Blessing Others

Dear Friends,

I was recently thinking about a lunch I had with someone a few years ago in a restaurant. We were getting together to talk about some things that were happening in the church and, when the food arrived, he offered to say a word of grace. And what was so memorable about his prayer was that, in addition to praying that we might have a rich time of fellowship and use our time productively for the benefit of the church and be nourished and strengthened by the food, all the usual stuff, he also prayed for a blessing on the young woman who was serving us.

I don't know exactly why this struck me so, I guess I had just never heard anyone pray for the waiter or waitress in a restaurant, had never really thought about doing it myself. And yet when he did so, offered prayers that she might find fulfillment in her work and receive a blessing from God that day and be a blessing to others, it seemed like the most natural thing in the world. I have since said the same kind of prayer myself, aloud with others, or silently.

It reminded me of the truth that is preached often, that we receive so many blessings and we ought to give those blessings away to others, through our actions and through our prayers. Perhaps, in this season of Easter, as we think of the blessings that are heaped on us through the sacrifice of Jesus and his offer of new life, we might be reminded to be more active in giving those blessings away.

There is a whole world around us that needs to be nurtured and blessed, people we don't normally think about, those we don't normally even really see. But they are there, and they may be waiting for some sort of a blessing in their lives, they may be waiting for me or you.

And it may not take much, just a little help perhaps for someone in need, just a word of encouragement, just a note or call to say "Thank you," just an invitation to come and see what church is all about, just a little prayer.

Grace and Hope to you,

Pastor Duane