“The Bliss of a Blessed Life”

           

The beginning of the Sermon on the Mount is called the “Beatitudes.” This is because the first word that Jesus utters is “makarioi” ( Μακάριοι) in Greek. Our English Bibles translate this as blessed, happy, bliss, spiritually prosperous, joy, etc. A lot of options have been chosen over the years by various translation committees. It is a difficult word to capture in its fullness of expression. However, it has to do with being in a state of spiritual well-being flowing from the goodness of God. In the ancient Greek world it originally carried the idea of being “free from daily cares and worries.” In Jewish usage it tended to focus on one’s well-being. By Jesus’ day these pronouncements of blessings did two things at once: conveyed God’s desire for covenant life, and served to prepare the hearer for living the “kingdom life’ in view of the end times.

            Is it possible today to live a blessed and blissful life in such turmoil as we see in the news every day? Is it even possible to live free from daily cares and worries?  

            The volatility of financial markets threaten retirement plans of peaceful bliss. Health issues and aging threaten long term plans for peaceful bliss. Broken and betrayed relationships mar plans for peaceful bliss. Everywhere we turn life has a way of being chaotic, unpredictable, painful and unfair. The bliss of a blessed life almost seems to be a “pipe dream.”

            How do Christian transformational leaders function in times like these? Is there a glimmer of hope in what “blessed” means? Can such leaders live “the bliss of a blessed life?” If so, what does it look like?

            To my mind the following aspects of “blessedness” present themselves to the wise, understanding transformational leader.

            First, there is the power of a spoken blessing to others. In the Old Testament world there was the known reality of spoken blessings and curses. Words were understood to have power. This undoubtedly comes from the Genesis narrative of God speaking and the creative process occurred. Spoken blessings have a creative power. When we encourage and bless others, that creates motivation and goodwill that is so much needed in organizations and groups today.

            Second, such leaders embody a way of life coming from a center of understanding and experiencing the goodness of God. Remember the old hymn, “Showers of Blessings?” Christian transformational leaders lead from a heart of gratefulness that sees untold blessings poured out on them daily. Living a grateful life as a response to God’s goodness alters everything. From such a posture, thanks can be given constantly. Being blessed produces words of blessing to God!

            Third, a deep reliance on the goodness of God erases paralyzing worry. When we count our blessings one by one, that very process itself crowds out worry. Worry can take over, divide the human spirit, fill the mind and heart with anxiety, and paralyze decisions. Living a blessed life means we do not let worry define our thought-world, neither will we allow worry and anxiety dictate how we treat others. Worry unchecked leads to the fruit of fear. As Christian leaders we model for others what such deep reliance on God without crippling worry looks like.

            Fourth, the state of our blessedness is a serendipitous blessing of our covenant relationship with God. Because of our covenant relationship with God, we stand knee-deep before God in blessings. That blessed state is like the air we breathe. Every day and every moment is a divine gift. Our very life is a gift. The giftedness of the moment is the intangible blessing of being in covenant relationship with God. As Christian leaders we model for others that kind of life.

            Finally, the blessed life now is but a taste of the blessed life yet to come! Taste. What an interesting word for the spiritual life of leaders. We tend to think of taste related to our trip to the restaurant. But “taste” is the experiential and existential personal journey of faith we enjoy with God now. It is also the “fore-taste” of what is yet to be. Christian leaders have a spiritual vision that can see what many others cannot. This God-given vision encourages others to taste and see that the Lord is good. Then, and only then, can others envision the possibility of what the taste might be for the future with God!

            O, the bliss of the blessed life of the Christian transformational leader!

    In Christian love, Curtis

NO LEFTOVER CAKE AFTER THANKSGIVING!

The first reference in the Bible to thankfulness is with reference to a thanksgiving cake! Both the recipe and when to eat it is mentioned! In my wife’s recipes for Thanksgiving Dinner, and even the recipes I remember seeing in my mother’s kitchen, none of them contained and expiration date or when to eat what was baked!

                Israel’s first instructions regarding an offering or expression of thankfulness connected with their “fellowship offering.” Traditionally this was known as a “peace offering.” Perhaps it is not a coincidence that an offering of thankfulness came out of fellowship and peace!

                Though today we do not think of a  thanksgiving cake, I suppose our substitute would be the Thanksgiving turkey.   Just as recipe stipulations were made in the preparation of Israel’s offering of a thanksgiving cake, so too, we all have family special recipes that determine how we fix and prepare and cook the turkey. Also, it seems that a dinner is not complete without rolls! We have Thanksgiving rolls, and what an aroma out of the kitchen when they are ready to serve!

                Another odd stipulation was that all of the thanksgiving cake must be eaten of the day it was baked; a person “must leave none it until the morning”(Leviticus 7:15). This does away with the necessity of creative leftovers. I was thinking about this command, and I suppose it is rooted in the idea of thankfulness being experienced in the here and the now. After all, the more leftovers hang around the less thankful we become!

                No leftover cake. No leftover turkey. No leftover fixin’s.

                In Leviticus these regulations for the “fellowship offering of thanksgiving” are in a large section where more regulations are given for the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, and the ordination offering. These guidelines were given Moses on Mt. Sinai by God, and taken into their practice of offerings when they sojourned in the Desert of Sinai.

                Bottom line:   Every offering is connected with the covenant care and love of God to remind His people of how much He cared for them.

                This year in our participation of the Thanksgiving Holiday, let us focus on God’s love and care. Let us offer thanksgiving to God out of fellowship and peace with others.  This helps us keep this holiday centered, grounded in relationships, and thankful for life itself. The material blessings are just a serendipity!

In Christian love, Curtis