The Trinity Blessing:

Bless You

Wednesday, November 2821, 2018

The Trinity Blessing:

“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God,

 and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

 2 Corinthians 13:14

                When we think on God we need to remember that Jesus  God as Trinity worked together in the creation of the universe. Then the angel Gabriel explained to Mary how the miracle of the incarnation (Jesus born into human history) would take place. Each person of the Godhead would be involved (Luke 1:35) “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.

named the Father first, then the Son and then the Spirit and He united them with the word and. These are not three gods or different names for one God who reveals Himself in different ways at different times.

                Another story demonstrating the Trinity working together is when Jesus  is baptised. As he comes up out of the water, the Spirit descends and the voice of the Father speaks. (Matthew 3:16-17). There are other examples of the Trinity and these are explained because people had spiritual experiences as they encountered the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; as they walked with Jesus and depended on the Spirit.

                What is this grace?  The yoke of Christ is easy and light Matthew 11:28-30. And it is through grace we have the living reality in Jesus. Law condemns but grace transforms. When one understands this grace- though he was rich, he became poor for our sakes-.  This grace involves faithfulness and discipleship, that is following Jesus regularly

                We are to love our enemies, pray for them, and do good acts of love with and for them.  As we do this, we imitate the Father because God deeply loved and loves the world. Jesus didn’t feel sorry for us but He did what was necessary to save us.  And we are to love others. Christian love is an act of the will of faith in action.

                The Holy Spirit loves us so much that He is willing to live in us and be our helper. We are to have fellowship with each other—koinonia that is, to have in common the love of Jesus and to experience the Spirit within. We have Jesus in common- this is why we gather and feel blessed.

                When this blessing is shared- we often will respond and also with you. This is so that the worship leader who says it is also receiving the blessing from others. Yet we might wonder  should we be saying such words aloud? Are we directing the grace, love and fellowship of God or are we merely asking for guidance and strength?

                When you hear these words are you responding to them with love, and grace? What about the Spirit’s call to have fellowship with others. We need to be with others to understand God’s blessings. Thomas Merton wrote,” The most dangerous man in the world is the contemplative who is guided by nobody. He trusts his own visions. He obeys the attraction of an interior voice but will not listen to others. He identifies the will of God with anything that makes him feel, within his own heart, a big, warm, sweet interior glory …Such a man can wreck a whole city or even a  nation.”

                As Christians we need to search the Bible for God’s wisdom, praying for guidance and power and seeking to glorify God’s Son. Are we doing this?

REFLECTION:
These words are often shared in greeting or preparation to depart from each other in worship. They pronounce a blessing that is taught and received. But one must asked, do we receive these gifts from God and/or are we using these blessings to minister to others?

As we begin Advent this week- how might you offer this blessing in faith to others? How might you live it out?

PRAYER Bless us O God. Three in One, Creator, Christ and Spirit as we strive to live and share you love with others. Help us to grow in faith and knowledge of your Word as we seek your guidance and strength. Amen.

Next Week: “The Spiritual Leader’s Benediction” Acts 20:32

RESOURCE:

Warren W. Wiersbe.  Bless You: Receiving and Sharing the Blessings of the Lord. Grand Rapids, MI: Our Daily Bread Ministries, 8^th printing- 2018. (p.29-46)