Downtown Mitchell First UMC
310 North Rowley, Mitchell, SD 57301
Rev. Keith Nelson, Lead Pastor
keith@downtownfirstumc.com
Pay It Forward!
Tucked away in the early pages of the Old Testament in our Bible is a word from God to Abraham. It’s one sentence long, and those words contain both a promise and a statement from God to Abraham. “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.” Genesis 12:2. This is referred to as the call of Abraham. What God is communicating in these words is that Abraham, with God’s blessing and guidance, will become a great nation, meaning Abraham’s descendants will greatly multiply and become a significant presence in the world. That’s the promise.
However, the statement from God, is that Abraham’s blessing isn’t intended for him to keep to himself. No, Abraham is blessed to be a blessing. Meaning that the blessing Abraham receives is something that he is to pass on to others. As followers of Jesus today, many generations after Abraham, we understand that even though this promise and statement wasn’t written to us, it is still a word for us because we are a part of the family of Abraham. Thus, we, too, are blessed to be a blessing. Genesis 12:2 is really the first “Pay it Forward” project in the Bible.
I tell you this bit of ancient history because just a couple days ago I had an experience with an individual that brought this verse to light by helping me understand and experience the power of being a blessing. What happened is that a gentleman stopped by the church seeking some assistance. I wasn’t able to help him in the way that he was initially seeking. But as we talked, I found out he was looking for a bite to eat and a couple other things our church family could help with. We keep some $10 Subway gift cards in the church office to help out in situations like this, for someone needing a meal or two. So, I got two gift cards for him and gave them to the individual and told him that should get him a couple of meals. The gentleman was most appreciative.
As we continued to talk, the gentleman made a comment that this was great that he had two gift cards, because now he could give one away and bless someone else just as he had been blessed. I started to tell him that he didn’t need to give one of the cards away, that they were both intended for him. This way he didn’t have to worry about a meal later in the day or the next day. He would be set for at least two meals. But then I suddenly realized, he was already not worrying about another meal. He was happy to simply have one meal cared for, plus the ability to pass on a blessing. Who was I to take away this individual’s understanding of how he was carrying on the directive from God…to not simply hang on to the blessing, but to pass it on to others. That is what blessed to be a blessing is all about.
There I was thinking I was the one in the role of paying forward the blessing. Yet, this gentleman, who literally had all his possessions in a small backpack, reminded me that blessing others isn’t about the amount of possessions one has…it’s really about the attitude and light in one’s heart. Here I thought I was the one helping or blessing Dennis. Turns out he was helping and blessing me. Thank you, Dennis,…I will bless someone else with the blessing you gave to me.
Serving Together,
Pastor Keith