Nov 26th A beginning - a blessing

I have it in mind that this year I want to bring more scripture into the Advent Blogs, and so I thought I might take a look at some of the prophecies about the coming of Jesus which are peppered all through the old Testament and have their fulfilment in the New.  Right from the very start God had a plan. From the moment of the fall when He promised Adam and Eve that there would be an eternal struggle between man and the devil the course was set.  ( In fact it was set before that in eternity - but for the purposes of this little chat we shall take it from Genesis 😊 )

One verse that has always been an anchor and a key for me has been the words God speaks to Abram when He calls him to leave his people and promises him an inheritance.

The LORD had said to Abram, "Go from your country, your people and your father's household to the land I will show you.  I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."  Gen 12 1-3

When people have asked me over the years about what it means to be  Christian - is it all about saving souls and evangelising and being ' churchy' - this verse always springs to mind.  And I tell them that no, my job is simply to love Jesus and be a blessing.   

Which somewhat takes the pressure off doesn't it?  :)

So what exactly is blessing?   Funny word, isn't it when you stop to think about it.  A word we use often but perhaps don't fully grasp.

According to Strong's Concordance  the words ' you will be a blessing'  are translated from Hebrew as

בְּרָכָֽה׃ (bə·rā·ḵāh)
Noun - feminine singularStrong's Hebrew 1293: 1) blessing 2) (source of) blessing 3) blessing, prosperity 4) blessing, praise of God 5) a gift, present 6) treaty of peace

If the promise God made to Abraham was fulfilled in Jesus, the ultimate blessing,  and if WE are now the body of Christ, then God says that He will make US to be a source of blessing, bringing prosperity, causing praise of God and making treaties of peace.    Oh how this world needs peace.  Peace between man and God and peace between brothers and nations.

Abram didn't have a long list of things he needed to do in order to be a blessing.  God makes it clear that He will be the source and the blessing will come from Him through Abram. ( I will make your name great and you will be a blessing)  But there is one thing Abram needs to do first...... he needs to leave.  Everything.

Abram is asked to leave behind his national identity, his culture, his property and possessions, his family and his friends and go he knows not where.  Jesus too asks His followers to leave their worlds, businesses, backgrounds, traditions, cultures, prejudices, families, even their dead, to follow Him.   God wants a clean page.  A new start.  So that He can write blessing over and through lives and that blessing can flow out and over into the lives of all we meet.

Lord, this year in the run up to Christmas I long to be a blessing.  Make me a blessing to my family and friends, my work colleagues and acquaintances.  Make me a blessing to complete strangers.  Bless your church that we might be a blessing to our towns and cities, communities and counties.  Bless me with the fullness of all that You are, that my life might overflow with light and life and joy and power and peace.  Amen