What Blessings?

You are social distancing, you have masks in the glove compartment, jacket pockets, desk drawers and on hooks in the hallway, and you’re afraid to go shopping. Yet, the Bible says you’re blessed. Excuse me?

The first verse of today’s second reading (v. 3) mentions a form of the word “blessed” three times! Even those of the dimmest understanding will recognize this as a probable key to the entire lection (vv. 3-14).

Reading verses 4 through 14, however, is a daunting task. If one were to enumerate all the blessings mentioned therein … well, it would be like searching for the correct number of squares in a Facebook puzzle. You know, the puzzle with large square and squares within squares, some interlinked with others and some encompassing other squares. Only the perceptive and spatially gifted can arrive at the correct answer. This is what reading Ephesians 1:3-14 is like. You uncover one blessing, only to find another … like Russian nesting dolls.

You might ask the congregation to read the text displayed on a screen, consult the Bible on their smartphones, or even open a physical, hard copy of the Bible and start counting the blessings listed in this...