The Blessing of a Sneeze

A sermon for the congregation of St. Stephen Anglican Church, Summerland BC / Sunday, February 16, 2025 / The Very Rev. Ken Gray

I was recently told that I should include more humour in my sermons. I often do, though my joking around is often unplanned and spontaneous. Today however, I will begin with a carefully prepared joke.

What do you call a nut with a cold? / A cashew.

[Insert raucous laughter]

When I sneeze, it’s loud, and for some, scary. My teacher-son, Cameron,  has also inherited this special ability. When he loudly sneezed in class recently, a student burst into tears. I can stop conversation in a mid-size restaurant or during Recope in the swimming pool. Most often, I sneeze  three or more times in succession. It feels so good, so physically satisfying, almost like, well you know.

People respond to my outbursts in a variety of ways. Many simply carry on with their conversation; others might say something like gesundheit, or bless you. In earlier times people believed that the soul could exit the body during a sneeze, causing ill health, so folks said “God bless you” to ward off this danger. Never knew that; good to know.

During COVID, sneezes were greeted with anxiety. I remember letting rip outside Save On Foods in Penticton only to be scowled at by an exiting shopper who silently indicated that he would like to shove a mask down my throat. No “bless you bro,” on this occasion. Fair enough; I was not being careful. I subsequently amended my ways.

In more relaxed circumstances, it’s lovely to be blessed by someone. It’s a shame that we reserve such blessings for sneezing alone. In downtown Victoria a few years ago, a stranger came up to me and blessed me. Just me, for no apparent reason. While odd, it was a lovely gesture. Why don’t we bless each other more often: on the street, in the parking lot at the grocery store; in the doctor’s waiting room? And what about church?

In our weekly service of Holy Eucharist we share the peace with each other as the table is prepared prior to the great Prayer of Thanksgiving. Sharing the peace is, in part, a kind of mutual blessing. In the old rite we used to hear the words “if ye are in love and charity with your neighbour and intend to live the new life . . . draw near with faith and take this Holy sacrament to your comfort” as a prelude to confession. Both of these are audible, ritual greetings and encouragements, a type of blessing, a reminder that we are in fact blessed, and are freed to bless others and God in return.

I am not suggesting that we add sneezing to the ritual of our worship, but an appreciation of God blessing us all, and likewise all creation, is something to be welcomed in every context in today’s chaotic and fearful culture. Here is a simple truth: We are blessed regardless of merit or circumstance; all that remains is for us to honestly accept God’s blessing. The Beatitudes help us with our task.

There are two sets of what we call The Beatitudes in the Gospels, a longer form in Matthew (5:3–10) and the shorter form we hear today in Luke (6:17-26). In Matthew, the setting is atop a mountain; in Luke, the sayings are announced on a plain. Matthew includes only sayings of blessing; Luke shares a shorter list of blessings accompanied with some woes. Both respond to the opportunities of life for Jesus’ listeners with a message of encouragement. In Luke’s version we hear:

But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.

Woe to you who are full now,
for you will be hungry.

Woe to you who are laughing now,
for you will mourn and weep.

Woe to you when all speak well of you,
for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.

Luke does seem to take some of the fun out of blessing here. He suggests  bluntly that we can trapse through life with a false understanding of what we have done and what we should do. If blessing is an encouragement, a woe is a reality-check. With Mary’s Song, Magnificat, (Luke 1:46-52) he is not scared to proclaim woe to the mighty: “He has shown strength with his arm;  he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate” (Luke 1:51-2).

Think of this in relation to Trumpian politics or other hard-right regimes elsewhere. We see, in Technicolor (remember that technology?), the need for the so-called mighty to collapse, and those downtrodden to be restored to dignity. Blessed are the poor, the disenfranchised, the despised; and blessed are those who stand with them. And woe to those who oppose the justice of God shown us in Jesus.

For Luke, the Christian life involves the receiving of a blessing and an assurance of divine care. Opposite this, judgment is levied against those who choose to avoid the invitation and practice of love. Love is the antidote to despair. Loving action brings the Kin(g)om of God to earth. As Ed Horstmann writes in The Christian Century, “These blessings and woes are certainly strange, but could they be the doorway to a life more beautiful and more full of wonder than our deepest dreams?”

“Jesus uses blessings to encourage and give hope to those who have every good reason to be discouraged and feel hopeless. Underneath these words, he is saying, you are beloved.” One of singer and songwriter Gordon Light’s more recent compositions is titled Beloved.

Your word upon deep waters,
sounds the wonder of our name: beloved;
Out of chaos you bring order,
by your grace we’re called and claimed: beloved.
Your breath gives life and raises us from dust
in your love we know this name is never lost,
in this gracious truth we trust,
we know it is enough to be beloved.

On your darkest day, during a time of challenge and confusion, claim the blessing which is given to us. Use words written or spoken; use music or art as you are able; share with others, or welcome the calm of silence. Rest in God; claim God’s blessings; you are beloved; you are blessed.