Wake up, Carol, so you can hear my great big AMEN!!

Helen  <smile

At 02:31 PM 1/6/04 +0000, you wrote:
Hmmm!

(Carol sleepily responds):

Well, you men may understand all these "do's" and "do not's".  As for Helen
and myself, we just pray blessings on all and, those who are there to
receive will receive;  those who won't will just not get blessed!

Amen!

(Back to sleep for me!)


--
Carol


----- Original Message -----
From: "Helen" <[log in to unmask]
To: <[log in to unmask]
Sent: Tuesday, January 06, 2004 2:24 PM
Subject: Re: Blessing


  Paul wrote:  But blessing is always to be used very carefully, as
  we can see from the many instances of blessing or promising safety to the
  wrong people which haunted Israel most of their days.

  Helen responds:  Well, at that time, I had no such things in my mind or
heart.
  I wasn't thinking "well, I'm a priest in Christ Jesus, so I can bless
these
  people with this Aaronic blessing".......my blessing to them came from a
  prompting by the Holy Spirit out of love for them......no more and no
  less.  And if anyone was looking at me, they may have seen that shikinah
  glory shining in my face, too.  I knew nothing of any blessings being made
  to the wrong people.  It was an innocent and loving gesture by me to them,
  and if they were not willing to receive it as such, then the blessing came
  back to me.
  I am so thankful to God this morning that my relationship with Him has no
  need for a formal priest or minister to dictate to my heart what I can or
  cannot do in ministering to others.  The ministry of reconciliation is
mine
  just as much as it is theirs.

  Helen



  At 09:04 AM 1/6/04 -0500, you wrote:
  I get your point, Helen, but in the example you give that is the Aaronic
or
  priestly blessing, to be given only by the priests (that's what the LORD
is
  saying, this isn't to be done by the members of the congregation, but by
you
  priests).  Your point (whether you realize it or not, smile) is the
  priesthood of all Believers which would give you the right to bless
others
  in the Name of JESUS.  But blessing is always to be used very carefully,
as
  we can see from the many instances of blessing or promising safety to the
  wrong people which haunted Israel most of their days.

  One interesting thing which there is no historical proof of but is still
  something to think about is that the priests hold their hands out over
the
  congregation as they say the Blessing because, originally, when Aaron and
  the priests said the Blessing, the Shikinah Glory of the LORD, the
Eminance
  or Glowing that came from the face of Moses actually came out of their
hands
  and extended fingers onto the Congregation like an anointing.

  Wow, huh?  Smile.

  Paul
  ----- Original Message -----
  From: "Helen" <[log in to unmask]
  To: <[log in to unmask]
  Sent: Tuesday, January 06, 2004 8:57 AM
  Subject: Re: Blessing


    And God told Moses to tell Aaron and his sons to bless the children of
    Israel saying:

    24  The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
    25  The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
    26  The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
    (Numbers 6)

    Of course, some denominations keep the blessing of this blessing for
the
    high and mighty clergy to place upon their congregants, and it's a
no-no
    for a mere lay person to use it to bless anyone.  I used it once as I
was
    leaving a private meeting in the home of another member, sincerely
  desiring
    that God bless the others, and I was sharply taken to task by an
elder,
    telling me I couldn't do that, but only the minister of the church was
    allowed to use it.

    Helen



    At 08:38 AM 1/6/04 -0500, you wrote:
    Hey, John

    I can't think of a specific case (or of much of anything else this
  morning.
    Smile.)  but I'm sure Lutherans and Episcopalians (Anglicans in
England)
    also do blessings as well as the other liturgical folks at baptisms
and
    dedications.

    Paul