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“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
Happy New Year, St. John’s! We have the rare opportunity to welcome in the New Year as a congregation on New Year’s Day, which is a Sunday this year, and this provides us with the chance to begin anew together. In the book of Numbers, God tells Moses and Aaron to bless the Israelites with the blessing above. In doing so, God puts God’s name on the Israelites, marking them forever as God’s own.
This is a blessing that we use over and over again in our liturgy, sending the congregation forth to do God’s work in the world. We are sent forth in peace – the peace of God that, as Paul writes, surpasses all human understanding. This is the peace of justice, of unconditional love, of reconciliation and forgiveness, of hope and joy. It’s a peace we work towards each and every day as Christians, within our own congregation and far beyond it into the world.
I’d like to send you into this new year with the same blessing. You have been marked with the cross of Christ and the name of God. You are God’s own forever. Moreover, you have been sent into the world to work for peace. This is the blessing of God – a blessing that should spill over into the neighbors around you, that catches you when you fail, that lifts you up when you’re struggling.
Go forth, then, into 2023 with this blessing! I am excited to see what we will do together to work for the peace of God in this new year.
Your co-worker in Christ,
Pastor Lauren Bruno
~Numbers 6:24-26
Happy New Year, St. John’s! We have the rare opportunity to welcome in the New Year as a congregation on New Year’s Day, which is a Sunday this year, and this provides us with the chance to begin anew together. In the book of Numbers, God tells Moses and Aaron to bless the Israelites with the blessing above. In doing so, God puts God’s name on the Israelites, marking them forever as God’s own.
This is a blessing that we use over and over again in our liturgy, sending the congregation forth to do God’s work in the world. We are sent forth in peace – the peace of God that, as Paul writes, surpasses all human understanding. This is the peace of justice, of unconditional love, of reconciliation and forgiveness, of hope and joy. It’s a peace we work towards each and every day as Christians, within our own congregation and far beyond it into the world.
I’d like to send you into this new year with the same blessing. You have been marked with the cross of Christ and the name of God. You are God’s own forever. Moreover, you have been sent into the world to work for peace. This is the blessing of God – a blessing that should spill over into the neighbors around you, that catches you when you fail, that lifts you up when you’re struggling.
Go forth, then, into 2023 with this blessing! I am excited to see what we will do together to work for the peace of God in this new year.
Your co-worker in Christ,
Pastor Lauren Bruno
