Blessed to be a Blessing

In worship this summer, we have followed the path of the patriarchs of the Jewish and Christian faiths. The Hebrew Scriptures — or Old Testament, as Christians have called it for generations — routinely talk about the God we worship as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. These three patriarchs are the first people God used to bring about God’s purposes on earth.

But what was that purpose? If we look back to the beginning of the story of Abraham, we find that God blessed Abraham to bless all the peoples on earth. In Genesis 12:2-3, God speaks to Abraham these words:

“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you;
I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Abraham’s blessing wasn’t one to be kept for himself. Instead, he was to bless others.

This Sunday, we will take time in worship to bless our children and youth and teachers who are beginning a new school year. We will bless them in the name of God, who loves them and invites them to bless others.

This Sunday, we will take time to bless those who will lead and worship at our Sanctuary Campus beginning next week. We will bless them in the name of God, who loves them and invites them to bless others.

This Sunday, we will bless people within our church so we, in turn, may bless the people around us. We bless our students so they can bless their friends, teachers, and families. We bless our worship participants and leaders so they can in turn bless their own friends, neighbors, and strangers who will come to our space.

Sunday will be a special time together as we are led in our Rally Day worship by Bishop Carlo Rapanut, our resident Bishop here in the Desert Southwest Conference. It’s a great time to begin the practice of worship if you’re out of the habit. If you’re already in the habit, it’s a great time to look around and welcome someone you don’t know or haven’t seen in a while.

Before Sunday, I invite you once more to consider if God is inviting you to commit to worshiping at the Sanctuary Campus for the next six months. This is one way you can bless others; by offering your presence in worship.

See you Sunday, that we might be blessed to be a blessing.

In Christ,
Pastor Lynn

RALLY DAY SUNDAY WORSHIP SCHEDULE

• 8:30 a.m. Traditional service in Magee Campus sanctuary and child care in Rm 15
• 10 a.m. CONTEMPORARY service in Magee Campus sanctuary and child care in Rm 15 (next week, we return to our traditional worship)
• 10 a.m. Youth and children’s Sunday School and child care
• 10 a.m. Livestream premieres on YouTube and Website

Worship online at 10 a.m. on Sundays at umcstmarks.org/live-worship or YouTube UMC St. Mark’s AZ. You can also watch the service at a later time.

Summer Office Hours – 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday thru Thursday, 9 a.m. to noon Friday