From the Pulpit: Bless you? Or Bless the Lord?

By: 
Pastor Dan Deardoff, Blessed Redeemer Lutheran Church

The Bible is full of blessings and doxologies. The first is easier to understand than the second. We all like to be blessed, and every church service ends with a blessing, like the famous Aaronic benediction: “The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord look on you with favor, and give you His peace.” That three-part blessing, which reminds us of the Triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – says it all. God the Father gives us life and all we need. God the Son gives us what we need most of all by being gracious to us and forgiving our sins. God the Holy Spirit gives us peace, by giving us the gift of faith. Peace comes from knowing we are right with God and assured of heaven when we die when we believe in Him. 

Doxologies are harder to understand. A doxology is when we turn around a bless God, like the first verse of my favorite Psalm, 103: “Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name.” A doxology is when we bless God back for all the blessings He gives us. The most famous doxology is the famous hymn, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow, praise Him all creatures here below, praise Him above Ye heavenly hosts, praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.” 

Who am I to bless God? I casually say, “Bless you!” all the time when someone sneezes, which is often in winter or hay fever season. The person I say it to says, “Thank you” back, even though it doesn’t cost me anything to say it. For God to bless me, it cost the Father the life of His only dear Son, whose blood was shed on the cross. What do I, a sinner, have to offer back to Him for a gift like that? 

That’s really the purpose of a doxology, to admit that God does it all and we owe Him our thanks and praise. One of the most beautiful doxologies in the Bible is found in Eph3:20-21: “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.” I also love the last two verses of the book of Jude, where we bless and praise God for His promise to “present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy.” 

Think of it this way: You were blessed to be a blessing. God blesses you, so you can be a blessing to others around you. You can be a blessing by being a good citizen, by serving God and others in your vocation, and by being kind to others. You can be a blessing when you are “kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ forgave you,” (Eph.4:32). The next time someone blesses you when you sneeze, say, “Yes, God blesses me daily, and thank you!”  

Category:

The Brandon Valley Journal

 

The Brandon Valley Journal
1404 E. Cedar St.
Brandon, SD 57005
(605) 582-9999

Email Us

Facebook Twitter

Please Login for Premium Content