This past weekend in worship, Pastor Martin shared in the sermon about how you give a blessing. How is it done? We can do what God told us: “Pronounce My name as a blessing, and I will bless them.” It’s been great watching our kids in chapel get more and more adept at sharing a blessing!
Famous Words of Blessing
They’ve actually been around for nearly 4000 years. God told Aaron & his sons, the priests, to speak those words of blessing over the people of Israel, and then He promised: “If they do it, I WILL BLESS THEM!” We’ve taken the “priesthood of all believers” seriously when we teach our kids early on to speak blessings. So, why are those words so important?
Take a Look at the Heart of God
Look all the way back to creation at the blessing of Adam and Eve. “God created them in his own image. He created them male and female, BLESSED THEM, and said, ‘Have many children, so that your descendants will live all over the earth and bring it under their control. I am putting you in charge…” Genesis 1:27-28 What does that tell you? It tells you that GOD LOVES TO BLESS PEOPLE! He made us in His own image, gave us the ability to reproduce and the responsibility to take care of His world. That’s a HUGE BLESSING and a BIG RESPONSIBILITY to pass on HIS BLESSING, through our KIDS, all over the WORLD!
So, How Are We Doing?
Not so great, but neither did Adam & Eve, or Cain & Abel, or those people at the Tower of Babel. Thankfully, we can see a recurring theme: God makes it good – people mess it up – but God doesn’t give up. Instead He commits to passing on the blessing through Abram this amazing promise:
“I’m going to give you many descendants, and they will become a great nation. I will bless you…so that you will be a blessing…through you I will bless all the nations.” Genesis 12:2-3
Unfortunately, if you read the Old Testament, people just don’t seem to get it right…at least not consis-tently for any length of time. So, finally, God says, I’m going to come down there and SHOW YOU!
The Blessing Through Jesus
“The Word became a human being (Jesus) and lived among us…. Out of the fullness of His grace, He has blessed us all, giving us one blessing after another.” (John 1:14,16) It took Jesus to do it right, and it’s His help we’re looking for today, because we just keep messing it up. Like author John Trent explains about his father in his book “The Gift of the Blessing,” his father had abandoned John’s Mom and left her with three rambunctious boys. So Grandma & Grandpa helped out.
My grandfather was a wonderful man, but a stern disciplinarian…rules for everything, and swats to go with the rules! One iron clad rule…be home before the street lights come on…or an automatic two swats. One night my twin brother Jeff and I didn’t make it. Down the hallway to Grandfather’s room…two swats. Little did I know that I was about to receive one of the greatest blessings in my life. Grandma told me to go call Grandpa from his room for dinner. Not that room…not now. But when I gently pushed the door open, what I saw shocked me. My grandfather, who rarely showed any emotion, was sitting on the bed, crying. I stood at the door in confusion – I had NEVER seen him cry. He looked up at me…I FROZE—is catching him crying a 60-swat offense? No, he says, “Come here, John,” his voice full of emotion. He reached out and hugged me tight, and in tears, told me how much he loved, and how deeply it hurt to have to spank me. Then, sitting next to me, putting his big arm around me, he said, “John, I want more than anything in life for you and your brothers to grow up to become godly young men. I hope you know how much I love you, and how proud I am of you.” (Well, you can imagine what that meant to a boy whose own Dad abandoned him.) Trent writes, When I left this room that night, I was a different person because of his blessing. A few months later, Grandpa died of an aneurysm, but I know the Lord allowed me that one time to hear that blessing, because years later, that memory still shaped my attitudes and actions.
Maybe you see yourself somewhere in that story – it’s not just about human fathers & kids. It’s the HEART OF THE HEAVENLY FATHER. The same Heavenly Father who said,“This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” Just imagine the affirmation for Jesus that day!
Do you Understand the Need?
God has placed a need in all of us to receive “THE BLESSING.” The GIFT of the BLESSING. Our Baptism! Laying on of hands at Confirmation or installing a pastor or teacher! One of the most poignant vignettes in the Bible is Jacob cheating his brother Esau out of their father Isaac’s blessing. You can just feel the forlorn pain in Esau’s plea for a blessing
“Father, give me your blessing also!” Genesis 27:34 
Next week we’ll talk specifically about a father’s blessing, but today I just want to focus on HOW DEEP THE NEED is in every human being for a blessing. God made us that way! John Trent describes an adolescent patient in a mental health facility, hugging herself, rocking back & forth, whispering, “I wish…I wish!” She’d been doing it since she was seven, when her Mom abandoned her in an orphanage. Or how about adults losing jobs because they never received the words of blessing from their parents that would give the confidence to succeed. A husband or a wife, never really able to let themselves be deeply loved by their spouse, because of the residual pain of emotionally distant parents. The need is great in every close relationship to be able to pass on “the blessing.”
