The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious unto you. The Lord look upon you with all of his favor, and give you his peace, Amen. The text for this morning's message is the common benediction that I just read, as given by God to Moses, and as recorded in the 6th chapter of the book of Numbers.
Let me ask you, just what do you consider a worship service to be? I mean, how would you define what you do during this hour of each week? Now maybe for some, worship is a chance to unwind a bit. A time to relax. A time to meditate on the beauty of God's creation and on the grandeur of God's house. Or maybe for others, worship is a chance to spend some quality time with family members or other fellow Christians. Or maybe still others see worship as an opportunity to get on God's good side, to earn a few brownie points with the Man upstairs, or even worse, maybe worship to some is nothing more than a time to let your mind wander as they relive last night's events or plan their activities for this afternoon.
Although worship can mean different things to different people, the early church fathers described worship as a dialogue between God and his people. God speaks, and then we respond. And then the cycle repeats over again. And when God speaks to us during worship, he does so through his Word in the absolution, in the sermon and in the Scripture readings. And then we in turn, speak to God in our confession, in our prayers, and in our praises of thanksgiving. And whether the service follows a rather traditional order of worship, like the one we're following in our hymnal this morning, or whether it's a more modern version, like the Sunday evening youth services we had at my church in Phoenix, still, if its truly a worship service, you'll always find these two different components. God first speaks to us in his word (both the spoken and written word) and then we in turn speak back to God - in our confession, prayer, and praise. In a liturgical worship service, all the components of that service are designed to alternate between these two directions. That's why we refer to it as an order of service - it has that ordering about it. In fact, the word liturgy is derived from the Latin word leiturgia, meaning order.
Now, on this Trinity Sunday, we want to focus on one of the things that a pastor typically does at the very end of the service. You know what I'm talking about. When the pastor puts his hands up in the air and says what? "The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace." Now I'm sure that those words are very familiar to all of you. You've probably heard them hundreds of times. But have you really thought about what they mean? Do you realize what God is saying to you in these words? Do you understand what he is doing FOR you with those words?
My friends, this morning we will take a much closer look at what is commonly referred to as the Blessing (or the Benediction), at the end of the service. And we'll use as the basis for our meditation, the words which God spoke to Moses in Numbers chapter 6. And on this Trinity Sunday, let's consider this thought: Christian, You are Truly Three-Times Blessed! You are - Blessed by the Father who Cares for You, Blessed by the Son who Smiles on You, and Blessed by the Spirit who Gives you His Peace.
Now these words, which are so often spoken at the conclusion of a worship service, have traditionally been called the Aaronic Benediction. The word benediction literally means "good word" or "word of blessing". It's called the Aaronic blessing because it was Aaron who was instructed by God to address these words to the Children of Israel. Aaron and his sons, and all the many priests who followed them, throughout the history of Israel, were to include this blessing as a part of their public worship services. And that tradition has continued throughout the history of the Christian church and so this benediction is still being used in many Christian congregations today.
But why? Why have these words stood the test of time for so many years? Well, there are a number of reasons. First, let's understand that these were the actual words which God gave for Aaron to speak. That means that this was not some kind of formula that Aaron simply made up all by himself. It was not a compilation of different religious authors through the years. It was not a joint statement produced by an ancient Jewish ecumenical council. No, it was what God told his representatives to tell his believers. God said it, so we use it.
Secondly, this blessing is noteworthy because it references the three persons of the Godhead, and it offers us a blessing specifically related to each person. Let's look at what it says. "The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord turn his face toward you and give you his peace.." Even though the Old Testament believers probably couldn't name the three persons of the Godhead as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, still they likely had an idea that God was more than one person, if for no other reason than the fact that they knew that in the Garden of Eden, God had said, "Let US make man in our image." Of course, in the New Testament, God offers us a much more complete revelation of himself as the Triune God. How appropriate then that we, as New Testament believers, not only open our worship service in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, but that we also close it with the blessing of that same Triune God.
And finally, let's not overlook the fact that this blessing is unique because through it God is communicating through the vehicle of human language, that is, with words that we can understand. Now maybe you're thinking to yourself, "Well of course God communicates with words we can understand!" But actually, that's not something we should take for granted. You see, down through the centuries, man has been trying to glean all sorts of messages from God. Messages that lie outside of communication through the preserved language of the written word. He's looked to the wind, to the clouds, to the stars. He's looked at tea leaves or even his own experiences in life. In ancient times, people believed that if the sky grew dark and the thunder clapped, then God was angry with them. And if the sun was shining and the birds singing, then God was happy with them.
And you know, there are times when you and I are tempted to think along those very same lines, aren't there? And as we attempt to answer the question, "How does God feel about me?" we're tempted to look at what's going on in our own life and say, "Hey, things are going well. God must be happy with me." Or vice versa: If we have run into some kind of trouble, then we're tempted to say, "God must be angry with me, or God must have forgotten me, or God must be punishing me."
My friends, it's to counter that kind of natural, but misguided thinking that God records for us these beautiful words of blessing. You see, with these words God is saying, "Christian, you are truly three times blessed." First of all, you are blessed by a Father who cares for you.
