The Blessing

"...You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God gave to your fathers, saying to Abraham, 'And in your posterity shall all the families of the earth be blessed.' God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you in turning every one of you from your wickedness" (Acts 3:25-26 RSV).

A few weeks ago in our inner-city neighborhood, my wife and I attended the funeral of a young man who was killed a street away from his home and several streets away from our own doorsteps. We wept as people from near and far; church, community and city leaders, eulogized a life tragically cut short by a senseless act of violence. Days later, a direct descendant of a very wealthy family shared a sad tale of his difficult upbringing. His mother was left out of the family's fortune (blessing). His most memorable statement was that leaving his mother out of the will (blessing) was an act of violence to her and her offspring.

The Blessing is an ancient institution that passed not only the rights of the family fortune but also favor with God to the firstborn. In Jacob's case, it created separation between brothers. Christ comes and interprets the Blessing in light of redemption. The criterion now is no longer birth order or affluence, but Christ. In Christ, we are all inheritors of the Blessings of God. The Blessing of Christ breaks down the walls of separation that divide fathers and sons, Greeks and Jews, us and them. The dirty little secret in our churches is that we often live in places where we believe the blessing is based on criteria other than Christ. We believe we do not have to be our brother's keeper; we believe some deserve the blessing while others do not. We believe that our private sins do not have public implications. All the while, blood is on our streets and the righteous cry remains silent.

Let us pray that during this season the Church unifies under the banner of Christ and Christ alone. Like it was in the days of Pentecost, may the Church be a model of unity of all people groups, miraculously speaking diverse languages, but yet understood. The promised blessing is for all who seek the Lord and proclaim His name. Let the church be an instrument of God's Blessing.

-Rev. Ronald Verna, PureSpring Ministries Boston, MA