We often Say “God Bless”, write “Every Blessing” at the end of an email and “oh Bless” when someone has done something silly.
Made the word a bit meaningless and wet!

I want to recover our understanding and use of the word…

The word bless is pretty powerful! It means to pronounce words in a religious rite in order to confer or invoke divine favour upon
So when we bless someone we are announcing God’s favour on them in particular ways!

God loves to bless – Ephesians 1:3-14
He has blessed us with

* Destiny – be holy and blameless
* Adoption – chosen to be God’s sons
* Redemption – freedom
* Forgiveness
* Riches of grace
* Inheritance
* Hope
* Holy Spirit

Radical thing is that God’s blessing starts before we are aware of it – in fact before the creation of the world. So blessing is about grace, it’s the grace of God at work.
Grace first – we can bless non Christians, so they encounter God – God’s kindness will lead them to repentance and coming to faith

Priests job to bless
Numb 6:22-27
Moses told Aaron exactly how to bless the people of God – with words, words that carry spiritual power
Keep you – never going to let go
Make his face shine on you – love that, coveys a sense of the warmth of God’s pleasure
Be gracious to you – in the favour of God
Lift his countenance upon you – thinking of you and acting for you
Give you peace – whatever the circumstances

More instructions are given for the whole tribe of Levi to acts as priests and bless people
Deut 10:8 “At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord to stand before the Lord and to bless in his name”
See the threefold job

1. Carry God’s presence – the ark was the old covenant symbol of God’s presence
2. Stand before the Lord -pray for the people they are looking after
3. Bless in God’s name – to bless people

In case it still sounds a bit airy fairy and just words, look at
Lev 9:22-27 – look at the power!

Then Aaron lifted up his hands towards the people and bless them, and he came down from offering the sin offering and the burnt offering and the peace offerings. And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting and when they came out they blessed the people and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and all the pieces of fat on the altar and when the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.

Moses and Aaron had soaked in the presence of God, came out and blessed the people and the fire fell and people ended up on their faces. There is power in blessing!

Adjust our thinking from “God Bless!”, “Every Blessing”, “oh Bless his cotton socks” to intentionally blessing with an expectation that God will invoke favour!

Blessing people isn’t something that vicars, bishops and pastors do – we are all priests now!
Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection has ushered in an amazing new covenant where believers are part of a kingdom of priests and we all get to do the stuff!

We are a kingdom of priests 1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light
We are part of the people of God, God’s possession
And we have the power and authority to do it Matt 28:18-19 All authority on heaven and earth has been given to me. God therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you”

So let’s do it – let’s bless people…

1) Easy to slip into prayer and intercession “Father would you bless…”
Prayer and intercession is good, but blessing people is something we have the authority to do – notice how all the scriptures about blessing have been commands to bless, so “I bless you in the name of Jesus” is more appropriate

2) Recover a balance of prayer and blessing. We all pray for people more than we bless them, so let’s recover that balance… “I bless you in the name of Jesus Christ…”

3) Bless Christians and non-Christians – grace first. Bless non Christians so they encounter the love of God first and then get hungry for his mercy

How…

Look ’em in the eye and grab their hand if a non Christian, hand on shoulder if they are more used to being prayed for.
What do you bless people with? Ask the Holy Spirit for the words to say, what he wants to bless. He’ll give you words to say.
The BLESS acronym is helpful too!
B Body: health, protection, strength
L Labor: work, income, security
E Emotional: joy, peace, hope
S Social: love, marriage, family, friends
S Spiritual: salvation, faith, grace

I’ve been reading the story of the Ffald-y-Brenin retreat centre in Wales where they have seen some amazing things as they bless people – healings, deliverance, salvation, people set free from life controlling issues.

There you go – God loves to bless, It’s the job of priests, We are all priests, We bless in Jesus name as a declaration not an ask.
So let’s not as James 1:22 says, just be hearers of the word, but doers…

Demonstrate it and then get you all doing it…

Who wants to be blessed first? Demonstration Before we all bless one another

Jesus Crosses Boundaries part 2

Jesus crosses boundaries to reach the Samaritan woman, showing God’s love defies prejudice and social status. Onyilo challenges us to examine biases, especially in our closest circles, since dividing people is a work of the flesh. Everyone shares the same needs, and Jesus offers himself as an eternal source.

