Blessed?

I wonder, what does it mean to be blessed?

 

Happy, fortunate, satisfied, …..

Holy, welcome, fortunate, sanctified, approved, supported, unburdened

Dictionary – holy; beatified [declaring people holy]; bestowing joy.

It is also used to indicate special favour, unique standing, permission, empowerment, endowment, and more. It is difficult to find another word in English that fits.

So maybe the question isn’t what it means, but rather what it feels like. What does it feel like when you’re blessed?^[i]

Being blessed feels like you are not alone.

Being blessed feels like being accepted for who you are.

Being blessed feels like you have worth.

Being blessed feels like you can get through the difficult times.

Blessing is something that can’t be pursued, but can only be received as a gift.^[ii]

 

Another question – who does Jesus say is blessed?

The rich?

The mighty?

The well fed?

Jesus says it is the weak, powerless and vulnerable.

“The poor in spirit : referring either to humble people or to those who are broken and have lost hope.

Those who mourn : those who suffer loss and the feeling of emptiness that follows.

The meek : those who are gentle and unobtrusive, who refuse to use power over others as a tool to make things happen.

The merciful : people who willingly surrender their privileges or otherwise go out of their way to improve others’ well-being.

Those who are persecuted : people whose refusal to give up their quest for truth or virtuousness results in the taking away of their rights, wholeness, or dignity.” ^[iii]

 

not really a group of people we would choose to be in.

who wants to be feel the emptiness of grief?

 who wants to go out of their way to help others? 

These are people who tend to stay, or be kept, out of public view.^[iv]

 

Yet, Jesus names them all as Blessed. It is another way in the which the gospel turns our world view upside down.[v]

These people, considered by our society as people who need to get their act together, Jesus calls Blessed.

Maybe - Blessed because it is in our brokenness and weakness that we are open to Jesus in our life.

We are open to being  comforted,

we are open to others needs,

we are open to the Spirit moving in our lives,

changing, shaping and renewing us. 

It is when we accept our brokenness, and the brokenness of others, that we can see the promises of God?: comfort, mercy, intimacy with God, and so on.^[vi]

 

This morning we recognised the beginning of the school year, for some it will be a new experience, for others another year in a  familiar place with the same group of friends. We prayed for each group, that God would bless them.

Shortly we will celebrate communion together, offer thanks, hear again the story of the last supper, and we will share bread and grape juice. This is another way God comes and offers us peace, hope and life.

At the end of worship each week, you are offered a blessing, a reminder that God is and will be with you. also in Baptism, we sing, or speak, a blessing from the Old testament:

 

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.

…….

To be blessed is to know our need, to acknowledge our brokenness, to respond to the needs of others; because in doing these things, we recognise our humanity and the humanity of other people. And we recognise the dignity of each person.

And in the midst of life,

in the midst of despair,

in the midst of pain,

in the midst of fear

God shows up, offering comfort, hope and peace.

Thinking about those who are peacemakers, and those who thirst and hunger for righteousness, we may think that these groups are different to the other people represented here,

but Matthew records that those who work for peace, and try to live that out, are children of God

Matthew records that those who speak up on behalf of the poor, the oppressed and the abused, will see the kingdom of heaven.

This passage isn’t about giving people hope of a better life after death, it is about the way that “God regularly and relentlessly shows up just where we least expect God to be in order to give to us freely what we can neither earn nor achieve: blessedness.” ^[vii]

 

I wonder in what ways are you blessed?

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[i] David Lose,  Working Preacher , 26 January 2014.

[ii] David Lose,  Working Preacher , 26 January 2014.

[iii] Matthew L. Skinner, On Scripture: Enjoy the Super Bowl; Be Suspicious of Its Values

[iv] Matthew L. Skinner, On Scripture: Enjoy the Super Bowl; Be Suspicious of Its Values

[v]  Anne Howard, Beatitudes society, January 28th, 2014

[vi] Matthew L. Skinner, On Scripture: Enjoy the Super Bowl; Be Suspicious of Its Values

[vii] David Lose,  Working Preacher , 26 January 2014.