Good Morning, Church!
Today we are beginning a series on Back-to-Basics, the foundations of our faith.
We will be covering various topics, so be ready to take notes and begin to look at things with a fresh set of spiritual eyes.
But, before we continue, let’s go ahead and pray.
*Holy Spirit, thou art welcomed into this place.
Open our eyes to see,
Open our ears to hear,
Our minds to understand,
And warm our hearts to believe.
Now may the words of my mouth and the meditation of all of our hearts, TOGETHER, be pleasing in your sight, Oh Lord our Rock and our Redeemer. AMEN.
In the Christian, Islamic, and Jewish traditions, and many faith based traditions and cultures around the world and through times, the ritual of giving, granting, or investing a blessing over someone is a sign of approval and favor.
The Old Testament is flooded with stories of blessings. One of the most impressive accounts is found in Genesis 27. The story tells us that Jacob, the youngest of two siblings, tricked his father, impersonating his older brother Esau to steal his blessing.
We have a custom in Puerto Rico that focuses on the investiture of a blessing.
This was huge for my paternal grandparents.
Typically, whenever you met or where going to depart from your elder’s presence, or someone significant, you are to ask for the blessing saying, Bendicion! instead of just saying Hi! and Bye!
In my father’s side of the family, all of my cousins were taught to ask for the blessing . . . except my brother and I.
My paternal grandmother would get very upset at my parents every single time we gathered because how come your kids don’t ask for the blessing?,to what me being me, I would reply with, well, your son never taught us.
In my culture, asking for the blessing is an acknowledgement of the elders’ authority.
What follows to the request of Bendicion! is the seniors’ response, Que Dios te bendiga, ‘mij@! In other words, May God bless you, my child!
In the Bible, God’s blessing meant that everything, favor, the purpose in life, the journey, and the end of life would be and go according to God’s plans. It meant may God be with you. May God’s favor be upon you. It meant that God was on your side and ahead of you leading the way, making a way and defeating your enemies.
However, the blessing does not just happen, because, later we learn, that the blessing is a by-product of labor and obedience.
From the Bible patriarchs, we learn that in Abraham’s life, God’s blessing came as the result of his obedience.
His son Isaac was blessed because his father’s servant, carefully, followed Abraham’s instructions to the “t” on how to find a suitable wife for Isaac.
Then, came Jacob, Isaac’s father. And, O, Jacob! He wanted his father’s blessing so bad, that he was willing to risk everything, even probably his life.
The family relationships were severed so bad that Jacob had to run away for his life. Esau was blinded by anger.
According to tradition and culture, Esau lost everything, his birthright and his blessing. That meant that he was going to live a difficult life. However, later we find that Esau, in exchange for peace, found God’s favor and blessing as he decided to let go of the transgression.
The way I see it is that Esau decided that forgiveness and peace of mind were more important. He let go of the offense, resulting into a life of BLESSING.
(HOMEWORK: This week at home, between cups of coffee or tea or cans of soda or glasses of water, Read GENESIS chapters 12 through 35)
What we learn from these stories, or testimonies, is that the blessing does not and will not just happen simply because someone pronounces some words.
Instead, we learn that a blessing does not come without work.
A blessing is costly. A blessing will cost us obedience.
A blessing calls us to an intentional life of forgiveness.
While a verbal blessing was passed down from one generation to another, empowering the recipient of the blessing with a promise and hope, those who received the blessing were to walk according to God’s blessing.
In Deuteronomy 30:15 and on, God tells his children I have set before you life and prosperity, death and adversity. If you obey, you shall live and be numerous.
In today’s scripture we heard of how King David’s crown was passed down to his youngest, Solomon, skipping all of David’s oldest children.
And when Solomon ascended to the throne, God told him, “Ask what should I give you” in other words, How do you want me to bless you?
In our liturgy, we call the benediction the blessing, but the benediction is NOT a period. It is NOT the end. Instead, he benediction is a comma, a pause, that connects us to our mission outside of these walls.
What do we expect, what do we want that benediction, that blessing to be? God asked Solomon: “Ask what I should give you.” Solomon chose wisely. He chose wisdom to act and to speak according to the instructions he received from his father David.
The conditions? To walk in God’s ways, keeping the statutes and commandments as well as (or maybe better than) his father David did.
When we leave our places of worship, we are to go out to walk in the way of God.
What we know as The Priestly Blessing, in Numbers 6:24-26 reads,
24 “‘“The Lord bless you and keep you;
25 the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;
26 the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”’
So, when we go out, let us go ahead and put God’s name out there for others to come to God, and experience God’s blessing.