Speaker:	Onyilo Obande,
Series:	God's Multicoloured Wisdom
Date:	1st Nov, 2026
Download:	Jesus Crosses Boundaries part 2
Plays:	1
Views:	8
Sermon notes:	PDF Jesus Crosses Boundaries part 2 Jesus Crosses Boundaries (John 4:1–26) Series: The Multicoloured Wisdom of God · Sermon outline and discussion guide   The Samaritan: barriers between groups (v. 9) Main point: Jesus crossed the lines that others deliberately refused to cross. The text: “Jews refused to have anything to do with Samaritans.” Jews would even travel the long way around Samaria to avoid contact. The background: Solomon’s son rejected the people’s plea to lighten the tax burden, and the kingdom split into north (Samaria) and south (Judah and Benjamin, capital Jerusalem). Assyria conquered the north, scattered its nobles, and resettled foreigners there, who brought their own gods and worship practices. Intermarriage led the Jews to view Samaritans as impure, and the rivalry lasted for generations. This is the source of the woman’s remark about worshiping on Mount Gerizim. Personal story: Onyilo’s family objected to his marrying someone from a different Nigerian tribe. God asked him, “Do you want to go to heaven where that tribe will also be? If you can’t welcome her into your worthless house, how will you spend eternity with them in my priceless heaven?” He repented and went ahead with the wedding. Key insight: Our openness is often tested only when someone enters our intimate circle (family, marriage). That is where we discover whether our hearts are truly open. Galatians 5:19–20: Dividing people into groups is listed among the “works of the flesh.” It is human nature, not something peculiar to the Jews and Samaritans. Application: Unconscious bias is real. Awareness plus the Holy Spirit’s help allows us to deal with it.   The Woman: Barriers of Status and Reputation Main point: No one is too insignificant or too broken for Jesus to reach. She came to the well at noon, alone, which was unusual, since women typically drew water together in the morning or evening. This suggests she was rejected by her community. Despite her history (five husbands, and currently living with a man who is not her husband), Jesus chose her for the first public revelation of himself as Messiah. Encouragement: If you feel unimportant, unaccomplished, or are struggling with addiction, you are the kind of person Jesus seeks. Endure and hold on. Jesus is willing to break every wall between you and himself. III. The Well: Our Shared Humanity and Our Deeper Need Main point: Everyone goes to the well, so we are fundamentally one. Skin colour, accent, job, and family background do not define who we are. The life of God within us does. Our resurrection bodies will have no tribe, colour, accent, or profession. Everyone shares the same basic needs: food, friendship, love, and care. IV. Jesus: The Eternal Source Main point: Jesus offers himself as a source that never runs dry. Temporary sources satisfy temporary needs, but only Jesus meets the eternal one. Living water flows from within us (John 7:38), so joy, love, and kindness flow outward to others. Our joy then depends on God rather than on money or circumstances. Revelation 21–22: no need for sun or moon, because God himself is the light. Closing Response Self-examination (not guilt-tripping): Have I dealt with the barriers in my heart? Prayer: Ask God to break down walls and open the guarded inner places so the Holy Spirit can flow through us to others. Declaration: “Lord, I need you. Be my source.” Five discussion questions Where does the line fall in my heart? Is there a close circle (family, marriage, friendships) where I may be guarding a boundary? Why is it easier to be welcoming at church than at home? How does unconscious bias show up? Galatians 5:20 names dividing people as a work of the flesh. Where do we see this in assumptions, jokes or who we sit with, and what can we do about it? Whom would Jesus cross a boundary to reach here? Who in our neighbourhood, workplace or church feels excluded? What one step could you take this week? Do I believe Jesus wants to reveal himself to me? Where do I feel unworthy or overlooked, and how does the woman’s story change that? How can we encourage one another? What wells do I keep returning to? (money, approval, relationships, achievement) What would it look like for my joy to depend on God, so love and kindness flow out to others?

   

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