“The Lord bless you and keep you:
The Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you:
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.” – Numbers 6:24-26
In the book of Numbers, God shares a priestly blessing with Moses. God commands Moses to tell Aaron and his sons that this is how they are to bless the Israelites. This blessing reminds God’s people that God is present. God’s people are not alone. They are blessed by God’s presence and by the work that God will do among them. From the time of Moses to today, this blessing is often spoken among God’s people.
The most current setting that I experience the sharing of this scripture is with the youth group at St. Luke’s. I love hearing this blessing being shared in our youth group. At the close of almost every youth group session, they gather in a circle, hold hands, and they speak out loud this blessing to one another. It is a blessing to see that they have this scripture memorized and share it with one another.
When my daughter Mary Beth was going into sixth grade and about to start her time in the youth group, her older sister, Ella Kate, thought it was important to teach her this blessing. Ella Kate spent time teaching the scripture to her sister. I will always remember this. It was a blessing to me to witness the passing on of this tradition. This is how the faith is passed on.
From God to Moses to youth groups in 2021, this blessing has often been spoken. It reminds us to give thanks for God’s caring presence in our lives. It also allows us to pray for one another in a specific way. We pray for God’s presence… “May his face shine upon you” and we remind ourselves that through God’s presence, we experience “peace.”
Today, I am thankful that we are not alone, that God is with us. I am also thankful that God’s presence and power among us leads us to experience joy and peace.
– Rev. Keith King, Pastor of Worship
