There's Only Two Times to Praise God...

• Fourth Sunday of Easter

Communion Sunday

with Psalm 103

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• Attention folks with school-aged kids, be sure to check out camping at Asbury Woods this summer, the 2nd & 3rd week of July. Info in newsletter, scholarships are available.

A favorite experience of mine as a camp volunteer, leading Bible study by a creek. We were acting out scripture passage, and one boy volunteered to be the Holy Spirit, although the HS was not part of the passage. Okay. And he wandered around, every now and then whispering “bless!” and ‘sprinkling’ random people with blessing. It was great.

• In today’s reading of Psalm 103, nine times the word Bless. Also eight “all”, for totality, completeness. God does not do things half-way.

What is bless in Psalm 103?

Hebrew word ba-rak, 68 times in the Psalms, close second 62 in Genesis, plus another 200 throughout the rest of the OT.

To bow, kneel, bend the knee. Honor, revere, praise.
Humble self, lift up [other].

In English, adore, consecrate, sanctify.
To make or pronounce holy.
Set apart [as special]. Bestow good upon. Exalt.

• Blessing has to do with positioning yourself
with respect to the one being blessed.
To bless is to see someone, recognize them, honor them.

• WHY “bless the Lord”? The Psalmist can’t stop singing about why.
The Lord is the one who forgives (completely) heals (completely) saves (completely). The Lord lifts up, fills, renews. And that’s just three verses.

Psalmist continues to reveal character traits and actions of God

And a person would be right to say Yeah But what about God who does not save? What about wrathful God of OT? What about God who completely punishes for sin?

We learn of an inconsistent and disproportionate God who punishes a little (and that justly) and who blesses beyond compare, completely, generation to generation, forever and ever.

• How to bless the Lord? Remember positioning.

A young married man confided to his father after the wedding,
“I don’t know, Dad, I don’t know that it feels any different now that we’re married. I don’t *feel* married.”
And the wise father replied, “Son, it doesn’t matter whether you *feel* married or not… you better *act* married. You live as a married man. You do things with and for your wife, you honor her and think of her first and set her above all others (except God).”

• Bless God frequently nay constantly. When you feel like it and when you don’t.

With all of yourself. In word and in action. With humility (again, lift the other up).

• Expect to see God and you probably will.
Show up when God shows up. (which is when?) Be mindful and thankful.

Children’s Message

What is ‘blessing’, how do we use ‘bless’?

We were blessed with a baby.

So and so was blessed with addiction.

I was blessed with a loving family.

So and so was blessed with economic insecurity and divorced parents.

Jesus challenged the meaning of blessing, do you remember what he said?

Blessed are the poor, the hungry. Blessed are those who weep now.
Blessed are the persecuted.

What’s up with that?

Those are drawn closer to God.

And it’s easy if you have lots of good things to be distracted by those good things and forget about God. (You grownups, consider Steinbeck’s story The Pearl.)