Leaving and Blessing
Scripture Reading — Genesis 12:1-7
Go from your country, your people and your father’s household. . . . And all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.
As a child and now as a parent, I have been a part of moments of leaving. Tears are sometimes shed. Hugs are shared.
We are not sure what kind of leaving Abram and his wife, Sarai, and their nephew Lot experienced, but we do know that God called them on a journey with him.
God was on the move to redeem his world and to restore people to himself—and we can see that in the promises of blessing that he gave to Abram in Genesis 12.
God works through people, and as he makes us his people—his family, his church—God seeks to mold us as a people of blessing. God promised Abram and his descendants abundant blessings, but those were never meant to be just for them. They were called out as a family to become a blessing to all families.
When we think of leaving and blessing, we can also think of Jesus’ leaving from heaven to come and live with us. He came to bring us grace and eternal life, but these gifts became available because Jesus was willing to leave heaven for our sake.
Maybe you are in a season of leaving. If so, may God give you strength for the journey. And wherever you are, may you know that God wants to bless people through you.
Dear Lord, prepare the way for our walking and working with you. When we are tired and discouraged, may we know that you are with us and blessing us to be a blessing to others. Amen.
About the author — Julius T. Medenblik
Rev. Jul Medenblik is a former attorney who was called to pastoral ministry and became the founding pastor of a church in New Lenox, Illinois. He is currently serving as president of Calvin Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Jul and his wife, Jackie, are blessed with a son, Joshua, and a daughter, Julianne.
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