Wednesday, January 22, 2025

 

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you: the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.  (Numbers 6:24-26)

 

 

Aaron (the brother of Moses), and his sons, were chosen to pronounce blessings over the people of Israel who had come out of slavery in Egypt and were headed to the Promised Land.

 

Pronouncing God’s blessing was, and remains, a sacred calling.

 

Aaron pronounced this “transference of God’s good hope” to the chosen People of God.

 

Today, we continue to pronounce these same words of God’s blessing during the Rite of Baptism.

 

If you have been baptized, remember how this powerful blessing was spoken over you.  It will remain with you your entire life.

 

If you have not been baptized, let’s talk.

Blessings, 

Pastor Karl

Tuesday, January 21, 2024

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Then Esau said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?”  Isaac answered Esau, “I have already made Jacob your lord, and I have given him all his brothers as servants…What then can I do for you, my son?  (Genesis 27:36-37)

 

 

The verses above are about family.  In other words, “It's complicated."

 

Isaac was the father of two sons: Esau the elder son, and Jacob the younger son.

 

The customs of the day dictated that the elder son (Esau) was to receive two things from his father: (1) the inheritance, and (2) the blessing.

 

Jacob, the younger son, was quite the swindler.

 

First, Jacob bamboozled Esau into giving him (1) the inheritance (Genesis 25:29-34).

 

Later, Jacob deceived his father Isaac into giving him (2) the blessing.  (You can read about this incident in Genesis chapter 27.)

 

From our perspective, when Isaac blessed Jacob he merely uttered some words over his deceitful son, not understanding that he was being tricked.  Surely, given Jacob’s deceit, Isaac could “take back” his words, and pronounce them upon Esau.

 

Not so!

 

Isaac had done something powerful, he had uttered words of blessing in the name of the Lord.

“This blessing was not just a general parental expression of good will, such as any parent might use in saying goodnight to their child.  It was a sacred transference of God’s good hope from father to son, once and for all, irrevocably given."

 

 

“…a sacred transference of God’s good hope…"

 

The next time you bless someone in the name of the Lord think of the magnitude, power, and permanence of what you are doing.

 

Think also of the magnitude, power, and permanence of the blessing our Lord has pronounced upon us!

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Blessings,

 

Pastor Karl

Monday, January 20, 2024

 

God blessed the man and the woman, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth."  (Genesis 1:28)

 

 

Bless is one of the foundational words of the Bible.

 

God blessed human beings from the very beginning.

 

God’s blessing is more than merely an expression of goodwill.  God’s blessing carries with it hope, expectation, and power.

 

When God’s blessing is pronounced something is transferred to the one who receives it.

 

At times we will casually say, “God bless you!"

 

Unfortunately, this can easily become nothing more than an automatic response on our part, such as when someone sneezes, or we bid a friend farewell.

 

When we bless another in the name of our Lord we are speaking words of power.

 

The same is true when another speaks a word of God’s blessing upon us.

 

Scripture tells us that, right from the beginning, we who are made in the Image of God are also the recipients of God’s holy and powerful blessing.

 

How might God’s blessing show through our lives today?

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Blessings,

 

Pastor Karl

Friday, January 17, 2024

 

 

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.  Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”  (Luke 10:41-42)

 

 

The above passage is taken from the account of Jesus entering the house of Mary and Martha.  While Martha was doing all the work necessary to provide the appropriate hospitality, Mary was...

 

What was Mary doing?

 

Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus…LISTENING.  (Luke 10:39)

 

What could be more important than listening to the words of our Lord as they come to us: (1) through Scripture, (2) through the words of fellow believers, (3) through the words of strangers, and (4) through prayer?

 

The most important element of listening is listening to our Lord Jesus.

 

When we dare to turn away from our cell phones, our computers, and our televisions, and when we dare to remove our headphones and earbuds, we may just find that our Lord is speaking to us much more than we ever imagined.

 

What could be more important than listening to what He is saying?

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Blessings,

Pastor Karl

Thursday, January 16, 2024

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Surely, this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away.  It is not in heaven…neither is it beyond the sea...No, the word is very near you: it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe.  (Deuteronomy 30:11 - 14)

 

 

One of the elements of wise listening is listening to ourselves.

 

Actually, we don’t listen to ourselves, but rather we listen for the word that our Lord has placed in our hearts and lives.

 

Many believe that, while the Lord has placed the word in the hearts of others, surely they themselves are not worthy of being the custodian of such a gift.

 

However, those of us who have placed our trust in Christ have the word within us.

 

As we become more and more sensitive to the word in us, and as we become more and more aware of our personal journeys of faith, the more we will develop an ability to listen wisely to others, and to God.

 

Take a few moments today to listen to your life, with specific attention to how God has been active, even when you did not recognize it at the time.

Blessings,

Pastor Karl