The Blessing X Four
Sunday, September 12th, marked a day I won’t forget anytime soon. It was baptism Sunday at The Crossing and our oldest granddaughter was getting baptized. During the service that morning our pastor shared many wonderful stories from among the hundreds getting baptized that evening. As the picture of our granddaughter scrolled across the screen our hearts warmed as this has been our prayer since before she was born. (And it’s the same for our youngest)
However, before our pastor spoke, we had a wonderful time of worship. One of the songs we sang was a favorite of ours, The Blessing. If you’ve listened to Christian music for more than 5 minutes this past year, then you’ve probably heard the song. It’s that big! It’s theme and content is taken from Numbers 6:22-27, where Aaron blesses the children of Israel.
But something happened inside me when we hit the chorus.
May His favor be upon you,
And a thousand generations,
And Your family and your children,
And their children, and their children.
From singing at the top of my lungs to my voice cracking and breaking, and tears streaming down my face, I became undone. I was no longer singing words that appeared on a screen or those I’ve sung a thousand times before. I was praying, no, declaring God’s blessing over my family, and my children, and their children, and their children!
This isn’t the first time I’ve prayed that prayer over them. From the day we heard that Kathleen was expecting, I began praying for the salvation of our daughter and for a little boy who was out there, somewhere, who would one day become her husband.
Years later when we first heard that Lauren and Zak were expecting their first child, Julia, I began doing the same. A few years later, the same routine began with the addition of Lucy.
So, today, we celebrate the testimony of baptism. Or, as pastor Greg likes to say, “Baptism is declaring…I’m with Jesus.”
Now, what does all of this have to do with the title and the image below? The pristine butterfly sitting on top of the zinnia is the 4th and last generation of this monarch clan. She will make her way to the mountains in Mexico and, after the winter, will emerge again in spring to make her way north to begin 4 new generations of butterflies.
Therefore, our grandchildren are the 3rd generation to receive this blessing. I can’t wait for the 4th!
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If you’d like to know more about what baptism means, you can connect here to The Crossing.
