” often enough this season, but seldom otherwise; it makes us think of holiday festivities, but it has a secondary meaning of “being alert.” A couple hundred years ago, people used the expression “rest you merry” to encourage one another to keep well. Knowing this helps explain the comma between “merry” and “gentlemen:” The opening line could be seen as an invitation to gentlemen (a gender exclusive reference to people in general) to allow God to keep them alert and well. Less poetically, the carol says, “May God keep you alert, everyone!”

Why do we need to keep alert? Because it’s easy to experience “dismay” (using the carol’s word) in the various circumstances of life, especially considering the chaos of this past year. Because it’s easy to get consumed with the distractions of this season and forget “Jesus Christ our Savior was born upon this day.” And because it’s easy to become enticed by “Satan’s power when we were gone astray” as we were in the past. That reminds me of the apostle Peter’s words: “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” I constantly need God’s help to keep me alert, to keep me “merry!”

When I put my trust in God, I can rest (there’s that word again!) assured that I am secure in him: Nothing can snatch me from his loving embrace. In the same text where he warns about the devil’s schemes, Peter reminds his readers of how “God cares for you.” Peter also refers to God’s ongoing work of restoration in his people’s lives. Peter finally promises that in Christ, we will remain “strong, firm, and steadfast.” If all that isn’t a cause to be filled with joy, I’m not sure what is! These are indeed “tidings of comfort and joy.”

It goes without say this has been a difficult year. Time magazine proclaimed it was the worst year ever, which I personally feel might be a little hyperbolic. Regardless, this is a time in which I especially need to hear “tidings of comfort and joy.” Probably you too.

In this Christmas and New Year’s season, with its cheer and trouble, may you experience the kind of comfort and joy that’s only found in Jesus, the Son of God born in Bethlehem. He will “rest you merry.”

This adapts a recent message I gave at Trinity CRC
and will appear in next week’s Rock Valley Bee.

Unexpected blessings

May God bless you with discomfort…
at easy answers, hard hearts, half-truths, and superficial relationships. May God bless you so that you may live from deep within your heart where God’s Spirit dwells.

May God bless you with anger…
at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people. May God bless you so that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace.

May God bless you with tears…
to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation and war. May God bless you so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness…
to believe that you can make a difference in this world, in your neighborhood, so that you will courageously try what you don’t think you can do, but, in Jesus Christ you’ll have all the strength necessary.

May God bless you to fearlessly speak out about injustice, unjust laws, corrupt politicians, unjust and cruel treatment of prisoners, and senseless wars, genocides, starvation, and poverty that is so pervasive.

May God bless you that you remember we are all called to continue God’s redemptive work of love and healing in God’s place, in and through God’s name, in God’s Spirit, continually creating and breathing new life and grace into everything and everyone we touch.
–

–
Several times now in worship services at Trinity CRC I’ve used and adapted this Franciscan blessing that asks God to bless us with discomfort, anger, tears, foolishness, and courage. Originally published in Troubadour: A Missionary Magazine, it now appears on many websites.
–

The gift-receiving part of the worship service

I sometimes worry that people treat the blessing at the close of the worship service as just a fancy way to say “Good bye, see you next time.” In reality, these are powerful words God invites us to receive as coming directly from Him. As you receive the blessing before you leave, God affirms that you do not go out alone: He is with you to guide and strengthen you in everything that lays ahead of you in the upcoming week.

I love the article that Pastor Lee Eclov wrote entirely about the blessing (a.k.a. benediction) in which he describes it as “sort of an uber-promise:”

[The blessing] doesn’t tell us what God will do for us, but what God is doing ever and always for his people…  I wonder if the best analogy would be that it is God’s wedding vow spoken to his people. It’s his way of saying, “I take you for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, and death will never part us.” The benediction is like God renewing his vows to us.

This is more powerful than someone just wishing you well before you leave to go somewhere. It’s also much more appropriate than ending the service with a command to obey. As The Worship Sourcebook warns, a command at this point in worship could “imply that the Christian life is only about working hard to earn God’s favor” (p. 367). No. Instead of this, God pronounces His unfailing love to you.

