Every day, on the way out the door, Ms. Lilly would stop me and say, “you know preacher, I was fed today. And I don’t mean food. I was blessed by your sermon.” Every Sunday. She would even say this to me on Sundays that I didn’t preach! 

After several months at this church, one of the three in my first appointment, Ms. Lilly would stop by, tell me she was fed, tell me she was blessed, and then say, “but when are you going to preach about hell?” I wasn’t really sure how to respond, so I made a noncommittal grunt and she kept walking on. 

This continued for several weeks until finally, one week, after she’d made her request for me to preach about hell, I said, “Ms. Lilly, who here do you think is going to hell?” She looked surprised, looked around, and said, “well, no one.” I said, “so why would I preach about hell?” She looked around again, thought for a minute, and burst out laughing. Grabbing my shoulder for support with one hand and her cane with the other as she laughed, she said, “you know, we really are blessed, aren’t we?” And off she went, never again to ask me to preach about hell. 

That little church struggled the two years I was there. The basement flooded twice, creating a mold problem. The fifteen members of that church had to scrape the money together to repair the building. The matriarch of the church had a stroke one December morning while I was preaching. She was fine, but just a few weeks later the oldest couple in the church, in their late 80s at the time, were in a terrible car accident on the way to church. They survived. Various individuals went through surgeries, health scares of various kinds, cancer diagnoses and victories, all within that two year span and all among the fifteen or so of them. 

And yet, they would all tell me just how blessed they were. All the time. Sometimes after complaining about their health or that no one visited their little church in the middle of no where or after telling me I should preach about hell, they would always remark that they were blessed. 

They felt blessed and they wanted to share that blessing with me and with anyone who would set foot in the church. They wanted to share their blessing with others. 

Isn’t that a blessing in and of itself?

Let’s hear this morning’s scripture that speaks about blessing, Psalm 67. 

Scripture 

The Israelites are blessed. 

Their requests are for continued blessing. They recognize that “the earth has yielded its increase” because “God, our God, has blessed us.” And so they want that to continue. They want to experience an abundance of blessing, just as they have been for some time. 

Don’t we all? Even though it’s hot outside, the heat causes our thoughts turn to the beach or mountains; to vacation, to a slower pace of life. What a blessing the summer is for bonding with families and friends and for enjoying a bit of a respite from the busy seasons of life.

Wouldn’t we all like that to continue indefinitely? But, as a TV show made famous, winter is coming. And not just the season; we know that all times of blessing eventually end. Family will go away and vacations will end. Friends will get busy and our social calendar will grow empty, especially as we ourselves get busier and busier. Our time in the mountains or on vacation will give way to more time at home as the school year ramps back up and we become busy again, all as the days grow darker. 

All blessings seem to come to an end. And so, we echo with the Psalm, “May God be gracious to us and bless us!” 

It’s wonderful when we’re blessed. For some of us, that includes the recognition that we’re blessed even when it doesn’t feel like it; that we’re blessed because God loves us, even if the rest of life is abysmal. We recognize blessing even in the midst of times that don’t feel very happy. Like the church that struggled and yet declared themselves to be blessed. And that, itself, is a blessing! 

The Israelites know that in this Psalm. They experience that blessing that transcends their circumstances. They know that God has blessed them and they are grateful for that. The Psalm hints that they know this blessing to be true even when life doesn’t feel that way. They’re grateful for that blessing and return thanks to God. 

They are blessed. They praise God for that and ask that it continue. Just like us. Most of us know we’re blessed, even when it doesn’t feel that way, and we’re grateful for that. Blessings make life a little easier, they provide for us when we need it and grant us joy in this life. They’re a gift from God and we give thanks to God for that gift. 

It’s like our cabin in North Carolina. This Psalm is the official Psalm of our cabin. We as a family pray it together as the last thing we do before locking up to leave. Dana took a painting of the woods and inscribed the words on the bottom; a beautiful tribute to the way we are blessed by the cabin. To pray together, we read the words off this painting. When Carter was still learning to read, he would stay silent while Jackson, Dana, and I read the Psalm, except to pipe up whenever the word Selah appeared. In fact, the name of the cabin is Selah; a Hebrew word that indicates a purposeful pause. 

We are blessed by this cabin. We are blessed when we use the cabin. We give thanks to God all the time for that blessing. Just as I’m sure all of us gathered today do for any blessings in our lives. We are blessed. 

The Psalm says the same thing: the Israelites are blessed! And they thank God. 

But then, they have something to add:

“Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon the earth.” The Israelites go to temple, singing this Psalm, praising God for their blessings and asking for more so that “the nations” can “be glad and sing for joy;” so that, “the nations” will know that God, “judge[s] the peoples with equity and guide[s] [them] on the earth.” They want an increase of blessing so more people will know that God is their God and experience the blessing of knowing God.

They recognize they are blessed to be a blessing and ask God for an increase so they may share more of those blessings with their neighbors and the world. 

That’s a laudable attitude. And one that is sometimes hard to have.

Sometimes, we want blessings to make life easier. If we’re honest, we sometimes want to be blessed because life is hard and we just want relief from whatever troubles surround us. We want blessings so that we can experience God’s goodness and get a reprieve from the hardships of life. We sometimes think we’re blessed to use those blessings.

But not the Israelites. Not as they go to temple and praise God. They’re not blessed to use those blessings. They’re blessed to be a blessing. They want their blessings to testify to the world that their God is a gracious, loving, merciful, God who will give equitably to all peoples. 

