Mariners Church Weekend Messages

Episode: December 28 – New Year Blessing – Kenton Beshore
Date: December 29, 2025
Speaker: Kenton Beshore

Overview

In this New Year’s weekend message, Kenton Beshore explores the profound power and necessity of blessing—both embracing God’s blessing for ourselves and offering it to others. With the stories of Jacob and David as core biblical examples, the sermon calls listeners into a deeper identity, rooted in God’s affirmation and commitment, and launches the community into 2026 with a challenge to bless and be blessed.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Looking Back and Forward in Faith

• Reflecting on 2025: Kenton expresses gratitude for what God has done and excitement for the new things the church will undertake in 2026, including new services and congregations.
  • "I love looking back at 25 and then I love looking forward to 26." (01:10)

2. The Parental Role: More Than Advice

• Stages of Parenthood: Beshore humorously breaks down parenting by life stages, emphasizing that the most powerful lifelong role is to bless, not just advise or mentor.
  • "What you're gonna see in this passage is the most important thing is for a parent to bless their children." (03:25)
  • "If you're a young parent...this is the most powerful role that you play: to bless them." (04:42)

3. The Nature and Importance of God's Blessing

• God as the Original Blesser: From creation, God’s blessing includes both celebrating what’s good and committing to sustaining and protecting.
  • Blessing’s Two Sides:
    • Celebration / Affirmation – “It’s good.”
    • Commitment – To sustain, protect, and provide.
  • "It is the celebration and pronouncing that something's good. And then at the same time, it's a commitment to sustain and to protect something." (06:14)
• Biblical Model: God’s blessing of Jacob (Genesis) and the iconic priestly blessing (Numbers):
  • “May the Lord bless you and keep you... and give you peace.” (10:20)
  • "God's blessing is something that is foundational to our soul. It is something that we need." (11:19)

4. Jacob’s Story: The Ache for Blessing and Its Consequences

• Family Favoritism: Jacob grows up desperate for his father's blessing, leading to deception and estrangement.
  • "Jacob is so empty and so needy for his father's blessing. He will do anything to hear just one time... 'I celebrate you, I love you, you're great.'" (18:45)
• The Universal Need: The longing for parental blessing leaves a soul-deep wound if unmet.
  • "A child who doesn't get their parent's blessing... creates a hole in their soul." (20:42)

5. Where Do We Seek Our Blessing?

• The Futility of ‘Looking Out’ and ‘Looking In’:
  • Seeking affirmation from others leads to exploitation or emptiness.
  • Self-affirmation (“self-talk”) feels hollow.
  • "Blessing doesn't come by looking towards others. Blessing doesn't come by looking inside of us. Ultimately, the only way...is that we must look up." (23:03)
• Only God’s Blessing is Bedrock:
  • Devotion to finding worth and identity solely in our Creator’s affirmation and commitment.
• Blessing as Identity:
  • "When God says to us, you are a person of great worth, you have value. I love you, I celebrate you and everything that I made you to be. And I am committed to you." (24:34)

6. Jacob’s Pineal Moment: Wrestling With God

• Transformation through Encounter:
  • After years of scheming, Jacob faces his brokenness, cries out to God, and literally wrestles for a blessing.
  • Notable Quote:
    "If you don't bless me, I will never be blessed. I have tried possessions, I have tried wealth. I've tried listening to the world. ... God, if you don't bless me, I will never have the blessing I need." (28:49)
• God's Response is Identity-Changing:
  • God renames Jacob to Israel – “overcomer.”
  • "Your name will no longer be Jacob... you will be called Israel." (30:19)
• Personal Application: Each of us has a "pineal" moment—a point of desperation and surrender where God alone redefines our core identity.

7. The Model of David Blessing Solomon

• Repeated and Public Blessing:
  • David affirms Solomon both privately and in front of the community, linking true blessing with God's calling and practical commitment.
  • “When we bless our children, it has to be repeated... over and over again.”
  • “Our blessings need to be personal and private, but they also need to be done publicly.” (36:15)
• Generational Commitment and Generosity:
  • David provides for Solomon’s calling—not for Solomon personally, but so that God’s temple (God at the center) would be possible.
  • "David's personal commitment is anywhere between 5 and 10 billion dollars... David doesn't give that kind of money to his son because that's life-ruining money... he gives the money to the calling that Solomon has." (38:47)
• Public Impact:
  • The generation’s blessing leads to Israel’s greatest era.

8. Lessons for the New Year: Embracing and Giving Blessing

• 1. Embrace God’s Blessing:

  • Not just emotionally but as objective truth—a fact that anchors the soul.
  • "God's love has to be a truth that anchors your soul, that at the very core of your being." (45:34)
  • Experience God’s smile ("May the Lord cause his face to shine upon you") and attention.

• Questions for Application:

  • "What would it take for you to wrestle the truth of God's love into your heart in 2026? What lie would you have to let go of to live as God's loved child?" (47:57)

• 2. Bless Others:

  • Join God in actively blessing children, friends, spouses, coworkers.
  • “When we bless someone... we're speaking the very words of God into a person's soul... driving that truth into our own soul.” (49:37)
  • Blessing includes affirmation ("I celebrate who God made you to be") and practical commitment to their success, even though it’s costly.

9. The Aaronic Blessing for the New Year

• Kenton’s Closing Blessing:
  • "Father, look at your children. They love you. Would you bless them and keep them? You cause your face to shine upon them and be gracious to them. Would you lift up the light of your countenance and give them peace?" (53:00)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the ache for blessing:
  "Jacob is so empty and so needy for his father's blessing. He will do anything to hear just one time... 'I celebrate you, I love you, you're great.'" (18:45)

• On where blessing comes from:
  "Blessing doesn't come by looking towards others. Blessing doesn't come by looking inside of us. Ultimately, the only way... is that we must look up." (23:03)

• On wrestling with God:
  "If you don't bless me, I will never be blessed... God, if you don't bless me, I will never have the blessing I need." (28:49)

• On parental blessing:
  "When we bless our children, it has to be repeated... over and over again... Our blessings need to be personal and private, but they also need to be done publicly." (36:15)

• On generational impact:
  "Solomon's generation was the greatest generation in Israel's history. It was the time where Israel was the greatest light to the world." (42:53)

• On embracing God’s love:
  "God's love has to be a truth that anchors your soul, that at the very core of your being." (45:34)

Important Segment Timestamps

• Reflection on Parenting & Blessing: (01:00–07:00)
• What is God’s Blessing?: (07:00–12:00)
• Jacob’s Story and the Ache for Blessing: (13:00–23:00)
• Worldly Solutions vs. Looking Up: (22:00–25:00)
• Jacob’s Wrestling with God: (26:00–31:00)
• The Identity Shift—Jacob to Israel: (31:00–32:00)
• Applying Blessing to Others – David & Solomon: (35:00–44:00)
• Call to Embrace and Give Blessing in the New Year: (45:00–50:00)
• Final Blessing Prayer: (53:00)

Summary Takeaways

• God’s blessing empowers, affirms, and transforms.
• True blessing can only be received from God—neither others nor ourselves can fill this need.
• Embracing our new identity as God’s children shapes how we live and how we see others.
• We are called to be conduits of God’s blessing—repeatedly and publicly affirming and committing to those entrusted to us.
• Blessing others is not just for their benefit; it also deepens our own grasp of God’s love.
• 2026 is an invitation to live anchored in divine blessing and to intentionally bless others.

Blessing for Listeners:
"May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord cause his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up the light of his countenance and give you peace." (53:00)