FCCR-ACE Prayer Blog

Congregationalists Learning to Pray

When Justin requested a blessing, I started to think about the nature of blessing. What did I know about blessings? Well, there’s the story of Jacob wrestling with the angel. As a former wrestler, I’ve always liked this one. Jacob and the angel wrestled all night, and neither got the upper hand, at least not until the angel cheated and dislocated Jacob’s hip. Jacob would not let the angel go, however, until the angel had agreed to bless Jacob. The angel did so, giving Jacob a new name, Israel, thereby making Jacob and his descendants a new nation.

Then, I learned about blessings from my grandmother, who used to sing the old song, “…count your blessings, name them one by one, count your many blessings, see what God hath done.” Basically, a blessing can be viewed as a request for God’s favor, as in Jacob’s case, or as an actual incidence or little sign of favor from God, as in my grandmother’s case. Jacob surely needed some favor since he was in the process of going back to meet his older brother whom he had defrauded many years earlier. Being forgiven by Esau would indeed be a blessing for Jacob. I don’t know if it was the blessing after the wrestling match ended, or just that Esau was a basically decent guy, either way, Esau and Jacob were reunited. A blessing for both, I expect. To quote a Psalmist, “Behold how good and pleasant it is when kindred dwell together in unity.” We are here today to expand our pool of kindred, i.e. expand on our blessings.

While my grandmother isn’t here to tell us, I believe that she was able to count many blessings throughout her own life, blessings that have continued to be showered on her family. She surely had some tough times, having traveled from Dakota territory in a covered wagon with nine or ten siblings, and having been widowed at an early age. But she was blessed with supportive brothers and sisters and a very interesting daughter. She had a career as a chiropractor and remained healthy and independent into her 90s. Her daughter eventually consented to marry an interesting young man; and the two of them produced three interesting grandchildren; who married interesting spouses and had interesting children of their own; some of whom have continued the cycle of life by marrying interesting spouses and producing interesting little ones. So, all the interesting and supportive people in my grandmother’s life, her good health and her independence were all blessings she could indeed count. We are here today to expand on my grandmother’s stream of blessings by combining two families of interesting people.

Now let me return to the wrestling match for a moment. Jacob’s match with the angel was, in a way, a most blessed match, at least that’s how I’ve always viewed it. Jacob and the angel had equal abilities. Thus, they had the fun of being able to engage in the sport for an extended period. They got to experience fully and to enjoy all that goes with wrestling: the pushing and tugging, the muscle stretching, contracting, and flexing, the tumbling, the gasping for breath …. Personally, I always found the act of participation to be much more fun than the winning or losing. That is also why, for me, in almost every activity, practice has always held more interest than performance.

So anyway, here’s the point I think I’m trying to make, marriage is a bit like the wrestling of Jacob and the angel, not the struggling part, although some struggles are in the nature of all things, but the engaging-in-a-long-term, pleasant-experience part. That is, you have two people, equally capable, who share together a long-term activity that involves much give and take, but which is ultimately quite fulfilling. Then again, marriage also opens one up to many new blessings, blessings you can count: interesting new relatives, an extended support system, new eyes to help you gain new perspectives on life.

I would like, therefore, to offer up a prayer for the newly wedded couple.

Creator God,

Please be with Justin and Kim on this day and every day. Help them relish the give and take of life together as equals. Help them be mindful of and grateful for the blessings that, through your grace, come into their lives each day, both the new and the well-known people; the new and the oft-repeated, but fun experiences; the new and the familiar, but comfortable perspectives. If you would but bless their lives together as the two of them have blessed Hazel’s and my life, I think they’ll be well set for many years. And for this, we would thank you.

Amen