Jacob Blessing His Sons by François Maitre. The mention of a bed in Genesis 49:33 indicates that this is a deathbed speech. Jacob Blessing His Sons, miniature by François Maitre from Augustine's "La Cité de Dieu", book I-X (manuscript "Den Haag, MMW, 10 A 11"). Book 1, 13; at the Museum Meermanno Westreenianum, The Hague

Let us toss around a couple of notions in a blessing salad and see what comes of it:

A recognition and celebration  of cultural diversity with main ingredient of trust in God, seasoned with providence and confidence in a future shaped in the mix.

Jesus identified with every variation of our humanity, including our ethnicity, culture, race, standing, and vulnerability to being marginalized by our fellow human beings.

Value is expressed when our uniqueness is called out and celebrated … as God so readily practices.

Throughout time, the uniqueness of people is named. Jacob described each of his sons and how their tribes would carry on their fathers' legacies.

"By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph and worshiped, leaning on top of his staff." – Hebrews 11:21 (NKJV)

God is the Father calling all tribes to the place of acceptance to pronounce a blessing upon them, each one individually and individualized.

Our tribes matter. Our cultures matter.

Jacob worshiped, leaning …

Faith, in itself, is a kind of leaning.

Blessing others, we lean into them. Proclaiming the blessing as if already accomplished, is a leaning into the future with faith.

Worshiping is leaning into God.

"Leaning on the everlasting arms," we need a bit of support. Jacob had a staff.

It worked, but still, he was dying.

But aren't we?

We live with dying and we die with living.

We leave behind the values, attitudes, quirks, and stories we have created, curated, and nurtured in our lifetime.

We also send ahead of us, the things that God has accomplished within us.

We will not be here to control the futures of the people we have influenced. We will not stick around to see how they take what we have imparted and improve upon it … or not. We will leave this world the way we moved around in it, with faith.

Jacob chose faith in his dying days, he envisioned a future that would be within the trust of his family who would become families and tries.

Each would matter.

Then he fell upon his staff and found God supporting him. Thus he worshiped.

I am not exactly sure how this day will unfold, but I am leaning toward a faith that shall not falter with faith that cannot fail because it leans forward on a Father who receives my faith as an expression of worship.

Then, there was Moses.

The secret of endurance as discovered by Moses …

"he endured as seeing Him who is invisible." Hebrews 11:27b, (NKJV)

Seeing the invisible God.

It really goes to the heart of faith for people of faith.

We deal in that realm that an outsider might legitimately view as subjective … and yet we see.

All people of vision, whether people of faith or not, see things that others do not see.

Some see the future.

Some see possibilities.

Some see realities too small or far away for the naked eye to surround.

If it can be captured and perceived through the optical nerves, it may not be faith and it may not be enough to produce endurance. If it requires a leap into the uncharted unknown, one has lengthened the distance of vision and shortened the gap between what is and what can be through the Eyes of the One Who Is.

All people and peoples matter in the scheme of things. All are part of the weaving God is weaving and has woven. All are part of the historic weave and the prophetic weave.

Ours is to celebrate, appreciate, and anticipate.

While we are still breathing, let us bless the next generation. They are different than us. They are diverse. They are unique. We are not sure how God is going to work out the blessing, but we can be sure that God will.

The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:

“‘“The Lord bless you
    and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you
    and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you
    and give you peace.”’

“So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.” – Numbers 6:22-27, (NIV)