Invoking Peace: The Power of Blessing in Tragedy

 

Summary

In these challenging times, we gather to reflect on the recent tragedy that has shaken our nation—a devastating shooting at an elementary school in Texas. As we sit in a park, surrounded by the sounds of nature and the laughter of children, we are reminded of what life should be like for the young ones—filled with peace, joy, and safety. This moment calls us to reflect deeply on the concept of shalom, the peace and wholeness that God desires for our communities and our world.

Today, I am moved by the teachings of Dallas Willard, particularly his insights on the power of blessing. Blessing is more than just words; it is an intentional act of projecting good into someone’s life. It requires us to engage our will and invite God’s presence into the lives of others. In times of tragedy, when we feel helpless, invoking God’s blessing becomes our source of hope and strength. The Aaronic blessing, given by Moses to Aaron, serves as a powerful reminder of this: "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace."

In a world where everything is not okay, especially in moments of deep sorrow, we long to assure our children that they are safe. Yet, we know that true safety and peace can only come from God. Our role is to invoke His presence, to ask for His protection and peace, and to trust in His goodness. When we bless others, we invite God to make His presence known, to shine His face upon us, and to bring peace into our troubled world.

As we listen to the song "It Is Well with My Soul," let us open our hearts to God’s manifest presence. May we find comfort in His peace and strength in His blessing, even amidst the chaos and pain of our world.

Key Takeaways:

1. The Power of Blessing: Blessing is an intentional act of projecting good into someone’s life, requiring us to engage our will and invite God’s presence. It is more than words; it is a spiritual act that invokes God’s goodness and peace. [02:16]

2. Invoking God’s Presence: In times of tragedy, our hope lies in invoking God’s presence. By blessing others, we invite God to make His presence known, bringing peace and protection that we cannot provide on our own. [03:06]

3. The Reality of Our World: We live in a world where everything is not okay, and we often feel the need to assure our children of their safety. True peace and safety come from God, and our role is to invoke His presence in our lives and the lives of those we love. [03:46]

4. The Aaronic Blessing: The Aaronic blessing serves as a powerful reminder of God’s desire to bless and keep us, to make His face shine upon us, and to give us peace. It is a call to trust in God’s goodness and to seek His presence in our lives. [04:09]

5. Manifesting God’s Presence: God is always present, but His presence is not always manifest. By blessing others, we invoke His manifest presence, inviting His peace and goodness into our world. [05:22]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:39] - Reflecting on Tragedy
- [01:15] - The Concept of Shalom
- [01:40] - Insights from Dallas Willard
- [02:16] - The Power of Blessing
- [02:38] - The Aaronic Blessing
- [03:06] - Invoking God’s Presence
- [03:46] - The Reality of Our World
- [04:09] - The Aaronic Blessing Explained
- [04:39] - The Radiance of Love
- [05:09] - Manifesting God’s Presence
- [05:36] - The Opposite of Blessing
- [05:54] - A Call to Prayer
- [06:07] - Closing Reflections

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
- Numbers 6:24-26 (The Aaronic Blessing)
- John 14:27 (Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you)
- Philippians 4:7 (And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus)

---

Observation Questions:

1. What is the significance of the Aaronic blessing as described in the sermon? How does it relate to the concept of blessing others? [02:28]

2. How does the sermon describe the current state of the world, particularly in light of recent tragedies? [00:39]

3. What role does the concept of "shalom" play in the sermon, and how is it contrasted with the current reality? [01:15]

4. How does the sermon illustrate the idea of invoking God's presence through blessing? [03:06]

---

Interpretation Questions:

1. In what ways does the Aaronic blessing serve as a reminder of God's desire for peace and protection in our lives? How can this be applied in times of tragedy? [04:09]

2. How does the sermon suggest we can find hope and strength in God's presence during difficult times? What does it mean to "invoke" God's presence? [03:06]

3. The sermon mentions that true peace and safety come from God. How does this perspective challenge or affirm your understanding of security in today's world? [03:46]

4. How does the sermon describe the act of blessing as more than just words? What does it mean to project good into someone's life intentionally? [02:16]

---

Application Questions:

1. Reflect on a time when you felt the need to assure someone of their safety. How can you incorporate the practice of blessing into such moments? [03:46]

2. The sermon emphasizes invoking God's presence in times of tragedy. How can you make this a regular practice in your daily life, not just during difficult times? [03:06]

3. Consider the concept of "shalom" as described in the sermon. What steps can you take to promote peace and wholeness in your community or family? [01:15]

4. The sermon discusses the power of blessing others. Identify one person in your life who could benefit from a blessing. What specific action can you take to project good into their life this week? [02:16]

5. How can you cultivate a deeper awareness of God's manifest presence in your life, especially during moments of chaos and uncertainty? [05:22]

6. Reflect on the idea that true peace comes from God. How does this influence your approach to dealing with fear and anxiety in your life? [03:46]

7. The sermon mentions the song "It Is Well with My Soul." How can music or other forms of worship help you connect with God's peace and presence in your life? [01:28]

Devotional

Day 1: The Intentional Act of Blessing
Blessing is more than just a verbal expression; it is a deliberate act of projecting good into someone’s life. This requires engaging our will and inviting God’s presence into the lives of others. In times of tragedy, when we feel helpless, invoking God’s blessing becomes our source of hope and strength. By blessing others, we invite God to make His presence known, bringing peace and protection that we cannot provide on our own. This act of blessing is a spiritual practice that calls us to trust in God’s goodness and to seek His presence in our lives. [02:16]

"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace." (Numbers 6:24-26, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your life needs a blessing today? How can you intentionally project good into their life and invite God’s presence for them?


