June 18: A Sunday of Celebration and Blessing!

On one particular Sunday this year, a grade three student burst into the classroom and said, "I cannot wait for the blessing today!" Each week he crosses his arms, leans eagerly over the rail and waits to hear the priest say words that affirm his belovedness.  His desire for the blessing is instructive to me, more than anything he wants to hear words that call forth what is most true about who he is.  Amongst all the other competing, demanding, distracting voices in a week, this voice of blessing is the one he longs for.

In his book, The Life of the Beloved, Henri Nouwen says this of blessing:

"In Latin, to bless is benedicere.  The word, "benediction" that is used in many churches means literally: speaking (dictio) well (bene) or saying good things of someone.  To give someone a blessing is the most significant affirmation we can offer.  It is more than a word of praise or appreciation; it is more than pointing out someone's talents or good deeds; it is more than putting someone in the light.  To give a blessing is to affirm, to say "yes" to a person's Belovedness."

One of the Hebrew translations for the word Bless is 'barak' which means to praise, to congratulate, to salute.  It can also be translated 'esher' which is translated as happiness, "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers but his delight is in the law of the Lord and in his law he meditates day and night.  He shall be like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields fruit in its season, whose leaf does not wither and whatever he does prospers."  If you remember when we we looked at Beatitudes this year we used the words, "God is on the side of..."instead of "blessed" to get a fulsome understanding of the word Blessed in that context.  In the Bible 'to bless' carries with it a number of connotations but it is never a weak word.  For our purposes we will share words with one another that affirm our Belovedness, God's work in us, the unique gifts that each of us have.

Here is a further excerpt from The Life of the Beloved by Henry Nouwen, on blessing:

Not long ago in my own community, I had a very personal experience of the power of a real blessing.  Shortly before I started a prayer service in one of our houses, Janet, a handicapped member of our community said to me: "Henri, can you give me a blessing?"  I responded in a somewhat automatic way by tracing with my thumb the sign of the cross on her forehead.  Instead of being grateful however, she vehemently protested, "No that doesn't work, I want a real blessing."  I suddenly became aware of the ritualistic quality of my response to her request and said, "Oh, I am sorry... Let me give you a real blessing when we are all together at the prayer service."  She nodded with a smile and I realized that something special was required of me.  After the service when about thirty people sitting in a circle on the floor, I said, "Janet has asked me for a special blessing." She stood up and walked toward me.  I was wearing a long white robe with ample sleeves covering my hands as well as my arms.  Spontaneously Janet put her arms around me and put her head against my chest.  Without thinking I covered her with my sleeves so that she almost vanished in the folds of my robe.  As we held each other, I said, "Janet, I want you to know that you are God's Beloved Daughter.  You are precious in God's eyes.  Your beautiful smile, your kindness to the people in your house and all the good things you do show us the beautiful human being that you are.  I know that you are feeling a little low these days and that there is a sadness in your heart, but I want you to remember who you are: a very special person, deeply loved by God and all the people who are here with you."

As I said these words, Janet raised her head and looked at me; her broad smile showed me that she had really heard and received the blessing.  When she returned to her place, Jane, another handicapped stood up and said, "I want a blessing too."... The most touching moment, however, came when one of the assistants, a 24 year old student, raised his hand and said, "And what about me?" "Sure, " I said, "Come."  He came and as we stood before each other, I put my arms around him and said, "John it is so good that you are here.  You are God's Beloved Son.  Your presence is a joy for all of us.  When things are hard and life is burdensome, always remember that you are loved with an everlasting love."  As I spoke these words he looked at me with tears in his eyes and said, "Thank you, thank you very much." 

That evening I recognized the importance of blessing and being blessed and I reclaimed it as a true sign of the Beloved.  The blessings that we give each other are expressions of the blessing that rests on us from all eternity...

(from pages 69-72)

Let us bless one another this week and celebrate that we are all God's beloved children.  For younger students in Grades 1 and 2 I think it might be appropriate if each student had a large heart shape or if they made a card with their name and a drawing on the front.  Perhaps we could write the blessing from Numbers 6:24-26 on each heart or card:"The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face shine upon you, the Lord be gracious to you and give you peace." Then children can write something that they appreciate about each person on their heart/card.  Perhaps it would be good to brainstorm a number of phrases for blessing then students can pick from that list what they want to say about each person.

Here are some examples:

You are joyful

You are kind

You are a good friend

You are funny and you make people laugh

You think of other people and make everyone feel welcome

You are fun

You encourage me

May God be with you this summer

May you have a peaceful summer

May you have joy playing outside

May you have peace in your house

In the older grades some direction might also be helpful; you might want to have the students make cards with their names and a drawing on the front and on the inside they can write blessings - something that they appreciate about each person and a prayer of blessing for the summer ahead:

May God watch over you and keep you

May you know the love of God for you

May you have peace this summer

May you have joy doing ________

If you come early you might want to write a few words of blessing for each student; you may even want to read your blessings aloud to the kids at some point in the morning. Do this only if you have one for every student and if a new student comes you will have to be prepared to write out a blessing,  in this case you could write out the blessing mentioned above from Numbers.

