I remember the first time someone asked me to bless their home. I was a pastor at a Baptist church, and a young couple was just moving into a new house. We Baptists did not bless houses very much or, for that matter, any other inanimate thing. As one of my pastoral colleagues said to me when I asked for advice, “That sounds like a pretty Catholic thing to do.” He didn’t intend that as a compliment. But in fact, one of the partners did come from a Catholic background, and it was clear this blessing would be deeply meaningful to them. I prepared as best I could, but when I got to the house, my senses took over. You could smell the new woods. You could hear the sounds as new doors would open and close. One could see the cleanliness and care that had gone into the décor and arrangement of every space. And so I blessed those things, and the potential they had for welcoming in friends and family. I blessed the good that would enter that space, and blessed the power that would keep evil away. As we went from room to room, you could see this couple live into the grace that their shared space was blessed.
The power to bless does not just belong to ministers. As honored as pastors are when asked to pray at meetings or in homes, it is delightful to us when someone other than the pastor pronounces blessings. And when deep blessings are pronounced, it becomes clear that the act of blessing has the power to change the circumstances in the space. An old urban legend has it that when someone would sneeze, their hearts would stop. And the “God bless you” that followed was a prayer that one’s heartbeat would be revived. Blessing allows us to find our heart, in individuals, in homes and in community.
This was at least some of what Jesus intended when in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, Jesus pronounces “beatitudes”. “Blessed are the poor.” “Blessed are the hungry.” “Blessed are those who weep.” The blessings Jesus offers both describe a way of seeing the world that counters prevailing wisdom, and open channels for hope and goodness to flow. Blessings change us.
We’ll talk about this in the service on Sunday. The sermon is titled, “Called to Bless the World”, and arises from Luke 6:17-26. The passage will be read by Ken Beckley, and the pastoral prayer will be offered by Rev. Peggy Good. We will be led musically by the Sanctuary Singers, accompanied by Matthew Wachtman. There will be a moment for children, prayers and hymns.
If you have been part of the St. Mark’s community for decades, or will be joining us for the first time, we look forward to connecting with those of you here in-person or joining on the live stream.