Blessed to Be a Blessing

Scripture: Genesis 12:1-9; I Chronicles 29:14

Sermon by Dr. George B. Wirth

First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta

October 15, 2000

 

Text: All things come from Thee and of Thine own have we given Thee.

 

Introduction

As the new “preacher from Pittsburgh,” I had been here less than a week when the phone call came, telling me that one of our much-loved members was in the hospital. He had undergone open-heart surgery and the caller encouraged me to visit him as soon as possible.

 

So later that same evening, I went over to Crawford Long Hospital, found my way into the cardiac care unit and as I stood there beside the bed, I said “Mr. Padgett, my name is George Wirth, I’m you new pastor and I have come to pray with you.” Looking up with a smile on his face, he whispered back to me through the oxygen mask, “Bless your heart, and call me A.B.”

 

Well, we had a good visit, we prayed together, and before I left, I said, “Bless your heart” back to him. That was the beginning of a wonderful friendship, which I still treasure to this day. And ever since that night in May of 1990, when we greet one another, I know exactly what he’ll say: “Bless your heart.”

 

Over the past ten years, I have heard others use that phrase, which I think is distinctly southern. But the origin of those words goes all the way back to the roots of our Judeo-Christian tradition.

 

Part 1

The Hebrew word for blessing is “b’racha,” meaning “God’s favor and goodness.” It’s familiar to us through the Doxology we sing at the beginning of our worship service each Sunday: “Praise God from Whom all blessings flow,” and also in our benediction at the end of the service, when a pastor will say or the choir will respond “May the Lord bless you and keep you.” B’racha, in Hebrew, is God’s blessing upon His people.

 

In the New Testament, the Greek word “makarios” translates as “a state of happiness and well-being.” It’s the word recorded in the Beatitudes, when Jesus said Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven…blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth (Matthew 5:3,5). Makarios means blessing.

 

And according to our first scripture lesson today, when God gave His blessing, His “b’racha” to Abram and Sarai, who became Abraham and Sarah, God said to them Go from your country and your kindred…to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing (Genesis 12:1-2).

 

If you look at the Tiffany stained glass window in the northern wall of this sanctuary, you will see Abraham on his knees with Sarah close by, receiving the blessing God gave to them – a covenant which included a long line of descendants, a land where they could live, and the promise of prosperity, peace and happiness for generations to come. That covenant required two things from God’s people – one was that they would remain faithful to Him and the other was that they would share their blessings with all those who were in need.

 

You see, at the very beginning, Abraham and Sarah were “Blessed to be a Blessing,” and that same covenant still surrounds, supports and sustains the community of faith today.

 

I’m glad that our Annual Giving Campaign Committee has chosen the theme, “Blessed to be a Blessing” for this year’s stewardship season, because it reflects not only 4000 years of Judeo-Christian history but also nearly five centuries of Presbyterian theology and witness. Ever since the Reformation, we have believed that all we have received is a gift from Almighty God, who expects and exhorts us to share those gifts with all of His children on earth.

 

Part 2

So let us re-affirm this morning the first part of our theme, that each of us as Christians and all of us in the church, have been blessed beyond measure by the grace and goodness of God. That is what our text from I Chronicles 29:14 proclaims: For all things come from Thee and of Thy own have we given Thee. It’s the verse that was developed into the offertory response we sang just a few minutes ago:

 

“All things are Thine, no gift have we,

Lord of all gifts to offer Thee;

And hence with grateful hearts today,

Thine own before Thy feet we lay.”

 

The question is: Do you really believe that is true, that everything you have and all that you are is God’s gift to you?

 

This past weekend I celebrated with some people in this church who believe it. On Friday I had lunch with three men whose average age is 93. One of them will turn 96 next Sunday, and as the birthday cake was brought to our table, he smiled and said, “I’m just glad to be here!” Saturday morning, I spoke with two couples, both of whom were rejoicing in the recent birth of their babies. One of those parents exclaimed to me over the phone, “God has been so good to us!” Then yesterday afternoon, I visited with a couple in their eighties whom I married last month. They are just back from the honeymoon and I saw a radiant gleam of joy in their eyes. An hour later, I took a birthday car, a church bulletin and a bottle of champagne to a lady I love who turned 104 yesterday. Her son and daughter were there and before I left, we joined hearts and hands together in a prayer of thanksgiving. And last night, in an elegant outdoor setting, I performed the wedding of two young people who are head over heels in love with each other, so much so that as they exchanged their vows, I could almost hear the angels singing in heaven.

 

Well, it was quite a weekend! And all of those folks who belong to this church family have one thing in common. Do you know what it is? They affirm that life and love are gifts from above and they are grateful to God for all their blessings.

 

And so are we, in this wonderful church, grateful for the faith and fellowship we share, for these facilities which have been built and recently renovated to enhance and expand our ministry and mission and for the vision which God continues to give us to become the congregation of disciples that He has called all of us to be.

 

Christian friends: we have been blessed beyond measure! And I believe that the life and love we share together in this place are signs of God’s pleasure and extravagant grace which He is showering upon us!

 

Part 3

And that leads us to the second dimension of our annual giving theme, reminding us, with Abraham and Sarah and all the faithful down through the centuries, that we are Blessed to be a Blessing. The gifts of life and love which we have received and the financial resources that have been entrusted to us, are to be offered up and shared with all of God’s children who need them.

 

As he turned 75 a year ago last September, former president Jimmy Carter looked toward the 21^st century, and this is what he said:

 

“The biggest problem that the world faces in the next millennium…is the growing chasm between rich people…and poor people on earth. That chasm is increasing every year, and the trends seem to be, so far, irreversible.”

(From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, September 26, 1999, an article entitled “Carter at 75”)

 

What President Carter was asking Americans to consider is the same thing we are asking every member of this church to do in our Annual Giving Campaign: as we have been blessed with so much, let us share our blessings with those who have so little.

 

There are people on our city streets who do not have enough food to eat or a place to sleep and God is calling all of us to reach out to them. There are others across this nation who need financial assistance to get a decent education so that they can become productive citizens and God is calling all of us to help them. And there are men, women and children – thousands of them, millions of them in places like Kenya, Brazil, Haiti and the Sudan who need medical attention, agricultural equipment and emergency relief so that they won’t starve to death, and God is calling all of us to share our resources with them.

 

So as you consider the pledge you will make to our Annual Giving Campaign, I hope and pray that you think about all of God’s children out there in the world, and the ministries and priorities of God’s children right here in this church, and that you will give generously as the Lord has given to you. Because our campaign theme is compelling and true: We have been blessed to be a blessing!

 

Conclusion

Last summer in Scotland, I heard the story about an old elder from a congregation in Edinburgh whose heart was failing and was not long for this world. The pastor was called to his bedside, and the elder whispered to him in a weak voice: “Will I be included in God’s eternal kingdom if I leave ten thousand pounds to the church?” The pastor rose to the occasion and answered, “I think it’s an experiment worth trying!”

 

Well, we don’t have to wait until it’s almost too late. We have an opportunity here and now to return to the Lord a portion of what He has given so generously to us. And as we do that, with open hands and an attitude of gratitude, God has promised to “bless your heart and to bless my heart, and He will help us become a blessing to others.

 

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