“The Power of a Blessing”         2013

Genesis 27:1-4, 25-34     Mark 10:13-16

 

Genesis 27:1-4, 25-34

When Isaac was old and his eyes were dim so that he could not see, he called his elder son Esau and said to him, “My son”; and he answered, “Here I am.” He said, “See, I am old; I do not know the day of my death. Now then, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field, and hunt game for me. Then prepare for me savory food, such as I like, and bring it to me to eat, so that I may bless you before I die.” Then he said, “Bring it to me, that I may eat of my son’s game and bless you.” So he brought it to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank. Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near and kiss me, my son.” So he came near and kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his garments, and blessed him, and said, “Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed. May God give you of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine. Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be everyone who blesses you!”

As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, when Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of his father Isaac, his brother Esau came in from his hunting. He also prepared savory food, and brought it to his father. And he said to his father, “Let my father sit up and eat of his son’s game, so that you may bless me.” His father Isaac said to him, “Who are you?” He answered, “I am your firstborn son, Esau.” Then Isaac trembled violently, and said, “Who was it then that hunted game and brought it to me, and I ate it all before you came, and I have blessed him? —yes, and blessed he shall be!” When Esau heard his father’s words, he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me, me also, father!”

 

Mark 10:13-16

People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

 

The Genesis passage we read is a tiny part of a much larger story.

            In this section,

                        Abraham’s son Isaac had grown old, blind and feeble.

 

            He was ready to give his blessing to Esau, his favored son,

                        which meant passing on his patriarchal power,

                                    the authority & responsibility to lead the family.

 

So Isaac called on Esau

            to hunt and prepare a favorite meal for his father,

                        who would then pass-on the patriarchal blessing

                                    after they had shared the meal …

                                              … which is the way it was done in that culture.

 

Isaac’s wife Rebekah overheard his instructions to Esau,

            and arranged for Jacob, the son she favored

                        to deceive Isaac

                                    into giving Jacob the blessing intended for Esau.

 

Their sneaky plan to cheat Esau worked out as they intended,

            so that Jacob had already received the blessing,

                        and was long gone by the time Esau arrived with the meal.

In the story, Isaac has only one blessing to give,

            and cannot take it back once spoken or redirect it to Esau.

vs. 34

            When Esau heard his father’s words, he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me, me also, father!”

 

Do you hear the terrible anguish and disappointment?,

            such a poignant and piercing longing in the words,

                        “Bless me, me also, father!” … are there no blessings for me?

* Four times in eight verses  Esau begs his father to bless him.

 

My Dad was an engineer,

            a quiet, steady man who dealt in facts and figures,

                        a good father who made time to attend my ballgames,

                                    Boy Scout activities and band concerts.

 

But I don’t recall

            ever hearing much about what he thought about me as his son,

                        or saying he was proud of something I had done ---

                                                --- those are not the sort of conversations

                                                               I remember having with my Dad.

            It wasn’t that he was cold or didn’t care,

                        it just wasn’t something he normally talked about.

 

On the night my mother died,

            Dad and I sat by her hospital bed most of the night,

                        --- and that night, he wanted to talk.

            He told me things he have never mentioned to me before,

                        and I saw a side of my Dad I had never known.

 

          At one point he put his hand on me,

                    and said he was glad I was there with him,

                             and pleased with what I was doing with my life.

 

Maybe you had to be there, but it was an amazing conversation.

              I received a blessing from my father that night,

                   that I think I had been waiting my whole life to hear.

 

And until that night, that experience

      I don’t think I ever really understood the power of a blessing…

                   or the deep and powerful affect it can have when withheld.

 

The world we grow up in,  is filled with critics and harshness,

            with lots of people

                        quick to point out our faults, failures and mistakes.

 

In our culture a person’s value and worth are largely judged

            and determined by our skills and accomplishments,

                        and we know ourselves primarily

                                    through the reactions & responses of others people…

… and a kind word of blessing and affirmation

          can help counteract the destructive power of those forces.

