Tag Archives: blessings

Discussion Plan: How do Blessings work?

Discussion Plan: How do Blessings work?

1. Can you ask for a blessing? If so, what do you think happens when you are ‘being blessed’?

2. Can you demand or force someone to bless you?

3. Can anyone receive a blessing?

4. Can anyone give a blessing?

5 .Can you give a blessing without realising you have done so?

6. Can a blessing ever be a burden?

7. Can you believe in blessings without believing in curses?

8. Can you believe in blessings without believing in God?

9. What blessing would you wish for?

10. What blessing would you like to give to someone else?


 

Discussion Plan: How do blessings work?

  1. Can you ask for a blessing? If so, what do you think happens when you are ‘being blessed’?
  2. Can you demand or force someone to bless you?
  3. Can anyone receive a blessing?
  4. Can anyone give a blessing?
  5. Can you give a blessing without realising you have done so?
  6. Can a blessing ever be a burden?
  7. Can you believe in blessings without believing in curses?
  8. Can you believe in blessings without believing in God?
  9. What blessing would you wish for?
  10. What blessing would you like to give to someone else?

 

Discussion Plan: Being blessed and giving blessings

Being blessed and giving blessings

  1. Can you be blessed with good health? If so, what does this mean?
  2. Can a day be blessed? Explain
  3. Can a person’s life be blessed? If so, did it need someone to bless it? Explain,
  4.  Can we be a blessing to our parents? If so, what does this mean?
  5. Is there a difference between ‘being blessed’ and ‘receiving a blessing’?
  6. I bless you saying “May God grant you long life”, is that the same as wishing you a long life?
  7. If I bless you saying “May God grant you long life”, is that the same as hoping you will have a long life?
  8. Does giving a blessing guarantee that the content of the blessing will happen or come true?
  9. Can people give blessings, or only God? If people can give them, do you think there is a difference between a blessing given by God and a blessing given by a person? Explain.

Discussion Plan: Giving and Receiving Curses

Discussion Plan: Giving and Receiving Curses

  1. Can you be cursed with bad health? If so, what does this mean?
  2. Can a day be cursed? Explain
  3. Can a person’s life be cursed? If so, did it need someone to curse it? Explain,
  4. Can we be a curse to our parents? To our teachers? If so, what does this mean?
  5. If I curse you by saying “May all your friends abandon you” is that the same as wishing that all your friends would abandon you?
  6. Can people give curses or only God? If people can give them, do you think there is a difference between a curse given by God and a curse given by a person? Explain.
  7. Can having someone curse you ever be a good thing?
  8. Does giving a curse guarantee that the content of the curse will happen or come true?
  9. Can you believe in blessings without believing in curses?
  10. Can you believe in curses without believing in God?

Leading Idea: Blessings and Curses

Leading Idea:  Blessings and Curses

In this passage, God makes three kinds of claims regarding how Avram will be blessed:

  1. I will bless you
  2. You shall be a blessing
  3. All the families of the earth shall bless themselves by you

What is a blessing? What does it mean ‘ to be blessed’? What might it mean to regard yourself blessed by the presence of someone else?

We might make a distinction here between ‘being blessed’ as an activity and ‘being blessed’ as a state of being.

How is giving or receiving a blessing different from being a blessing? Whereas the activity of ‘being blessed’ suggests a kind of transaction – with something being passed on from one person  to another, the state of  ‘being a blessing’ suggests that ‘being blessed’ is some inner quality of a person. We can all think of people who we feel are blessed with certain qualities or character traits.  We might also think of ways that we are blessed because of the presence of other people in our lives.  How might these experiences shed light on the text?

In addition to blessing Avram, God says he will bless all who bless Avram and curse all those who curse him. This not only suggests that people (as well as God) are capable of blessing and cursing – but opens up further questions to think about: What are the moral implications of God acting according to how others treat Avram?  What are we doing when we bless and curse people? Is it just another way of wishing them something (for instance, good or bad luck?). Can the idea of giving or receiving a blessing or a curse have significance even if you don’t believe in ‘ a God who blesses’?

 

Discussion Plan: Giving and Receiving Blessings

Discussion Plan: Giving and Receiving Blessings

  1. Can you be blessed with good health? If so, what does this mean?
  2. Can a day be blessed? Explain
  3. Can we be a blessing to our parents? If so, what does this mean?
  4. Is there a difference between ‘being blessed’ and ‘receiving a blessing’?
  5. If I bless you saying “May God grant you long life”, is that the same as wishing you a long life? hoping you will have a long life?
  6. Can people give blessings, or only God? If people can give them, do you think there is a difference between a blessing given by God and a blessing given by a person? Explain.
  7. Can anyone receive a blessing? Any thing receive a blessing?
  8. Can anyone give a blessing?
  9. Can a blessing ever be a burden?
  10. Does giving a blessing guarantee that the content of the blessing will happen or come true?
  11. Can you believe in blessings without believing in curses?
  12. Can you believe in blessings without believing in God?
  13. What blessing would you wish for?
  14. What blessing would you like to give to someone else?

Leading Idea: The act of Blessing

Download pdf     Leading Idea 5:  The act of Blessing

In this passage God blesses three things.

  • The animal kingdom – the first blessing is to flourish and ‘become many’
  • Human Beings – the second blessing is to flourish, become many,  to  subdue/tame  the rest of creation and have dominance / predominance in relation to it.
  • Shabbat – the third blessing is to be made holy / sanctified.

What is it to bless something / someone? Is a blessing something conferred by one being onto another? (without their participation) or is it relational? What is the difference between blessing animals, persons, and a day, and the difference in the content of these three blessings?