The Lord bless you and keep you; ²⁵ the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; ²⁶ the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.”  Numbers 6:24-26

The Blessing that appears in Numbers 6:24 – 26 is, of course, my favorite. To receive this blessing is to truly be blessed because by hearing and using these ancient words, we are connected to a worshiping community that stretches back thousands of years.  Connectedness is so important as a community of faith, especially when one component of that connectedness is in the words of our liturgy—which come directly from scripture. This is one of the reasons that I am Lutheran. I have experienced many different worship styles, and I am never more connected to G-d and to a worshiping community, then I am when we share in the words of our Lutheran liturgy. It is in those moments that I truly feel blessed and kept, that I can feel the very real presence of the Lord’s grace shining on us, and am thankful that the Lord’s countenance is cast our way – for it truly does give one peace.

Pastor Dave