Our current worship series on the beatitudes has made me think more deeply about the importance of “blessing.” “Beatitude” is the Latin word for blessing and I think it significant that Jesus’ ministry begins with naming blessings instead of complaints, threats or curses. Before any other teachings are shared, in the Sermon on the Mount in chapter 5 of Matthew’s gospel, Jesus spoke nine different blessings and then he followed them with some very flattering words about the people he was speaking to: “…You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world…You are a city on a hill….”
Jesus began engaging people, not by being critical of the ways they were behaving, or by demeaning their limited knowledge of scripture, or by condemning their shallow faith. He began engaging his followers by blessing them and naming the things that are commendable about them.
I think that is something we should all take to heart. Often times, our first inclination is to notice what is wrong, what we don’t like, what offends us or disappoints us or doesn’t measure up to our expectations. Even if we don’t say them out loud, we make lots of negative judgments about the people we observe and encounter every day, and those judgments shape the way we interact with them.
But imagine what might happen if we took Jesus’ practice to heart. Imagine the impact it could have if we disciplined ourselves to begin the encounters we have with everyone we meet by blessing them. What if, before we spoke a critical word, we acknowledge how the other person has been a source of blessing to us? The blessing might come in the form of an expression of appreciation for something the person said or did, or admiration for something you observed in the person, or respect for a quality that you see reflected in their life.
Since our natural inclination is to notice what is wrong or what we don’t like, it will take some discipline to implement this practice. But let’s commit ourselves to being beatitude honoring people. Let’s be people who always begin with words of blessing. And when we do, let’s pay attention to how that impacts our relationships with the people we encounter. I suspect it will leave us feeling better about ourselves, better about each other, and better about the relationships we share.
Jesus didn’t only speak blessings. He had critical words to share, both to his
followers and to those who opposed
his ministry. But he began by blessing.
That feels like an important practice to follow.
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