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The Lord bless you and keep you. God to Moses to Aaron to the people of Israel. A belief that to see God directly was to die- that knowing or seeing  God face-to-face was too overwhelming for mere humans. And so the intermediary structure is put in place. Moses is the one who has seen God and  lived- but not so for others. And when Moses had seen God, a veil was placed over his face so that the brilliance of God did not get transmitted to others.

Aaron, Moses’ brother, has been appointed as the priest to the people of Israel. One of the jobs of a priest- then and now- is to confer God’s blessing  upon the people. God wants the people to know that God will bless them. And God will keep them. Blessings, like so many other things in our lives,  must first be recognized and then accepted. And, like so many other things in our lives, blessings often require a response- beyond recognition and  an acceptance. Blessings call for us to respond. To acknowledge the giver- and that means we acknowledge God as one capable of bestowing  blessings.

Defined as a divine gift or favor, a blessing means that you and I have been singled out for God’s concern and compassion. That we rest in the  knowledge that God is aware of us and wants the best for us. That God will keep us in the palm of his hand. The image of safety and security- just ask  Allstate who has used the image for years, suggesting that buying insurance from Allstate means you are special, you are cared for, and you can  rest secure in the knowledge that someone who has your best interests at heart is taking care of things.

The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. While the belief was that to look directly at God was to die, because God was so  awesome that we mere mortals were unable to understand God in all God’s being, having God’s face shine upon us indicates that God favors us. That we are in a relationship with God where what we do matters. That even when we fall short of God’s hopes for us, God will still deal graciously  with us. Treat us with kindness and give us another chance.  This text is often referred to as the Aaronic or Priestly blessing. It comes at a point in  the Book of Numbers just after God has given Moses instructions for how the camp in the wilderness is to be set up. The Israelites have left Egypt  behind them and are being formed into a people as they travel. They need to understand they are a people called by God to be a light to the world. The wilderness time is necessary to leave behind their life in Egypt and become prepared for the Promised Land. It is a time of transition- of  learning who they are now that they are no longer in Egypt. Now that they can no longer blame their lot in life on being slaves working for Pharaoh.

Are they willing to trust that God, through Moses and the other lay leaders will lead them to the Promised Land? Are they willing to take  responsibility for themselves in learning to love the Lord their God with all that means? This Priestly Blessing is one way that God encourages the  people to continue on the journey. God will shine his face upon them – give the people his blessing- and will deal graciously with them. God  understands that even the best intentions sometimes go astray. Graciousness is being merciful or compassionate. I imagine God is called upon to  be gracious quite a bit when we stumble and fall.

The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Echoing the earlier sentence that the Lord make his face to shine upon you, now  the blessing promises that the Lord will give you peace. The blessing is full of actions on God’s part towards us and what follows God’s action.

Bless > keep. Shine > be gracious. Lift us > peace.

In Judaism, blessings are also prayers.[1] They speak to our relationship with God and God’s relationship to us. Often these prayers start with the  words: “Blessed art thou, Lord our God” acknowledging God as the source of all life and creation. A term of respect for the Creator and  appreciation for all that we have or experience. A recognition that God is in control and we are not. Or said another way, “it’s not all about me.”

“Blessings bless and blessings cost”, so says Renita Weems. When we are blessed, we strive to live up to that blessing- to the sense that it engenders  in us that we are valued; that we have worth. In the Book of Genesis, God tells Abram that God will make of Abram a great nation and God will bless  Abram so that Abram will be a blessing (Gen. 12:2). God has called Abram to go forth to a new land – and promised that if Abram – soon to become  Abraham- does so, Abraham will be a blessing to others. God blesses and keeps us; If God’s face to shines upon us and is gracious to us; If God’s  countenance is lifted up to us and gives us peace, Then we are enabled to do the same to others. God calls and God promises.

Today is the 8^th day after Jesus was born. It is the day on which Jesus would have been circumcised according to Jewish tradition. It is a solemn  and joyous event in the life of a male child of Jewish parents. It is a marking of the child as one of the covenant made between God and Abraham. That this child is joined with its ancestors going back to Abraham, who continues in this liturgy to be a blessing to those of Jewish descent. During  the bris, the father is asked the name of the son. Traditionally, the child is given a name which relates to family – perhaps the names of grandfathers  on both sides. Perhaps the names of brothers or uncles – but some connection to family. For connection to and with family is one way we live on  after death in Jewish understanding. Many of us who are not Jewish do the same thing when we name our children after family or someone special  to us. Honor given through bestowal of a name. But Jesus was not a family name. The angel who visited Mary told her the child she was to bear was  to be named Jesus. In Hebrew, Jesus means “God has saved.” A blessing in a name.

One of the most wonderful songs of Taize is “Bless the Lord my soul.” It has a haunting quality that reverberates within long after the music has  stopped. It is usually sung repeatedly, quietly, reverently. Singing, quietly, over and over again, brings the peace that God promises:

“Bless the Lord, my soul. And bless God’s holy name. Bless the Lord, my soul. And lead me into light.”

God’s name is holy. We celebrate this day the naming of Jesus. We celebrate that Jesus is the one who saves. We bless the Lord who leads us into  light. Amen.