Are you blessed?

The short answer is ‘yes’! But do you know it?
What sort of blessing is it? And most importantly of all, “What is a blessing anyway?”

My Old Testament lecturer said there is no clear dictionary definition available even after hundreds of years of the latest research on the Hebrew language. So you have to pick it up from the context.
The two readings today give totally different results of being blessed but hopefully it will help! The first is on the sixth day of creation.

27 So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Genesis 1

‘Blessing’ here seems to mean God has given them power to achieve what he wants them to achieve. In this context that means heaps of healthy kids and success in spreading out across the immense variety of environments that is planet earth. We seem to coming very close to fulfilling that part of God’s desire but we are having real trouble with the “rule” part. Our sin has turned us into pillagers of the environment whose disobedience in failing to care for it in a Christlike fashion threatens our children’s future. I wonder who will be ‘subdued’ in the next 50 years; the environment or human beings?

God’s blessing is undermined by our sin. Nevertheless, we are blessed, and take it for granted as the natural order of things!

But Jesus adds another perspective on what it means to be blessed in Acts 1. In a passage that sounds very like what is in Genesis 1 Jesus says,

7 “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1

Again Jesus sends us out across the earth to reconcile people to God. And again he gives a power to achieve that we cannot see but we need to learn to rely on. But this time we know where the blessing is. The Holy Spirit is the blessing. He is given to every Christian as God’s guarantee;

When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession. Eph 1

All Christians receive this blessing. And the blessing is not something God does to us, or even behind the scenes- it is God himself. This is not magic or some sort of lucky charm. It is quite simply God who joins with us and lends his strength to make us effective.

Effective at what?

Why letting people know that God is real, loving, and keen to re-establish a relationship with them.
No, this blessing won’t get you a pay rise or a good boss, but it will get you new brothers and sisters to share life with!

You are blessed!

“ 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfilment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.” Ephesians 1

Graeme