Happy Wednesday! I began the day with Coffee with God, but did not get to write until this evening. I began water aerobics this morning. Our instructor, a lovely young woman named Angela, is a week away from the due date of her second child. She was bouncing around all over the pool area and putting the rest of us to shame. She worked us really hard. I felt really good to get back in the water.

Numbers 6: 22-27 “The Lord bless you and keep you.”

How many times have we been dismissed from worship with these wonderful words? Do we ever listen to the comfort and power of these words? Or are these words similar to the dismissal at the end of class “Any questions?”

So let’s talk about listening. As a teacher, I wonder how much the children in my class room really listen. I wonder that because I so very frequently as the question, “Did you listen?” How often do any of us really listen?

I tend to listen until I understand. During my last semester at Brite I met with my professor to ask for help on the final theology paper. He began to talk. Now this is a totally brilliant theologian and has more knowledge than one head can possibly hold with a vocabulary that would rival a member of Mensa. His listener (me) was not even close to being on the same page as my learned teacher. But, I told him just to keep talking. I told him to continue to talk until I could latch on to something with which I could make a connection. It took several cups of coffee and one dish of strawberries until he finally said something that sparked an idea with which I could connect. After that I could begin to form the paper that would explain the many doctrines of theology and my reflections.

So let us look at those so familiar words. “The Lord Bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you.” Amen. The commissioning says for the Lord to bless you and keep you. The writer of Numbers is telling us that the Lord will bless us and keep us because of His love for us. The writer sends the blessing that God will keep us not only in this world, but in His Kingdom. God loves His creation so very much that He wishes to shower us with boundless blessings and shower His grace upon each of us. Because we are born in the image of God and we spend our lives growing in His likeness, the Lord’s face will shine upon us because, just like all family members, the family resemblance is reflected in its members.

When worship closes on Sunday and the pastor recites this blessing over you, think about what a wonderful blessing this is. Think about the peace that this wonderful blessing affords each of us. Then when you part from your friends and family think about leaving them with this blessing. God has blessed each of us so richly let us share His blessing with others.

Take joy in the journey. Love you all, Bruce, Gaylene, Geni and Travis.

Gcapplenotes@aol.com

I am not moved by by what I see. I am not moved by what I feel. I am moved only by what I believe and I believe God.