"Mother's Day: Passing The Blessing"
Dean AngellMay 10/11, 2003
I'm gonna start today with what might seem like a strange story on Mother's Day..but I think you'll get the connection in a few minutes.
Mark 6:17-28
Wow - Happy Mother's Day..Catch the main chain of events. Daughter goes to mom to get her opinion on what she should ask for..Anything in the kingdom - up to half of his whole kingdom. Mother - could have set her daughter up for life..
could have given a blessing to her daughter that would have transformed her future for good..Mother had a choice - to pass on a blessing or to pass on bitterness and anger. And she chose to pass on bitterness to her daughter.
Moms (all of us) have a choice in life to pass things on to our children..We can pass on the wreckage from our own lives in the form of bitterness and anger and pain - or we can pass on a blessing.
Today - forget bitterness and talk about blessing.
In fact, as I began to study this subject of blessing a few months ago, it began some changes in our own home that have begun to transform us as a family..
Let's talk about this whole Blessing idea a little bit.
Throughout the Old Testament of the Bible there is significant emphasis placed on the Blessing.and Jewish Tradition valued this practice highly..The first time a Blessing is seen in Scripture..it is God Himself who calls Abraham the father of the nation of Israel aside to bless him and honor him and make a promise to him.
Genesis 12:2-3, "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. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."
Now, just picture that scene for a moment..Abraham was 75 years old - had no children - no land of his own - he was a nomad with a few cattle..and a tent..
Think of what those words must have meant to that old man.
- I will make you (your descendents) into a great nation
- I will bless you and make your name great..and you will be a blessing
- All those who bless you will be blessed. In fact, the whole world will be blessed through you.
Great confidence building statements considering where Abraham was at at that point in his life..What an amazing set of promises and blessings..all of which have come true..as Abraham followed God and his descendants became millions and are now the nation of Israel.
Then listen to Abraham's son Isaac's blessing given in turn to his son.
Genesis 27:28, 29, "May God give you of heaven's dew and of earth's richness - an abundance of grain and new wine. May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you.
May those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed."
Again..incredible words of a confident and successful future as his son comes of age.
One of my favorite blessings is in the book of Zephaniah 3:17.as the prophet offers a blessing to the people of Jerusalem.
Zephaniah 3:17, "The LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."
A beautiful passage describing the truth about how God feels about us His people..Picture what it says. He takes great delight in you - He rejoices over you with singing.
(picture - mother singing to a baby)
The history of the Blessing is rich and runs deep - and I'm just scratching the surface..I'm finding out more and more as I study. There are dozens and dozens of other examples. Let me give you one more from the New Testament.
Here's what Peter said to the Church of the first century.
1 Peter 3:8, 9 - "Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing."
Here we see using a Blessing to combat evil around us..and a direct command to those of us in the church to pass blessings to one another.
In these short sections of Scripture we see a Blessing being offered in at least 4 settings:
- God to an individual - Success and hope for an incredible future for Abraham.
- A parent to a child - Isaac to his son..success and authority.
- A leader to a group of people - The prophet blessed the city of Jerusalem.
- As teaching to practice this in the Church - Peter says this is how you should respond to one another in the church - with a blessing.
You know - whenever I read something like what I just walked you through from the Bible..(history of blessing) I try to find out a couple things - things like: is this just a nice tradition that they did 3000 years ago and is it here for my information..or is this stuff more principle-based and is it something that should be applied in my life today? And for a guy like me, the only way to apply it..is to practice it..
Let me tell you a couple thoughts I have on this..Actually, there are 2 words that jumped out at me this week..2 life-changing outcomes from applying this principle of passing on a Blessing..
1. Empowerment (Mike E. story)
I met Mike in October of 1991. He came to church with a group of friends from high school..I was the youth pastor and he was a kid who wanted to find God. Mike had come from a tougher family situation and at 15 found himself pretty lonely and self esteem was very low. And he needed some courage poured into him. Well Mike began a relationship with Jesus Christ that powerfully started transforming his life. Mike became a leader in our high school ministry..and Mike wanted desperately to become a youth pastor. And all I did was tell him that he could do it (anything) and I would pray with him and laugh with him and hang out with him and he was at our home a lot..and God continued to change him. Well, eventually Mike left high school and went to college and when we'd talk, I'd just keep heaping blessing and encouragement on him. Mike - you're the man - you can do anything..Then Mike got married and we talked lots about that. And then Mike did become a youth pastor - a very successful one. And now he is a pastor at a new up and coming church in Calgary with a great future ahead of him.
Folks, Mike was a kid just like all of us who needed people to believe in him..and needed an older role model to give him confidence in life..And he needed verbal blessing and that blessing empowered his life and changed his future. God used that blessing to transform Mike.
The second word that comes out of verbal blessing is the word.
2. Encouragement (Lloyd Colborne story)
Lloyd is an old man in our church. Lloyd is wise and has seen more life and changes in life than most of us ever will..Lloyd is my friend. Lloyd is a guy I want to be like when I'm old..Solid spiritually and solid relationally and he's getting closer and closer to Jesus - the closer and closer he gets to heaven.
Anyway - Lloyd does a couple things for me whenever he sees me..He always tells me that I spoke a great message - "The Lord spoke through you today." And then he gives me a hug. He prays for me - every day - for God's blessing in my life. And he tells me he loves me and blesses me. "God bless you" he says - before he leaves. Now, I can't even put into words what that does for me. Most of you see me as a pretty confident leader. Big church - blah blah blah. But it's guys like Lloyd who have kept me in the saddle. When I'm feeling down and out and dark - Lloyd's words of blessing have encouraged me and his prayers have steadied me. Folks, blessing someone of any age with love and prayers for God's best for them will change them. Those words of blessing have transformational power. God uses those words and those prayers.
Folks, here's what a Blessing says to someone on the receiving end..It says - you're valuable - you matter - I care - I want the very best for you - and you can do/be something great in this world.
The book of James in the Bible describes the power of the spoken word..Single words, James says, can bring destruction or empowerment - blessing or a curse.
Folks, we've got to remember that each one of us possesses great power over other people - to bless them or to destroy them..
Now - today is Mother's Day and I thought it would be fitting to have a mom come and help me talk this Blessing idea through a little bit..So I asked the very best mom I know if she would come and talk about how she passes on a Blessing to her children.
[Pam - pictures] 5 minutes
Folks, here's the way I see it..we live in a world that passes out far more criticism and harshness than encouragement and blessing.and if you are a follower of Jesus Christ - you are in a very unique and strategic position..
That is, you represent God and His love and grace to the people around you in this world. Take a moment and picture the next generation coming after you.
- The next generation in your family
- The next generation of church leaders
- The next generation of people you will influence
(do that.)
Now..picture them receiving the words of Blessing that bring purpose and hope and courage and empowerment..What does that ongoing Blessing do for them?
Folks, you and I have a great responsibility and a great part to play in the future families and in the future of the church.Try passing on a blessing today.
One more thing..card you got on the way in..Mother's Day - say thanks.
Close - letter from my mom.
That letter was a huge blessing to me at 16 and it still is 20 years later at 36. Children of all ages need to hear the blessing from their parents (thanks mom).
One more thing about my mom. She was a first generation follower of Jesus Christ. She had no one that passed a blessing on to her - only curses and bitterness. But Christ changed all that for her - and then from her and dad to me and my brothers and our children. My mom broke the chain of bitterness by the power of God in her life..She was able to change bitterness into a blessing - you can too.
Lots of you are first generation followers of Christ.He desires to help clear up next generations and He has the power to do it.