Day 2: Invoking God’s Presence in Tragedy
In moments of deep sorrow and tragedy, our hope lies in invoking God’s presence. We live in a world where everything is not okay, and we often feel the need to assure our children of their safety. Yet, true peace and safety come from God. Our role is to invoke His presence in our lives and the lives of those we love. By blessing others, we invite God to make His presence known, bringing peace and protection that we cannot provide on our own. This act of blessing is a spiritual practice that calls us to trust in God’s goodness and to seek His presence in our lives. [03:06]

"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10, ESV)

Reflection: In what areas of your life do you feel the need for God’s presence the most? How can you actively invite Him into those areas today?


Day 3: The Reality of Our World and God’s Peace
We live in a world where everything is not okay, and we often feel the need to assure our children of their safety. Yet, true peace and safety come from God. Our role is to invoke His presence in our lives and the lives of those we love. By blessing others, we invite God to make His presence known, bringing peace and protection that we cannot provide on our own. This act of blessing is a spiritual practice that calls us to trust in God’s goodness and to seek His presence in our lives. [03:46]

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." (John 14:27, ESV)

Reflection: How can you cultivate a sense of God’s peace in your daily life, even when the world around you feels chaotic and uncertain?


Day 4: The Aaronic Blessing as a Reminder of God’s Desire
The Aaronic blessing serves as a powerful reminder of God’s desire to bless and keep us, to make His face shine upon us, and to give us peace. It is a call to trust in God’s goodness and to seek His presence in our lives. By blessing others, we invite God to make His presence known, bringing peace and protection that we cannot provide on our own. This act of blessing is a spiritual practice that calls us to trust in God’s goodness and to seek His presence in our lives. [04:09]

"The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him." (Psalm 28:7, ESV)

Reflection: How can you incorporate the Aaronic blessing into your daily prayers for yourself and others?


Day 5: Manifesting God’s Presence Through Blessing
God is always present, but His presence is not always manifest. By blessing others, we invoke His manifest presence, inviting His peace and goodness into our world. This act of blessing is a spiritual practice that calls us to trust in God’s goodness and to seek His presence in our lives. By blessing others, we invite God to make His presence known, bringing peace and protection that we cannot provide on our own. This act of blessing is a spiritual practice that calls us to trust in God’s goodness and to seek His presence in our lives. [05:22]

"And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful." (Colossians 3:15, ESV)

Reflection: What specific steps can you take today to manifest God’s presence in your interactions with others? How can you be a conduit of His peace and goodness?

Quotes


our country is uh just ripped again the story of the latest shooting this one at an elementary school in texas 19 little children is um unthinkably shattering so i came down to a park you might be able to hear the water behind me and i'm looking at a playground with swing sets picnic tables and thinking of what life should be like for little children what shalom ought to look like for a country for the city [00:39:12]

dallas had just a few months left to live he was suffering from pancreatic cancer and you could see it in all of his body but he talked about blessing and how important it is to bless how we're made to bless and that sometimes those can just be words bless you somebody sneezes but they're not just words and he walked us through the aaronic blessing first i thought it was ironic blessing and i thought who wants an ironic blessing that'd be weird but it's it's from errands of the ironic blessing [02:04:48]

the lord bless you now to bless someone is to project good into their lives it's not something that you can do only with words you have to look at another person and use not just your mind that fully but also your will to will the good and then of course we're not able to do this we have been reminded of this again in texas in that elementary school so the only way to bless someone is to invoke the presence of god to bring god into it [02:40:57]

dallas has that wonderful section in renovation of the heart when he's talking about uh uh uh communities and uh in in redeeming the social dimension of ourselves about how no merely human community is self-sustaining and um that we have this deep desire to say especially to our children uh everything is okay but everything is never okay not in this world and perhaps the most not okay in those moments when we most feel the need to say it [03:17:52]

every parent wants to say to a child it's all right it's okay but it is not and so our only hope is to invoke god and to bring god's presence into the lives of those that we love including our children the lord bless you the lord project good into your life and keep you protect you shield you and hold you safe and when that does not happen it shatters our souls [03:53:84]

the lord bless you and keep you the lord make his face to shine upon you and you see a shining face in moments you see it when a grandparent looks at a low grandchild you see it maybe in a couple on a wedding day i was reading about this actually a deep emotion like deep love will actually cause capillaries to rise closer to the surface of the skin so when we talk about like a bride being radiant there actually is a reason for that [04:24:80]

there is a reason that we glow in the midst of glory as dallas would say the lord bless you and keep you the lord make his face to shine upon you the lord lift up his countenance upon you that's what we do when we're really focused in on somebody i might be looking around at a party i might be looking at other people then you say something something catches my attention and i lift up my confidence upon you [04:57:75]

that is to invoke the manifest presence of god god is always present allah said but his presence isn't always manifest not always clear but we invoke that when we bless the lord give you peace and of course peace is what we do not have in our world to curse then is the opposite to curses to project evil into the life of another and you think of a gunman at an elementary school using a gun to literally project evil into bodies into lives [05:20:08]

so we're gonna come before god and pray would you just listen to this song it'll be familiar to lots of us and let god make his manifest presence know on this day [05:54:08]

Chatbot

  • I'm an AI bot trained specifically on the sermon from May 26, 2022. Do you have any questions about it?

Transcript
What was the most surprising thing in this sermon?
Were there any personal stories shared?