At Trinity Christian Reformed Church, I invite everyone to respond to the blessing by saying “Amen” in unison. It’s a way of the congregation declaring “This is indeed so. We receive God’s blessing.” I’ve seen people hold their hands out during the blessing, palms up. This is very appropriate, too, as it shows how God’s blessing is something to be received. Like a gift our gift-giving God is eager to give.

Blessings, of course, need not be reserved only for worship services. May I leave you with two right now? The first is one Dr. Neal Plantinga regularly spoke at Calvin Theological Seminary chapels when he was president there. The second one is likely the most famous one in the Bible from Numbers 6.
–

God go before you to lead you,
God go behind you to protect you,
God go beneath you to support you,
God go beside you to befriend you.
Do not be afraid…
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
–

The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.
–

Kept by God

–
The churches in which I grew up and have served as a pastor did not often sing the Christmas carol “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen.” That’s a shame. Perhaps the archaic language forms a barrier, but, once you decipher it, it’s very meaningful.

The word rest does not here refer to sleeping or taking a break; it denotes to keep. And we use the word merry enough this season, but seldom otherwise; it makes us think of holiday festivities, but it has a secondary meaning of being alert. Knowing this helps explain the comma between merry and gentlemen: The opening line could be seen as an invitation to gentlemen (a gender exclusive reference to people in general) to allow God to keep them alert. Less poetically, the carol says, “May God keep you alert, everyone!”

Why do we need to keep alert? Because it’s easy to experience “dismay” in the various circumstances of life. Because it’s easy to get so consumed with the busyness of the season that we forget “Jesus Christ our Savior [was] born upon this day.” But the most important reason we need to keep alert is to keep from being enticed by “Satan’s power when we were gone astray” as we were in the past. It reminds me of St. Peter’s words: “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” I constantly need God’s help to keep me alert!

When we put our trust in God, we can rest (there’s that word again!) assured that we are secure in Him: Nothing can snatch us from His loving embrace. If that isn’t a cause to be merry, to be filled with deep joy, I’m not sure what is! So these are indeed “tidings of comfort and joy.”

Monica and I know several families for whom this is going to be a difficult Christmas – the first one without a beloved family member. And we know other people who regularly feel especially “blue” this time of year. Our prayer for them – for you as you read this – is that this Christmas you experience the kind of comfort and joy that can only be found in Jesus, the Son of God born in Bethlehem.
–

The future

As Monica and I look towards 2012, we hold to the truth of this old saying…

I do not know what the future holds,
—- but I do know who holds the future.

So as we enter a new year with all its potential, we give to you as well as receive for our family this traditional Gaelic blessing…

May the road rise up to meet you;
—- may the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
—- and the rain fall soft upon your fields.
And, until we meet again,
—- may God hold you in the hollow of His hand.
–

Random blessing

Something curious happened at work yesterday afternoon shortly before I came home for supper.

The phone rang.  I answered.  It was a telemarketer.  He had a very strong accent – East Indian, I think – and I had a hard time understanding him, but I gathered he was selling a listing for our church on some web directory.  I quickly but politely said, “No, thank you.  Please do not add us to your directory.  Please do not bill us.  Please do not phone us again.”

The telemarketer said okay and thank you and then, in a softer tone, something that sounded like “blessing.”  I said, “Pardon me?”  In almost a whisper and with his thick accent, he confirmed whether he had called a church and asked me for a blessing.

”A blessing?” I repeated.

Again came his near whisper: ”Please bless me.”

I sat there for a moment wondering if this was for real.  Deciding I couldn’t say no to someone wanting to receive a Christian blessing, I adapted the Aaronic blessing and spoke into the phone,
—–“The Lord bless you and keep you;
———-the Lord make His face shine upon you
———-and be gracious to you.
—–May the Lord be and abide with you
———-and give you His peace
———-this day as you work and in all your life.”

He thanked me and that was that.

I didn’t get anymore work done before supper, staring instead into space, pondering this unexpected – yet I believe God-directed – telephone encounter.

Blessings for our children

Shortly before he dies, King David pronounces blessings on his son Solomon – blessings any parent can adapt for their children…

My son [or, My daughter],
the Lord be with you,
and may you have success…
—May the Lord give you discretion
—and understanding… 
——Be strong and courageous.  
——Do not be afraid or discouraged.

Acknowledge the God of your [parents / family / brothers and sisters in Christ], and serve Him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought.  If you seek Him, He will be found by you.
–