Here in our text, God tells Aaron to say, "The Lord bless you and keep you." Now, the first thing to note about those words is the simple word, "you." In the original language, that word is used in the singular. That means that this blessing is not merely intended for a whole mass of people, but rather it is directed at each and every one of you individually. In other words, this is not a shotgun blessing, a kind of hit or miss scatter blast so to speak. No, this is God's sharp shooter rifle blessing. God is speaking specifically to you, and to you, and to you, and to each and every one of you individually. Yes you, of whom the very hairs on your head He has numbered. And what is God going to do for you? He's going to bless you, and He's going to keep you.
The Hebrew word for "bless" literally means to "bestow on you the ability to prosper and to grow." The Bible uses the same word when describing what God did for our first parents in the Garden of Eden. "God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number. And the varieties of cars in the parking lot this morning, as well as the variety of clothes you are all wearing, are ample evidence that God has indeed blessed you, and me, in many ways. As Luther wrote, "He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life."
But God the Father not only blesses us. He also keeps us. That is, he preserves us and protects us. Unless I am terribly mistaken, none of you were hit by a bus last week, right? That predicted influenza pandemic hasn't struck your home, has it? And the roof hasn't collapsed on us this morning either. Is all that just merely good fortune? Are we all just very lucky people? NO. Rather, its evidence that God is doing what the Psalmist said in Psalm 91: "He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you in all your ways." Christian, you are truly blessed, because you have a Father in heaven that cares enough for you to both guard you and to keep you.
And yet, that's not the only way in which you are blessed. You are also blessed by the Son of God, who smiles on you. How does Moses put it in our text? "The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you." When the Hebrew scripture speaks of God's face, it is usually a reference to the attitude God has toward man. Now chances are, when you were a child, you knew how your parents felt about you just by looking at their face. If your dad's brow was furled and his eyes were flashing, which probably means that he didn't appreciate your smart-aleck remark or he didn't see the humor in you flicking that lima bean at your brother or sister across the kitchen table. You knew exactly how your father felt about your behavior. You could see it in his face. My daughter Jennifer had a special name for that facial expression. She called it, "the dad look."
And so it is with the face of our God in heaven. As God looks down upon our every day actions, as he reviews the things we say and the things we think, he has every reason to be angry with us. And yet, in spite of the sins we have committed and still continue to commit, God smiles on us. Not that kind of smile that says, "That's OK, I'll let you get away with that." But rather a smile that says, "I love you because my Son has taken your sins away." My friends, in Christ's perfect life and in his innocent death, God is smiling on you and me. In Christ, you are loved by God. In Christ you are pleasing to God. In Christ, you are truly blessed for all eternity.
And yet, there is still one more blessing that God is determined to bestow on you and me today. Through Moses, his inspired mouthpiece, God says, "The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace." Tell me, who is it that brings peace to the hearts of Christians like you and me? Who is the one who takes what Jesus has done for the whole world and makes it your personal possession? It's the Holy Spirit, isn't it? So Christian, you are truly blessed by the Holy Spirit who Gives you God's Peace.
But now what is God's peace - the peace which St. Paul says, "transcends all understanding"? Well, in a word, I would say that that peace is the assurance that you and I are right with God. Peace with God means knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is not holding your sin against you. It means that you are in fellowship with God. God's on your side and you're on his. Not because you've been so obedient to God, and successfully climbed the ladder into heaven, but because Jesus has been obedient in your place. Jesus' holiness has been credited to your account. Credited by means of the faith that the Holy Spirit, at the very moment of your baptism, planted in your heart. The very same moment when your old sinful nature was put to death and a new man of faith raised to eternal life. And isn't this all exactly what St. Paul tells us in the opening verse of Romans, chapter 5? "Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."
My friends, do you realize what a priceless blessing that is? To know that in Christ Jesus, you are all right with God. No matter what happens. Whether you are diagnosed with cancer tomorrow. Whether you lose your job the next day. Whether a tragedy of unimaginable proportion comes your way. No matter what happens, still you can know that God hasn't abandoned you. You are still his child. He still has a plan for your life. And he will use every trial and tribulation you face to ultimately serve your eternal good.
My friends, these are the things you can be sure of because of who God is and what he has done for you as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Contrary to what you and I might sometimes feel, and certainly contrary to what the world around us sometimes says, the fact is, you are truly blessed by God. And you can be sure of that fact because God has given you his Word on it. A word that is repeated each and every Sunday in the familiar words of the Aaronic blessing, or benediction.
You know, twice during the year, we switch from standard time to daylight savings time, and then back again. And when that happens, I always worry that somebody will forget to look at the calendar and change their clock and come walking in just as the service is ending. In fact, I imagine that someone will someday walk up to me and tell me, "Vicar, I got here today just in time to hear the benediction." And my first instinct it to think to myself, "What a waste. Just in time for the benediction…" But you know, maybe that's not the worse thing, to come just in time for the benediction. God packs an awful lot into those three short sentences, doesn't he? The closing benediction is more than just a pious way of saying, "The service is over now. Thaaaat's all, folks!" No! It's God's way of sending us on our way with the promise of his divine care, the promise of his smile, and the promise of his peace. And when you think of it, maybe that's all we really need to hear. Our Father in heaven saying to each one of us, "Go, my children with my blessing." In Jesus' name. Amen.
And the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in true faith unto life everlasting. Amen.