Psalm 67 — Blessed to Be a Blessing
Preacher: Rev Marc Scheibe | Passage: Psalm 67
Psalm 67 opens with a prayer many of us know by heart: “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us.” Rev Marc reminded us that this is not a sentimental wish but the pattern of mission: we begin by receiving. The Bible’s mission story does not start in our activity but in God’s presence. Before we go anywhere or do anything, the Lord places His blessing upon His people. We live and serve under the smile of His face.
The Heart of Mission: Presence → Purpose → Praise
Marc traced the flow of the psalm:
- Presence: God’s grace and shining face (v.1). The Aaronic blessing is not a slogan; it is God’s favour resting upon His people. Mission starts with receiving His blessing.
- Purpose: “So that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations” (v.2). God blesses His church for the sake of the world. We are blessed to be a blessing.
- Praise: “May the peoples praise you… may all the peoples praise you” (vv.3–5). The end of mission is worship. God’s saving rule spreads, and nations rejoice in the just, shepherding care of the true King.
Blessing That Overflows
The psalm repeats the refrain so that we cannot miss it: God intends His praise to resound from His people to all peoples. Christians are not called to hoard grace like a private asset; we are called to embody it, speak it, and share it. Marc challenged us to consider: if God’s blessing truly rests on us, what should overflow from us in our homes, streets, workplaces and city?
That overflow will be seen in:
- Confident witness: telling God’s story, not simply our story. The world is watching; our words and lives point to His saving way.
- Costly love: facing others with the same grace-filled face God has turned towards us in Christ.
- Concrete faithfulness: small, steadfast acts of obedience that make the beauty of the gospel plausible in everyday life.
Missional Implications for Our Church Family
If mission begins in God’s presence and aims at God’s praise, then our congregational life must continually move along that line: from gathered worship to scattered witness, and back again. Psalm 67 anchors our rhythms:
- Gather to Receive: we come each Sunday to be re-centred in God’s blessing and truth. We need His face to shine on us.
- Scatter to Reveal: we are sent “so that” His ways and salvation might be known in Belfast and beyond. Our programmes matter, but our people—living as light in ordinary places—matter most.
- Return to Rejoice: we gather again to praise, to pray for the nations, and to bring stories of God’s grace at work in the week.
This is why discipleship is never merely inward. The blessing we receive on a Sunday is meant to become blessing for neighbours on a Monday. It will shape how we speak, forgive, spend, serve, and stand with the vulnerable. It will also shape how we pray—wide, nation-embracing prayers that match Psalm 67’s horizon.
Hope That Holds
The psalm ends with confidence: “The land yields its harvest; God, our God, blesses us… and all the ends of the earth will fear Him” (vv.6–7). In other words, God will finish what He has started. Our labour in the Lord is not in vain; our praise is moving towards that great multitude from every nation who will stand before the Lamb. So we keep going—receiving, living, speaking, and singing—until His praise fills the earth.
Listen Back & Join Us
You can listen to the full sermon below. As ever, the best way to grow is both to listen and to belong—to sit under God’s Word together and to live it out together. If you are new or haven’t been for a while, we would love to see you during the week and on Sundays (Prayer 9:45–10:00; Sunday Worship 10:30). Let’s be a people who receive God’s blessing—and become a blessing in Belfast.
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