After you have finished your cards of blessing you may want to take time to share about summer plans.  Ask the children to share about what they are looking forward to and what they are feeling a bit nervous or uncertain about as they head into the summer months.  Some children who are going to summer camp may be feeling excited and still a little unsure about being away from home. For other children being home all summer might be weighing on their minds particularly if their friends are going away - summer can be lonely for some kids.  I am always mindful that while summer holidays is greatly anticipated by some, for others it is not so carefree.  Please take the time to pray for one another in your classes.  Our Grade six students are writing PAT exams and they will certainly appreciate prayer for the upcoming week.  Please give students the opportunity to share and to pray for one another: you may do this out loud or you may pray as you draw together writing each other's names, writing words or symbols and using colour to express your thoughts you can use the paper on your tables or alternatively I can provide you with paper. It is up to you!

Feel free to bring treats that everyone can share.  Please contact me if you have questions about allergies in your class.  Alternatively if there is a craft or activity you would like to do to wrap up the year, let me know I will happily get you the supplies you need.

I hope this morning will be a lovely time of blessing and celebration!

Philip and the Ethiopian

Philip and the Ethiopian

Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road - the desert road - that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza."  So he started out and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury.  This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet.  The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it."
Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet.  "Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked.
"How can I?" he said. "Unless someone explains it to me?"  So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.  This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading:

"He was led like sheep to the
slaughter,
and as a lamb before its shearer is
silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
In his humiliation he was deprived of
justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from earth."

The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me please who is the prophet is talking about, himself or someone else?" Then Philip began with that very passage of scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

As they travelled along the road, they came to some water and the Eunuch said, "What is to prevent me from being baptized?"  And he gave orders to stop the chariot.  then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.  When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.


Acts 8:26-40

As children hear this story I wonder what questions they will ask and what connections they will make?  As I think back on the year this story reminds me of the unlikely and unusual meeting between Elisha and Namaan.  Remember the miraculous healing of Namaan's body and soul as he walked in and out of the Jordan river seven times and the great joy that ensued. Perhaps the students will make a connection to the travellers on the road to Emmaus. They too had the scriptures opened to them so that their hearts burned within them and then Christ appeared before them and just as quickly as they recognized him, he disappeared.  Like Christ, Philip quickly disappeared after baptizing the Ethiopian - in both of these encounters there is an in-breaking of God's glory that is other-worldly, just like the presence of angels.  These stories all have to do with God interrupting the on the way, everyday, stuff of life, with revelation and mystery and glory.

In our story Philip, John and Peter had converged in Jerusalem after preaching and teaching in many villages throughout Samaria.  In Jerusalem, Philip was instructed by an angel to go South, to follow the road to Gaza.  Surely there was a sense of expectancy for Philip - what would he encounter on the road?  I wonder what was in his mind and in his heart as he left Jerusalem on that day?  Since the Spirit had come upon these disciples at Pentecost in the mighty mind, in flames, and in great unity they had seen God do wonders. People were receiving Christ daily, a community - followers of the Way- were gathering for prayer, and as they shared meals, and their lives they also they spread news: "Christ died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again!"  They were continuing the work of Christ on earth: they were seeing people set free from all kind of spiritual and physical afflictions, they were caring for people on the margins and bringing them into the community of Christ.

However, life for the early church was not without great difficulty. The apostles had begun to encounter persecution: they were arrested, beaten, intimated and threatened.  Elsewhere they were facing a great challenge of communicating the true Christ amidst a raft of false teachers driven by greed and deception. A man named Saul began to destroy the church going from home to home, throwing men and women in jail.  The followers of Christ persevered in the midst of persecution and as they did their hope in Christ was firm and they had joy in sharing the gospel; joy seeing lives transformed by the grace of God.

On this particular day, Philip follows the messenger of God and sets out on the wilderness road.  Also on the road at this time was an Ethiopian man, a man of high esteem and position - the treasurer of the Queen's Court.  He was on his way home from worshipping in Jerusalem and while riding in his chariot he was reading the prophet Isaiah.  The Spirit told Philip to go near the chariot and to stay near it.  Philip obeyed the guidance of the Spirit and got so close to the chariot that he could hear the man reading aloud.  Imagine his heart quicken as he heard the Words of the prophet Isaiah, words that he loved, that he knew by heart.  Immediately he knew why the Spirit had lead him here on this morning. As he walked along he began to speak to the African man, "Do you understand what you are reading?" he boldly asked .  The street preacher and the government official, the Christian apostle and the observant Jew, the African man and the Greek man began a conversation, shared a carriage and encountered the living God through the Holy Scriptures, for one needed the other to interpret the Word to him. The Spirit brought Philip on this day to connect Isaiah to Christ, the Messiah, and to share the Gospel.  In a way the Ethiopian friend just needed a teacher to help him understand what his heart already believed.