Who needs a blessing from You?
640 times the Hebrew word of blessing shows up in the Old Testament. God knows how He made us. We need the gift of the “blessing,” and He wants to make sure we receive it. So, let’s learn to use the God-Given Blessing Tools for passing on a blessing.
- Touch
- Words
- Affirmation
- Pictures
- Actions
Trent says, “A family blessing begins with meaningful touch. It continues with spoken words which highly value the person, picturing a special future for them, and then it’s confirmed by actions that help the blessing come true.” Touch, words, affirmation, pictures, and actions.
- Touch Tiffany Field of the Touch Research Institute at U of Miami reports that premature babies who received 45 minutes of massage a day showed 47% greater weight gain that babies not regularly massaged. By the way, massage with coconut oil was particularly effective (olive oil not mentioned…) Pets in nursing homes? Studies show that residents who have a pet to touch and hold, not only live longer but have a more positive attitude about life. (Nursing home owners, take note!) How many hugs a day?
“We need four hugs a day for survival.
We need eight hugs a day for maintenance.
We need twelve hugs a day for growth.”
-Family Therapist, Virginia Satir
Don’t you know…it raises your oxytocin, serotonin, white blood cell count, and soft tissue blood circulation. Now you know why I’m a pastor. I collect enough hugs on Sunday to keep me healthy all week. Here’s a great verse: “Jesus took the children in his arms, placed His hands on each of them and blessed them.” Mark 10:16 TOUCH!
- Words “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” WRONG! Words cut deep. Today, let’s focus on how God gave us mouths to bless people. “Use only helpful words, the kind of words that build up and provide what is needed, so that what you will do good to those who hear you.” Ephesians 4:29 It’s not enough to just THINK NICE THOTS about someone. BLESS THEM by putting those tho’ts into WORDS! Normal, simple stuff: 1) A brother saying to his sister, “I know things will work out in your marriage. I’ll be praying for you,” 2) An aunt saying to her niece, “You’ve always made me proud. I know school is hard right now, but you can do it. I believe in you!” 3) A daughter saying to Dad in prep for Father’s Day, “Hey Dad…look, we didn’t turn out half-bad, did we. We’ve got You and Mom to thank!” SIMPLE, POWERFUL WORDS OF…
- Affirmation just like God the Father did for Jesus a second time on the Mount of Transfiguration. “This is my Son, whom I have chosen—listen to Him!” Luke 9:35 Words that affirm and value a person, which can sometimes best be done through…
- Pictures I like Nancy’s story in Trent’s book: (p.74) “I was born close to Christmas. My parents always called me their “special Christmas present.” Every year one of my presents was marked “From Jesus to Mom & Dad” with my picture in it. So, on my 30th birthday when they sensed I was struggling with getting older, a birthday present came in the mail… it was my baby picture, reminding me I’m their “special Christmas present and filling my heart with warmth & love just when I needed it. PICTURES! Touch, words, affirmation, all need to be backed up by…
- Actions John wrote, “Our love should not be just words and talk; it must be true love which shows itself in action.” 1 John 3:18 It’s one thing to tell your child, “the way you love music, you could be a wonderful pian-ist someday. It’s another to arrange for lessons, and by that piano! It’s one thing for the Bible to say, (top of slide) “GOD LOVES THE WORLD SO MUCH..” (add to bottom on next slide) “…THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY SON THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE.” John 3:16 Yes, we’ve all fallen so far short of God’s plan for BLESSING OTHERS in so many ways—forgetting to say the good thing; letting our tongue tear down instead. Yet God keeps coming back, saying I WANT TO BLESS YOU! YOU ARE SO PRECIOUS TO ME. I LOVE YOU DEARLY. HERE, LET MY SON JESUS LIVE IN YOU! HE WILL BLESS YOU EVERYDAY. HE WILL USE TO BLESS OTHERS, TOO!
Bless someone today! Write a note, email it, text it, voice mail it, snail mail it, say it to their face, reach out and give a hug! Be God’s channel of blessing in someone’s life TODAY!