Sermon

June 6, 2001
Praises in the Park/Trinity Sunday
Numbers 6:22-27

Christian, You are Truly Blessed!

1. Blessed by the Father who Cares for You
2. Blessed by the Son who Smiles on You
3. Blessed by the Spirit who Gives you His Peace

Can I ask you, what do you consider a worship service to be? I mean how would you define what you do during this hour of your week? This hour of your life? Maybe worship for you is a chance to unwind a bit. Relax. Meditate on the beauty of God's creation, the grandeur of God's House. Maybe worship is a chance to spend quality time with your family or fellow Christians. OR maybe for you, you see worship as an opportunity to get on God's good side, earn a few brownie points with the Man upstairs, or even worse, maybe worship is nothing more than a time to let your mind wander as you relive last night's events or plan your activities for this afternoon.

Although worship can mean different things to different people, I guess I would describe worship as a dialogue between God and his people. In worship God speaks to us through his Word in the absolution, sermon and Scripture readings. And we in turn, speak to God in our confession, prayers and praises. And whether the service follows a rather traditional order of worship like the one found in our hymnal, or whether it's a more contemporary flair like our Praises in the Park worship, still you'll always find these two different components. God speaks to us and we speak to God. Every component of a Lutheran worship service is designed to flow in one of those two directions.

And that is true of everything that happens in a service from the beginning to the very end. In fact, this morning 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." Chances are, those words are familiar to all of you. You've maybe heard them hundreds of times. But have you really thought about what they mean? Do you realize what God is saying to you-what he is doing for you with those words?

My friends, this morning we want to take a little closer look at what is commonly referred to as the Blessing or the Benediction. We'll use as the basis for our meditation the words which God spoke to Moses here in Numbers chapter 6. On this Trinity Sunday, let's consider this thought:

Christian, You are Truly Blessed!

1. Blessed by the Father who Cares for You
2. Blessed by the Son who Smiles on You
3. Blessed by the Spirit who Gives you His Peace

Now, the 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 not because it's "ironic" but because it was Aaron who was instructed to address these words to the Children of Israel. Aaron and his sons, and the many priests who followed them throughout the history of Israel were all to include this blessing as a part of their public worship services. That tradition has continued throughout the history of the Christian church and 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 words which God gave for Aaron to speak. That means that this was not some kind of formula that Aaron simply made up. It was not a compilation of different religious authors through the years. It was not a joint statement produced by some kind of ancient 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 offers a veiled reference to the three persons of the Godhead. What does it say? "The Lord bless you and keep you…The Lord make his face shine on you…The Lord turn his face toward you…." 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 God had said in the Garden of Eden, "Let us make man in our image." Of course, in the New testament, God offers 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 Holy Spirit, but also close it with the blessing of that same Triune God.

Finally, let's not overlook the fact that this blessing is unique because through it God is communicating with words that we can understand. Now maybe you're thinking to yourself, "Well, duh! 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 messages from God. He's looked to the wind, the clouds, the stars. He's looked at tea leaves or 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.

You know, there are times when you and I are tempted to think along those very same lines. 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 I was just passed over for a promotion, or if I just ran into some kind of trouble in life, then I'm tempted to say, "God is angry with me, or he's forgotten me, or he's somehow punishing me."

My friends, it's to counter that kind of natural, but misguided thinking that God records for us this beautiful word of blessing. With these words God is saying, "Christian, you are blessed." First of all, 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 in the singular. That means that this blessing is not merely intended for a whole mass of people, but rather it is directed to each one of you as an individual. In other words, this is not the scattergun blessing, kind of a hit or miss thing. This is God's rifle. God is speaking specifically to you and you and you and you. Yes, you whose very hairs of your head are numbered by God. And what is God going to do for you? He's going to bless you and keep you.

The Hebrew word for "bless" literally means to "bestow on you the ability to prosper, to grow, to be fertile." 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." The number of children gathered here today, the number of cars in the parking lot, variety of clothes you are wearing is all ample evidence that God has indeed blessed you and me in many ways.

But God 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 this morning, right? That outbreak of meningitis reported in the paper last week hasn't struck your home. The roof has not collapsed on us. Is that merely good fortune? Are we all just very lucky people? No. Rather, it's evidence that God is doing what the Psalmist said in Psalm 91: "God will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways." Christians, you are truly blessed because you have a Father in heaven who cares enough for you to both guard you and keep you.

And yet, that's not the only way in which you are blessed. You are also II. Blessed by a Son who Smiles on You. How does God put it in our text? "The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you." When Scripture speaks of God's face, it often is a reference to the attitude God has toward man. 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, that probably means that he didn't appreciate your smart-aleck remark or he didn't see the humor in you flicking that lima bean across the kitchen table. You knew exactly how your father felt about your behavior. You could see it in his face.

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 continue to commit, still, God smiles on us. Not that kind of knowing smile that says, "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 innocent death, God is smiling on you and me. In Jesus Christ, you are loved by God. In Christ you are pleasing to God. In Christ, you are truly blessed for time and eternity.

And yet, there is still one more blessing that God is determined to bestow on you and me today. Through 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? Why it's the Holy Spirit, isn't it? Christian, you are blessed by the Holy Spirit who Gives you His Peace.

But what is God's peace? The peace which St. Paul says, "transcends all understanding"? Well, in a word, I would say that peace is the assurance that you and I are all right with God. Peace with God means knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is not holding your sins 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 but because Jesus has been obedient in your place. Jesus' holiness has been credited to your account by the faith that the Holy Spirit has planted in your heart. Isn't that what St. Paul said in our epistle lesson a few moments ago? "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, no matter whether you are diagnosed with cancer tomorrow; no matter whether you lose your job the next day; no matter whether your child walks out of your house the following day, no matter what happens-still you can know that God hasn't abandoned you. You are still his child. God 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, 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.

You know, every year about this time, Mount Olive switches over to its summer schedule, when the second service, instead of starting at 10:30, suddenly starts at 9:30. And inevitably, somebody forgets to look at the calendar and comes walking in just as the service is ending. In fact, sometimes they'll even come up and tell me, "Pastor, I got here just in time for the benediction." You know, I used to think, "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 rather, it's God's way of sending us on our way with the promise of his divine care, the promise of his smile, 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.