The Once-in-a-while Cuppa: Musings moving Forward
Ascension Day 2: Blessing
Acts 1:8 ...and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
As I write this, I am listening to “The Blessing” as it is sung by so many different choirs around the world. It seems almost every country or region has its own version. Right now, it is being sung in Hebrew, and the singer notes that this is a blessing that God himself taught His people to pray over the nation of Israel back then and consequently the Jewish people later. The early church adopted this into the liturgy and most mainline denominations use it today. As I listen to it in Hebrew, it seems amazing to me that God gave His people the very keys with which to unlock God’s blessing in the world. Remember: this is the blessing that God Himself taught, and commanded Aaron and his sons to speak over the nation, with the promise that when the words are said, God Himself WILL bless them. Wow. And this is currently being sung over almost every nation in every tongue! Double wow.
One of the greatest blessings we have gained through the ascension of Christ is that the ministry of Christ is now carried on by the Church, that is, you and me. Before ascending into heaven, the very last thing that Jesus told His disciples is, “You shall be my witnesses.” You will be the ones who carry the good news from here on out. I have always thought that if Jesus had not gone, the church would not have begun. In a very real way, when Jesus left, the ball was in the apostles’ court. They had to run with it. They had to become what He was – a blessing to every nation on earth.
And a blessing they became wherever they went, so much so that for two thousand years the church has grown and endured persecution and pain, sorrow, and death. The gates of hell will not prevail against it, said Jesus, and still it holds true. How then are we to be witnesses? To be the bringers of God’s blessing of the Good News into every nook and cranny in the world? Jesus said we are lights, and we are salt: guideposts and flavour. Filled with the blessing of God in our own lives through His son Jesus Christ, God calls us to go out into the world – our friends, family, neighbours, workplaces, tribes and nation – to be witnesses of that blessing.
Have you ever wondered how come, if we are so blessed, we seem to be struggling through life daily? How come most of the time we do not seem to have the divine protection and material blessings that His Word seems to promise us? How come there does not seem to be much difference between me and my neighbour in the unpaid rental, family squabbles, estranged relationships and tough jobs that we both seem to face? Where is your blessing, O God?
You see, the Lord did not just intend for us to pray a blessing over those around us. He intends for us to be a blessing. We are the blessing that God gives to our neighbours in times of need. When Jesus ascended into heaven, the apostles suffered much. But in and through their sufferings they shared the light of the gospel. They became a blessing when people saw their hope and faith. Their sufferings did not cease. Their tribulations did not lessen. But in them and through them, Jesus was seen. And that was the greatest blessing the world needed. Then, and now.
Adverse times either make a person or breaks a person, some say. Adverse times, like heat applied to spices, brings out the perfume of God’s good news. People around us can see the reality of Christ much clearer and much more powerful than mere proclamation. These are adverse times now, with more such times to come, no doubt. How are you and I affected? Do they break us? Are we filled with outrage and anger, hopelessness and despair? Do we curse or do we bless? The Bible says that salt water and fresh water cannot flow from the same spring (James 3:11). Are we cynical, cold, and filled with hate and unforgiveness, raging against the stupidity of people, the injustice of society and the politics of the nation? Or do adverse times bring out the sweet fragrance of Jesus in our lives?
The Lord has blessed me. It’s time to rise above myself and bless others.
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