I’ve been at a Bike Blessing where motorcycles line up in a church parking lot and, like a drive thru, the bikes and their riders pull up to the pastor, who puts his hands on their shoulders and says a prayer for safe riding. I guess they’re blessed.
Maybe you’ve said, “God bless you,” after somebody sneezes. I guess they’re blessed. But what if you just say an abbreviated “Bless you.” Are they blessed then?
I’ve visited the homes of church folks who have a doormat that says “Bless This House.” Are they more blessed than their neighbor who has a doormat that says, “No soliciting”?
And in Texas we say, “bless her heart,” and sometimes it’s not a compliment. Is she blessed?
What does it mean to be blessed? Jesus helps us understand the answer. He begins his Sermon on the Mount with a list of blessings we call The Beatitudes. You can read them in Matthew 5:1-12. “Blessed are those who …”
The New Testament of the Bible uses the Greek word makarios for “blessed.” It was historically a poetic word used to describe the mythical privileges enjoyed by Greek gods.
Then it was applied to those people rich enough to live free from the normal worries of others.
Some say that “blessed” means “being happy” but Jesus shows and tells us it’s much deeper and more meaningful than that.
In The Beatitudes, Jesus begins by introducing his blessings and his kingdom operations as a reversal from the norms of this world.
Jesus lived a life based on the reversal of God’s kingdom. Poverty, mourning, meekness, a hunger for righteousness, mercy, purity, peacemaking, and persecution—through these Jesus was blessed!
Through them he will also bless you!
PRAYER: Jesus, I need your blessing in so many ways, and need it more your way than my way. Forgive me selfish, limited, worldly ideas about being blessed. I need you more than all of these, and trust you, Lord, to bless me so that I can bless others. Amen.
FURTHER MEDITATION: Read The Beatitudes. Which one describes you?