 

Even as adults,

            the small child inside each of us continues to ask,

                “Are you proud of me Daddy, are you pleased with me Mommy?”

 

The parental blessing helps us internalize love and self-worth,

            so that we acquire healthy self-esteem and self-confidence,

                        and can grasp the truth of God’s unconditional grace.

 

To bless our children

            is to help them interpret life in the light of God’s promises

                        by assuring them they are not flawed mistakes,

                                    but are uniquely loved and made by God as intended,

                                                each of us with special traits and interests

                                                        as God wills & intends to use them for good.

The blessing is:  I thank God for you and have great hopes for you!

A blessing is a spoken pronouncement

            pointing toward the good and value someone recognizes in us,

                        and that God is up to something in that person’s life.

The blessing is:  I thank God for you and have great hopes for you!

 

My experience is that the bulk of pastoral counseling I do

            can almost always be traced back to and involves

                        people craving and longing to hear a parental blessing—

-- the assurance from a parent of unconditional love,

                        of acceptance, approval, welcome, and a sense of value.

 

When children do not hear those words of blessings, even as adults

            they still long to hear them, do anything trying to earn them…

                        leading to harsh perfectionism, the need to control,

                                    inability to trust or handle new situations,

                                         various anxiety disorders, compulsive behavior.

 

                My psychology books are packed with the many unhealthy ways

                        people are broken   when words of blessing are withheld…

… which is why

            spoken encouragement and affirmation can be so powerful,

                        and make such a remarkable and amazing difference.

 

It’s tragic how much stress, anxiety, fear and obsession

            is felt by those still trying to earn parental approval,

                        and get past their with an unmet need for reassuranceà

                                    that they are valued and their lives have meaning.

 

We humans come pre-wired with a need to hear a blessing  spoken –

                   -- to know we are  irrationally loved  no matter what,

            that there are people who believe in us,

                        and choose to be on our side,  no matter what,

                                    because they see something of value in us …

 

            … and if we don’t receive those words of hope and blessing,

                        we will be driven to find approval wherever we can…

                                    … drugs, alcohol, promiscuity, obsessions, & so on.

 

The Mark 10 text we read is also about blessing.

            In this one, parents were wanting to bring their children

                        for Jesus to hold them and bless them.

 

At this point in his ministry,

            Jesus was often overwhelmed by the crowds of people in need,

                        to be healed, important leaders asking questions,

            and dealing with mere children

                        was way down on the importance scale for the disciples.

 

vs. 14a, 16

            But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant … And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

 

Jesus was indignant, which is a very strong word…

          but apparently, blessing the children ranked rather high

                    among the ministerial tasks Jesus came to accomplish.

 

In fact, receiving a blessing is so important,

            that even Jesus received words of blessing from his father,

Matt. 3:16-17

            And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

 

I want to focus on Dad’s for a moment,    1^st, Happy Father’s Day;

            2^nd,  don’t restrain yourself to being the strong silent type…

                                    … because God have given you a power to use.

 

It’s not enough to tell my wife, I love her until further notice.

            Kathy wants to hear me say I love her, again and again…

                        … and how much more our children need to hear

                                    our love, blessing and affirmation again and again.

 

Our children are constantly growing and changing

            in this world of put-downs, harsh judgment and challenges,

                        they need to keep hearing from us,

                                    “Yes, I do still love you

                                                “Yes, I am still proud and pleased with you

                                                            “Yes, I am glad and grateful you are mine,

                                                                        even amid all your life’s changes,

                                                                               even when you fail or get it wrong.

 

This week of VBS, a wonderfully exhausting  and exciting week,

            it struck me how many of the youth helpers,

                        I have known and watched grow, change and develop,

                                    and how this church has blessed them along the way,

                                                by helping them recognize their gifts & talents

                                                            and God’s presence at work in their lives.

 

As parents, grandparents, and as this church family,

            we have the great joy and task of speaking words of blessing                                   of spreading the joy and wonder of God’s grace ----

            by offering others an affirming blessing,

                        “I am proud of you and recognize God at work in you!” à

                             à and trust me, those are some powerful words to hear.