This goes all the way back to Abraham at the beginning of their status as the people of God. To Abraham, in Genesis chapters 12, 15, and again in 18, God promises to make of Abraham a great nation, as numerous as the stars, and to prosper the people. God makes that promise and here, some hundreds if not a thousand years later, the people remember that promise to Abraham, they believe they are experiencing the fulfillment of that promise. They ask for it to continue so that more people can know the blessing that it is to know God. 

They are blessed to be a blessing. They are blessed so that their blessings may testify to who God is. 

They are not blessed to merely use those blessings. Life is hard and comes with troubles. The Israelites had their fair share. It’s part of what makes scripture so powerful: they share about their struggles in a way that we can relate to. But they are not blessed to use those blessings. They are blessed to be a blessing for others. 

That’s remarkable. Blessed not to use those blessings but to share those blessings. 

Consider, too, that most ancient gods weren’t like the Lord, our God. They were selfish, stealing from the people for their own benefit. Most ancient gods were perceived to be vindictive beings whom you had to keep happy, lest they take revenge upon you. Most ancient gods were thought to be harsh, vengeful, disinterested in their people so long as they got what they wanted and lived luxurious lifestyles. 

Our God reverses that. God gives blessings out of God’s abundant love for the people. Full of mercy and grace, God continues to give even when the people are undeserving. And the people recognize this. God has reversed the formula of others gods, such that they are confident in the famous words of David in Psalm 23, that “goodness and mercy shall follow them all the days of their lives.” This fact is such a blessing, they want it to be shared with others. 

And so they see their blessings as witnessing, as testifying, to who God is. Their blessings aren’t for them. Yes, they get to reap the benefits, but blessings aren’t just for them to enjoy; they’re to testify, to witness, to who God is; a God rich in mercy, love, and grace; very different in good ways from the gods of other nations.

They are not blessed to use those blessings. They are blessed to be a blessing so more people, the nations, can know God and sing for joy. 

They are blessed by God to be a blessing.

How do you see the blessings in your life?

At our cabin, if we just gave thanks to God for its presence in our lives and stopped there, we would be blessed to use that blessing, not blessed to be a blessing. The Psalm painted on our wall and etched into our memory as a family calls upon us as a family to share of what we have. For us, it means sharing the space with those in need and those we love. It also means sharing of the rest and joy we experience there, bringing the best of ourselves back to school and our jobs. It means giving to others out of the rejuvenation of our souls. 

We are blessed by God not just to use those blessings but to be a blessing to others. 

If we’re blessed, and indeed we are, we have those blessings so that we might be a blessing to others. They are not given to us only for enjoyment and rest, although we are invited to do those things. After we have enjoyed our blessings and thanked God for their presence in our lives, we are to share our blessings with others. Like our forebears who wrote this Psalm, we are blessed to be a blessing so that others, even the nations, might know the joy we know because we know God. 

It’s easy to get wrapped up in just seeing how we’re blessed, not thinking of the need to share. It’s also very easy to see how others are blessed and become jealous, thinking we are just as deserving as they are. It’s easy to hear someone declare how blessed they are and feel that pang of envy. It’s also easy to see our blessings and thank God for them but never attempt to share. 

So, what does it look like to share our blessings? Let us consider the following:

In our attitudes and demeanor, are we gracious, loving, and kind? For no matter how undeserving we might be, that is God’s attitude toward us.

When someone wrongs us, are we merciful? For God has given us the blessing of mercy. 

When we receive a gift, do we share that with others? For God has shared abundantly with us. 

With our finances, do we practice generosity? For any wealth we have is God’s generous blessing to us. 

With the things we own, are we willing to share with one in need? For God shares abundantly with us of anything we might need. 

In our relationships, are we loving? For God loves us, unconditionally; and that is perhaps the greatest blessing we have received. 

We are blessed to be a blessing.

We are all blessed because we have received of the grace, mercy, and love of our God. We are blessed with those gifts to be a blessing to others. A life marked by selflessness, by sharing of our “increase,” by giving of our time, by generosity with our funds, by an attitude of joy and peace, and by giving others grace and mercy; these are the signs of a blessed life. And when we share those blessings with others, we reveal God’s presence in the world. 

Just as we’ll do together in a few hours at Temple Beth Israel. When we gather together with others from around our community, we reveal the presence of God in the world through the blessing of our presence. To be in solidarity with others, to simply be present with those who hurt, to show our support for our neighbors, and to bring love where there has been hate, is to reveal God into the world. It’s to share the blessings of solidarity, commitment, presence, and love God has given to us already. By coming at 2pm to the Temple, we bless others as God has blessed us. We foster healing for the broken places caused by hate.

And if we find ourselves in need this morning, one of the great blessings of our lives is to receive at the Table. There, God gives us grace. As United Methodists, we believe that this is no mere symbol; this is a blessing of God where we receive the grace we need. As we receive grace, we are then invited to go and give of that grace. At the end of communion, we pray these words, “Eternal Father, we give you thanks for this holy mystery in which you have given yourself to us. Grant that we, by the strength of your Spirit, may go and give ourselves for others.” God gives to us at the table and then we go and give what we have received to others.

We are blessed to be a blessing. That’s the point of this Psalm. When we share with others the blessings we have received, we share with them the opportunity to know God better. It’s a powerful way to witness to our faith and to spread the love, peace, joy, and hope of God in our lives so that the nations may be glad and sing for joy, just as it says in Psalm 67.

Go this day, as God has blessed you, so be a blessing to others. We are blessed to be a blessing.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; Amen.