May the Lord give strength to His people! May the Lord bless His people with peace!
Psalm 29:11
Weaved into this season of the Nativity Fast, as we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, and make our journey towards the Nativity, and as we commemorate many important feast days, we will reflect on a prayer that is found near the end of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. It is sometimes referred to as the “Prayer of the Ambon” or “The Prayer of Thanksgiving,” but for this brief study, we will refer to it as “The Good and Perfect Prayer.” After the Eucharist has been distributed, and the Gifts have been returned to the Prothesis (the table on the left side of the altar where the Gifts are prepared and where the sacred vessels are kept), the priest says “Let us depart in peace. Let us pray to the Lord.” And he exits the altar and stands in front of the icon of Christ. And he begins the prayer: O Lord, bless those who praise (bless) You. In Greek the phrase reads: “O evlogon tous evlogountas se Kyrie”. The correct translation is “O Lord, bless those who bless you,” though an earlier translation is “O Lord, bless those who praise You.”
What does this phrase mean? It means, simply, that we are asking the Lord to bless the people who have blessed the Lord. In the Lord’s Prayer, we pray “Hallowed be Thy name.” It is a reminder that even the name of the Lord is holy. Think about how often you say the name of the Lord. There are many people, even devout Christians, who take the Lord’s name in vain. We use it to express disbelief and surprise. We use it to curse misfortune. There are many people, even devout Christians, who do not use the name of the Lord. They only hear it when they are in church. They aren’t praying or reading the Bible.
Then there are the people who use the name of the Lord, but quietly, only to themselves. They pray, read Scripture, and worship faithfully. They think of the Lord when they make decisions. They are careful with their thoughts about Him. They honor the Lord with a witness that is solid, though silent. Is this sufficient? Does “blessing God” require us to say His name out loud?
The Great Commission, in Matthew 28:19-20, requires us to “Go 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.” It is interesting to note, that the words “make disciples” are actually captured in one word in Greek, mathitefsate which is the word “disciple” used as a verb. The Great Commission commands us to “Go and disciple all nations.” We don’t see the word “disciple” used as a verb in Orthodox circles. It is used in many Protestant circles with the idea that one “mentors” or “disciples” someone and leads them to Christianity. The Great Commission is given to every Orthodox Christian at baptism. It is not a suggestion, but a requirement, to do something to further the Gospel. It is not just the role of the priest to share the faith, but the role of each Orthodox Christian.
To bless the name of God is not only a personal and private feeling towards God, but one that is shared with others, in some way. This might be the Biblical ideal of discipleship, that one served as a mentor to someone who is coming to the faith. This is actually the intended role of a Godparent, that one serves as a mentor to someone who is coming into the faith, and continues in that role after that person has been received into the faith.
There is an even more simple role of blessing God, which is inviting someone to come and discover Him, with the simple words “Come and see.” This invitation is used by Jesus in John 1:39, to invite two of John’s disciples to come a speak with Him. One of those disciples was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, which is why Andrew is known as the first-called of the Disciples, because he went and told Simon Peter, his brother, that “We have found the Messiah” (John 1:41) and brought Peter to Jesus. The “come and see” invitation is also found in John 1:46, when Philip invites Nathanael to come and meet Jesus.
At a recent weekday Divine Liturgy, there were about 15 people in the church. And I saw two of our recent converts, each had someone next to him that I didn’t know. It turns out that each had invited someone they knew to come and see, to come to a Divine Liturgy. Maybe they will never come back. Or maybe they have found a home and will become Orthodox for the rest of their lives. It is not for us to convert people; the Holy Spirit does that. We bless the Lord when we make the invitation.
We also bless the Lord when we speak of Him with others, something else that we are generally uncomfortable with. The next time you speak with someone who is in crisis, I challenge you to ask them if you can pray for them. And if you are really wanting to take a leap of faith, offer a prayer right then, out loud, asking God to be with them in whatever challenge they are facing. This is another example of how to bless God. No one is suggesting that we bless God by standing on street corners and holding up signs—that actually makes people think Christians are crazy and collaterally dishonor God. There are subtle ways to bless God—quiet example, compassionate prayer for someone, and an invitation to “come and see.”
The prayer for this short unit will be the entire prayer we hear at the Divine Liturgy. While this prayer serves as a concluding prayer for the Divine Liturgy, we will see that its words are appropriate for every day and any time, whether one is at the Divine Liturgy or not.
O Lord, bless those who praise You and sanctify those who put their trust in You. Save Your people and bless Your inheritance. Protect the whole body of Your Church. Sanctify those who love the beauty of Your house. Glorify them in return by Your divine power, and do not forsake us who place our hope in You. Grant peace to Your world, to Your churches, to the clergy, to those in public service, to the armed forces, and to all Your people. For every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from You, the Father of Lights and to You we send up glory, and thanksgiving, and worship, to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and forever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Bless God in some way today!
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