Could you bless me?

In this morning's worship service here at Hartwick, we heard a story about a pastor (wearing her clerical collar) who was trying to successfully cross a big and very busy intersection in downtown Chicago with her little pull along luggage.  As she approached the intersection, waiting for the light to change, her eyes met the eyes of a man who was standing on the opposite corner selling newspapers.  He looked a little sketchy.

The light changes; she hurries into the intersection and is met halfway by the man from the opposite corner. He kneels before her right in the street and asks, "Could you bless me?"

Well, OK.  She let's go of her luggage and places her right hand on the man's head and pronounces a blessing. 

There were no horns honking.  No cars pressing them to get going.  It was as if time stood still.  When he stood, she grabbed her luggage, proceeded to the other corner and life resumed as it was......

Or did it?  Who knows why he needed or wanted a blessing.  But for the rest of the day, he was blessed and he knew it.

Be ye always ready to bless someone else, in Christ's name, for their sake.  You can do it; you can do it exactly right because you know what it means to be blessed.  Pass it on.

Bless us and keep us O Lord.  AMEN