Philip and Christ, the traveller on the road to Emmaus, remind us of the great need for the Word to be interpreted by teachers.  I can think of a few bible teachers in particular who have opened up God's word for me in profound ways; they have not only helped me to understand intellectually but they have helped me make connections, find my place in the story, and discover the love of Christ.  Perhaps you are thinking of someone who has done this for you - take a moment to thank God for this person.  I also hope this is an encouragement to each of you as teachers who open up the word for our students each week.  I hear these teachings reflected back through my children and from other children in our community and I am humbled by the ways God's word is taking root and bearing fruit in their lives. Thanks be to God for the Holy Spirit who opens our hearts and minds to understanding and thanks be to God to each of you who use your gifts of teaching in sharing the Word with children.

As the men were talking the chariot passed by some water and seeing it the Ethiopian says, "What is to prevent me from being baptized?"  The Ethiopian is asking a vulnerable question here, "Can I too go through the waters of baptism?"  The answer: Yes! Nothing is to prevent you, be baptized, turn towards Christ, hear him calling you his own and follow him!"  And so, the Ethiopian called for the driver to stop the chariot and they went out toward the water and Philip baptized him.  Take a moment to imagine this.  Did they run toward toward the water and jump it or was it a slower more reflective walk to the water? Think about these two people who not that long ago were unknown to one another now going into the waters of baptism together, connected to one another through Christ - brothers.  Think about the risk Philip took in approaching the chariot - the way in which he trusted the Holy Spirit and followed him into conversation and into the waters of baptism.  Reflect on the way in which God had been working in the Ethiopian.

Do you remember a time when you were beginning to come alive to Christ? Our story today reminds me of the faith journey of a friend. In her exploration of Christianity she began to read the Bible and at around the same time she began to attend a local church.  She read the scripture and her spirit was stirred but she didn't understand intellectually and this bothered her.  Each week that she went to this church the sermon was on a reading she had done in the previous week and the preacher spoke directly to the questions that she had been wrestling with! This didn't happen one Sunday or two Sundays, it happened for nine Sundays in a row.  Each week she could hardly believe it, it almost made her laugh - she felt as thought God was speaking directly to her.  And I believe He was.  Just in case you ever begin to think that God is only cosmic and not particular, read the story of Philip, reflect on your own story, listen to others share how they have encountered Christ and you will discover a God who is not only cosmic and universal but who is also particular and personal.

In this story we meet a disciple who is radically open to God - following the leading of the Spirit, speaking boldly and not only sharing the good news of the Gospel but the love of Christ across cultures as he welcomes this man into the body of Christ through baptism.  One of Luke's (the author of Acts) great concerns is that the obstacles of age, religious tradition, race of ethnic origin, or physical condition must not keep people from hearing and applying to themselves the gospel of salvation, this is emphasized in the closing words of Luke: "Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ."(Acts 28:31)

In closing I want to share something I was reminded of this week as I reflected on this text and my own life.  In 1997 I went with a team to encourage Christian students in Belgrade, Serbia.  Yugoslavia was torn apart, there was such a profound sense of brokenness and despair.  Christian workers who had stayed through the war were worn out and very discouraged - the students they had worked with had fled, tensions rose up that threatened the unity of Christians who remained.  The vibrant community they had been a part of was now almost gone entirely.  Christians left in the city were grieving profound losses and the complexity of the situation felt far beyond the abilities of a group of young students such as myself.  At the end of the six weeks, the only good I could see of our time in Belgrade was that at best we were an encouragement and if nothing else a distraction.  On the last night, I sat on a bench in the eerie quiet of the city, wondering why God had brought me here.  It was not an easy six weeks.  I was confident that I was meant to be there, I had felt the comfort of the Holy Spirit in some profound ways but still I struggled with how insignificant this time had been and overwhelming the issues were.  As I sat on the bench I was joined by a girl about my age, she asked me what I was doing in Belgrade, we began to chat and before I knew it she was praying to receive Christ with me.  The Holy Spirit brought us into each other's lives at just that time.  I enjoy a fair number of on the way spiritual conversations with people. But this was the first time someone said to me, "I want to follow Jesus. Please pray for me, right now."  I wanted to throw up a lot of barriers, "you really want to think about this... it is a big decision that could really affect your life..." But I yielded to the Spirit of Christ and we both received grace upon grace and rejoiced together.

I look forward to hearing how God meets you and the students as you encounter his living Word together this week.


This story catches us in some profound ways and offers us some interesting points of reflection and  exploration:

•  Philip is lead to the Ethiopian by the spirit/ How does the Spirit of God lead us? How do you know it is God who is leading you?
• The Ethiopian is clearly ready to receive the Good news of Jesus! Sometimes God has been at work in the lives of people and we are surprised to discover all people want is an invitation; they want to know Jesus and the waters of baptism are for them.
• These two people from very different backgrounds and yet they come together because of the truth of Christ.  One preacher imagined Philip as a Street Preacher and the Ethiopian as an Government Official in a car with a flag and maybe security.  What are the chances of the street preacher being picked up in the government car? This diversity is remarkable and is something that is only possible through the Spirit of Christ. Where do we see diversity in our own community?  How does diversity challenge us?  How does diversity bless us, grow us and mature us?
• The Ethiopian needed a teacher to explain the scripture to him. We need people to open the word of God up for us. Who are our teachers?  Let's thank God for our teachers.
• The Ethiopian went away rejoicing! Consider joy as a mark of the Christian life!