From the Pastor's Pen

Dear Friends, 

Yesterday I wrote about how Paul was so afraid for the new Christians in Thessaloniki that he decided he had to send Timothy to check on them.  Timothy reported back to Paul that all was well.  The faith of the new Christians in Thessaloniki was strong and their love for Paul real!  Paul was so overjoyed that he immediately launched into a blessing which he sent to the beloved in Thessaloniki.  He had a lot more to say to them in his letter, but he decided then and there to pause and bless them before writing anymore!  Here’s his blessing:

11 Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you. 12 And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you. 13 And may he so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.  I Thess 3: 11-13

You know, much as I love this blessing Paul offers here, what I really love about this passage is the fact that Paul stops in the middle of his letter to bless the people he’s writing to.  Paul, in the midst of his joy at the good news he has received, turns to the Lord and asks a blessing on those he loves.  I think we would do well to bless more.

Years ago when I was a very new mom, Mike and I vacationed with our 3 month old son at Niagara Falls.  It was the summer of 1988 and extraordinarily hot, so Mike and I left our unairconditioned home and headed north.  The first stop was Niagara Falls.  While we were watching the amazing power of the falls, an unknown woman approached us and asked to see our baby.  Of course, we turned to her and let her oo and ah over our first born son.  Then she said something that startled us.  She asked us if she could bless him.  We looked at each other and reluctantly said ok.  She gently put a hand on his head and prayed that God would shower love and goodness on our little child.  Then she smiled, thanked us, and walked away!  We were stunned and touched by her kindness.

I think we should bless other people more.  Bless your children.  Bless your spouse.  Bless your friends when you talk to them on the phone.  Call upon God to shower down his love and goodness on those around you.

May God bless you today and send you a sign of his great love to encourage you.

Peace,

Pr. Sally