Naming the Blessing

Last week, after leaving one of my worship services, I was waiting in a dedicated left hand turn lane, fairly far back in a line of cars. I noticed an older man sitting at the head of the median. He had a sign, and while I could not read it, I was sure he was seeking money.  We have had some drenching rains in January, and many chilly nights. This memory caused me to look and see if I had any money. Only a dollar bill.  Not a great contribution, but I decided to pass it on.  

The line started to move, and I was a little concerned about trying to pass on this dollar as cars were turning.  For whatever reason, the man did not walk down the median, but continued to sit. The driver of the car ahead of me reached out and handed him a dollar, so I assumed, since we were all traveling slowly and in the same direction, I could do so safely as well.  However, as I reached out to give the dollar, sure enough, the driver behind me bumped into me. Once the dollar was securely in the hands of the other, I continued on, pulled into a parking lot and got out of my car.  

The other driver was a young woman, quite stylishly dressed. She was apologetic, and even said, "I saw you stop. I do not know why I did not." We examined our cars. She had a crumpled license plate and my rear bumper reflected a faint outline of the impact.  However, after driving 50,000 miles in bay area traffic, I have little concern about keeping my car in pristine condition.  She said she felt badly about running into me when I was simply trying to do something nice. I tried to assure her there was no real damage done, and the man did get his dollar.  We shared contact information "in case something came up." As we said our good-byes, I gave her a blessing. Despite her nice car, beautiful clothes and perfect make-up, I sensed some vulnerability.  

   

A few days later she called saying she just wanted to make sure I was alright.  I assured her I was just fine.  Yet, I wondered if there was something more to the question so I asked her how she was doing.  

She said she was okay, but then she paused. "I want to thank you for giving me a blessing. That really meant a lot to me."  That day, I was wearing a collar.   

  

We humans, with our ideologies and our passions, are crashing into one another quite a bit these days.  As we strive to hear the truth amid some seemingly thoughtless actions and reactions, there is a lot of ruckus being raised, names being hurled, sides taken, and real harm being done.  This morning, I think of Jacob wrestling's match in Genesis 32:22. Jacob was left with a limp, but he was also left with a blessing and a new name.  Even the location of the struggle was renamed: Peniel (face or vision of God).    

Who was Jacob wrestling with? Some say a man; some say an angel. We know we can be difficult to tell them apart.  However, as I continue to hear the daily news, I wonder what new name we and our land may end up with. I have no doubt that change is occurring. 

In Exodus, we read that Moses was told that we cannot see the face of God and live. That may be true, but Jacob was convinced he had seen God.  I do know we can see the face of Christ. That day, I saw Christ in an old man sitting in the median asking for money. I saw Christ in a young woman dressed for success, but who seemed to be struggling to live into her clothes. Sacred Presence is everywhere.  Therefore, I will continue to pray for the one who was elected. He has called himself Christian. May he live into that name as he looks into the faces of others. May he see God and live.    

  

John O'Donohue wrote a beautiful blessing for a leader. It is a little long, but I feel I should include the whole blessing. It is for us all.   

   

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May you have the grace and wisdom
To act kindly, learning
To distinguish between what is
Personal and what is not.

May you be hospitable to criticism.

May you never put yourself at the center of things.

May you act not from arrogance but out of service.

May you work on yourself,
Building up and refining the ways of your mind.

May those who work for you know
You see and respect them.

May you learn to cultivate the art of presence
In order to engage with those who meet you.

When someone fails or disappoints you,
May the graciousness with which you engage
Be their stairway to renewal and refinement.

May you treasure the gifts of the mind
Through reading and creative thinking
So that you continue as a servant of the frontier
Where the new will draw its enrichment from the
old,
And may you never become a functionary.

May you know the wisdom of deep listening,
The healing of wholesome words,
The encouragement of the appreciative gaze,
The decorum of held dignity,
The springtime edge of the bleak question.

May you have a mind that loves frontiers
So that you can evoke the bright fields
That lie beyond the view of the regular eye.

May you have good friends
To mirror your blind spots.

May leadership be for you
A true adventure of growth.

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To Bless the Space Between Us, John O'Donohue, Doubleday, 2008, page 151-152.