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Marked with this blessing, how will you pass on your
blessings to others?
Rev. Michael Foss offers us a guide as we live out
Christ's blessing.
He offers six marks of discipleship for a blessed
church:
1. Pray daily.
Prayer is a conversation. Though
no one knows exactly how it works, we do know that
prayer changes us. Prayer helps us understand God and
the good things that God has planned for us. Prayer also
opens us up to understanding each other and God’s
creation. Through prayer we pass on blessing.
2. Worship weekly.
Worship in the Christian
tradition gathers us around the sacraments of bread,
wine, and water, which mark us as blessings for the
world. We gather in community, remembering that faith is
not a solitary journey but one with joys, frustrations,
bumps, and celebrations. When we worship, we gather as a
community to praise God, receive nourishment for the
journey, and remind one another of our calls to pass on
God’s blessing.
3. Study the Bible.
As Lutherans, we believe the
Holy Bible is the inspired word of God. As Martin Luther
said, it “is the manger where Christ is laid.” We learn
of God’s loving power, equipping each other to tell of
God’s saving grace to the world. By learning and
teaching the Gospel, we are blessing others.
4. Serve others.
We are God’s hands on this
earth. Through us, God works to feed the hungry, clothe
the naked, welcome the stranger, and visit the sick and
imprisoned. Marked with the witness of Jesus Christ, we
bless others from our own blessings.
5. Cultivate friendships.
Through deep
relationship, we care for each other spiritually and
communally. With loving encouragement, we invite others
to join the God-conversation. We are all created in the
image of God; by naming that God-spark in each other we
pass along blessing.
6. Give of your time, talents and resources.
Not
only is stewardship of our resources a spiritual
discipline, it is a reminder that all that we have is
meant to be shared. We bless others by giving of our own
blessings so all can be blessed.
Each of us has a call to pass on God’s blessing to
others. Our very lives are witnesses to the promise God
has given to us in Christ Jesus.
Pass on the blessings, whether through e-mail,
conversation, or service to others. We are blessed to be
blessings. As the ELCA mission statement reminds us:
Marked with the cross of Christ forever, we are claimed,
gathered, and sent for the sake of the world.
The Rev. Melissa L. Stoller serves at Trinity
Lutheran Church, Cook, Minnesota.
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Do you need a reason to get together with classmates,
friends or colleagues this fall? The new
Lutheran Woman Today Bible study "Blessed to
Follow: The Beatitudes as a Compass for Discipleship," is now available. Read the introduction to this Bible
study
here.
Jesus, in his first public appearance in the Gospel of
Matthew (5:3-12), climbs a hill and gives his followers
a sermon that might have
left them perplexed, Martha E. Stortz writes in her
2007-2008 Bible study. We are most blessed when we’re at
our lowest.
 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven.” Or, as it is written in The Message:
“you’re more blessed when you’re
at the end of your rope. With less of you, there is more
of God. . . .” That makes some sense. When we humble
ourselves, we can pay more attention to God and to
others.
Jesus’ words give us direction on how we should live as
Christians; they are a compass as we continue our
journey of discipleship.
Just as God blessed all creation in Genesis, so does
Jesus bless us and turn us around to be blessings for
others.
The first
session Bible study is available. Check it out and tell us how it goes!
If you are on
a college campus and doing the Bible study, let
us know what you think! Email:
cafe@elca.org and
tell us how your group is doing. You can also leave your
comments about the study on the new LWT
blog.
Check out the blog regularly to see what others are saying.
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Visit the
study
page for ideas for discussion and further
reflection.
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When
things go sour and you feel feel that life is tense, it’s a sign
that you’ve ignored God’s presence for too long.
God’s presence in our lives is the ultimate blessing. We can lose
sight of that when things seem bleak. Yet even in the darkest times
God remains with us.
For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD.
Plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with
hope. Jeremiah 29:11
God
does have plans for us, plans that are bigger than the present.
God’s plans are bigger than a wedding day; they extend even beyond a
marriage. God’s plans guide our lives and bless our mundane
circumstances. This gift of presence, this all-encompassing love, is
thanks to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We share in Christ’s
resurrection through the blessing of baptism. There we become
children of God, sharing in the same benefits as Christ.
And
yet, somehow, I forget to actually live daily with the joy of my
baptism. I become far too wrapped up in my own little wants (which I
easily mislabel as needs) to feel wrapped in grace. I say “yes” to
so many other people that I rarely remember to say “yes” to Jesus.
I’m so busy parenting my two young children that I don’t take time
to be parented by God. Some days I feel these imperfections acutely.
My sinful mind focuses on them, clinging to my mistakes and sins.
And I’m tempted to remain turned inward on myself, concentrating on
what I am . . . and am not.
Martin Luther says we need to remember our baptism each day. Embrace
this blessing daily. Stand in awe of it. Let yourself love and be
loved. And he is right. When we’re focused on this amazing blessing
of forgiveness and adoption by God in our baptism, we cannot help
but live out joyful, thankful lives. And it is exactly these lives
that bless others.
God
blesses us — and God’s blessings transcend our selfishness, our
busyness. In fact, God’s blessings to us reach out and touch others.
Blessings move from God to us to others and back to us. I believe
that is exactly what God intended to happen; God’s blessings are
fluid and encompassing. We share blessings purposely and
inadvertently. We share them in our energy and sincerity. We share
our blessings in our giving and receiving. We share these blessings
when we love.
Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a
multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8
Love
goes both ways. When we love others we overlook not only our own
sin, but the sins of others. We’re not called to condemn others, or
ourselves. We are called — no, we are commanded — to love one
another. Give that true, pure, godly gift of love to others and see
the changes it makes. Focus on the good in you and others. Give
yourself another chance, and another, and another . . . to do God’s
work.
Love. Be loved. You can do that. After all, you are extremely
blessed.
Amy Waelchli lives in Iowa with her husband and two children.
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When you and your friends, classmates, or co-workers meet to
discuss this issue of Café, try out the questions for
reflection on our new study
page.
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