Blessings

Isaiah 51:1-3 (NRSV)

Listen to me, you that pursue righteousness,
   you that seek the Lord.
Look to the rock from which you were hewn,
   and to the quarry from which you were dug. 
Look to Abraham your father
   and to Sarah who bore you;
for he was but one when I called him,
   but I blessed him and made him many. 
For the Lord will comfort Zion;
   he will comfort all her waste places,
and will make her wilderness like Eden,
   her desert like the garden of the Lord;
joy and gladness will be found in her,

   thanksgiving and the voice of song. 

First my apologies...in all my previews of this it has come up with all capital letters.  I tried everything to get them off, but to no avail...

The story of God blessing Abraham is found all throughout scripture.  Genesis is where we first hear Abraham's story, but the thread runs all throughout the Hebrew Bible and even into the New Testament where Paul takes it up.

 Recently on my Facebook page I shared an article I'd found on Huffington Post.  It's title was "The One Thing Christians Should Stop Saying."  That phrase is "I am blessed" or "I've been blessed."  The reason?  We tend to use that phrase most often when we have had good things come our way.  Perhaps our job has gone well, or we've gotten a new home or new car, or maybe we've gotten to travel to that place we've always wanted to go. Or, if we are talking about our national experience, perhaps it is because we feel a sense of exceptionalism or opportunity that others don't have. 

The problem with how we tend to use "blessing" in the 21st century Western world is that it, as the article said, "reduces The Almighty to some sort of sky-bound, wish-granting fairy who spends his days randomly bestowing cars and cash upon his followers."

 That is not the kind of blessing that God gave to Abraham. 

In fact, the Abrahamic blessing was not just about Abraham at all.  Here in Isaiah, the prophet reminds us that God blessed Abraham and made him many "for the Lord will comfort Zion."  The blessing of Abraham then was not simply for Abraham itself, it was for the entire benefit of the nation, and then through the nation of Israel, eventually us.  The blessing of Abraham did not end with the patriarch.  Nor did it end with Israel.  Instead, they were the vehicle through which that blessing moved forward through time.

 The better phrase is "blessed to be a blessing."  We are not blessed for ourselves, but so that we can continue to pass that blessing on to others: those who needs God holy love in their lives.  

When you see the bumper sticker "God bless America" then, remember that it is not complete.  Instead, it should say "God bless America, so that we can be a blessing to others."

 God of blessing, pour out your love on us and strengthen us to spread that love and your blessings to those who need them most. Amen