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A Benediction

4/3/2020

1 Comment

 
CLICK HERE TO READ Numbers 6:22-27
Picture
​Daily Devotion from Brother Mike:

This piece always hangs over our front door, inside the house.

I cannot remember when, where, how, or from whom we got this piece, but it serves well as a benediction for our guests who leave through our front door.

This is the beginning of the Aaronic Blessing found in chapter 6 of Numbers. This is the blessing that Aaron and his sons and the priests that followed them would give to the people of Israel. I learned these verses as the UMYF (United Methodist Youth Fellowship) Benediction:

"May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious unto you.
May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace,
both now and forever more.
"

This is a beautiful blessing that I have used many times for weddings and for funerals. The imagery is outstanding:
"May the Lord make his face shine upon you." (What would it feel like to have God’s face shining on you? This makes me think of John vision of The New Jerusalem in Revelation 21:23 – “The city did not need the sun or the moon for the glory of God was its light and the Lamb was its lamp.”)

"May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you." Translation:  May the Lord look at you face to face. (God is going to look us straight, eye to eye, and we are going to see the love in God’s eyes and the joy on God’s face. And we'll know that God thinks of us as God’s own dear, sweet child. This will, of course, give us peace – the now and forever kind of peace.)

So, the next time you come over to my house and you are about to leave, look up and receive this blessing:
"May the Lord bless you and keep you ..."

Brother Mike
1 Comment
Wendy link
10/12/2021 03:51:16 pm

God doesn't favor us just to fulfill us; He favors us to make us a gift.

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    In matters of faith, we at First United Methodist Church, Sealy put primary reliance on the Bible. In scripture, we understand that we are all God’s children; therefore, we will be a church that cares for the needs of our church and local community through prayer, deeds, inspiration, and love in the spirit of Christ.

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​Caring for the needs of our church and community through prayer, deeds, inspiration and love in the Spirit of Christ.

Sunday Worship: 10 am
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​(Tuesday & Thursday; 8am to 2pm; Ages 1-3)
Rev Pat Bell, Pastor
First United Methodist Church Sealy
200 Atchison Street
​Sealy, Texas 77474

979.885.2223  ​

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  • Home
  • Worship
  • Who We Are
    • Church Staff
    • First Board
    • Our History >
      • Sanctuary Remodel
  • Ministries
    • Caring
    • Youth >
      • Confirmation
    • Children >
      • Children's Choir
      • First Kids Mother's Day Out >
        • Registration
        • First Kids Summer Day Camp >
          • First Kids Summer Day Camp Enrollment
      • Safe Sanctuary
      • Vacation Bible School
    • Missions & Outreach >
      • Community Garden
      • Youth Mission Project
    • United Methodist Women
  • Events
    • Ash Wednesday
  • Giving
  • Contact Us