We could all do with a little cheering-up couldn’t we? The news is gloomy, although they do try and include fun stuff and news about good things people are doing in the fight against Coronavirus - but I switch it off a lot of the time so I don’t get depressed.
Which brings me back to cheering-up - and my topic today, which is ‘Blessing’.
Cambridge English Dictionary defines blessing in three ways, the last of which is: a request by a priest for God to take care of a particular person or a group of people, or God's act of doing this - like when someone says ‘God bless you’ or ‘Bless you’ if you sneeze.
This last one, ‘bless you’ when you sneeze came about when people had a plague or pestilence - much like Coronavirus in the middle ages - the Black Death. Sneezing was one of the signs you might be infected - like coughing today, so people would wish you well and say ‘Bless you’ in the hope you hadn’t caught it.
Former US President Barak Obama’s first name is Arabic for Blessing. The most ancient blessing we know of is over 3000 years old, called the Aaronic Blessing, and it goes like this.
The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you.
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
(Numbers 6: 24-6)
This is my Blessing Prayer for you in this difficult time - be encouraged.
Significantly, the UK Churches have come together to release The Blessing UK - it’s a really good - made me cry to be honest. I’m going to sit back and listen again and soak it in. Take a moment, pause now, watch it for yourself and listen here - I challenge you not to be weep!
Love and prayer, Andrew+