And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘In this way you shall bless the children of Israel, saying to them, “May the LORD bless you and keep you. May the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”’ “And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them.” Numbers 6:22-27

This is the blessing that God commanded Aaron and his sons to speak over the children of Israel. We often refer to these words of blessing as a benediction because they are good words of blessing which God has commanded to be spoken over His people.

God also says of these words that in this way “they shall put my name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them.” Thus, we see that this blessing is a way in which God’s name is to be placed upon His people; and we see that God Himself has promised to carry out the blessing.

The Aaronic Blessing is a Trinitarian blessing because the word LORD (Yahweh or Jehovah in Hebrew) is to be spoken over the people three times – once for each person in the Trinity. The threefold blessings also depict the work of the LORD for mankind.

It is the Father who has created and still preserves us. “He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life” (Luther’s Small Catechism). He also keeps us. “He defends me against all danger, and guards and protects me from all evil” (Luther’s Small Catechism).

In the person of the Son – who is also the LORD (Yahweh or Jehovah) – the LORD looks upon us sinners with grace and favor; for Christ Jesus, who is “true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary … has redeemed me, a lost and condemned creature, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death” (Luther’s Small Catechism). For Christ’s sake, God’s face shines upon us and He is gracious and merciful toward us sinners.

It is the Holy Spirit – also the LORD (Yahweh or Jehovah) – who lifts up His face toward us sinners and gives us peace (shalom) with God through the knowledge of the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting through faith in Christ Jesus. He “has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith” (Luther’s Small Catechism). He gives us peace by assuring us that God forgives and accepts us and all who look in faith to Christ Jesus and His cross for mercy.

We recall, of course, that God’s name has already been placed upon us at our Baptism and that we are God’s children through faith in Christ Jesus (cf. Gal. 3:26-27). And, in the Aaronic Blessing, God’s name is also spoken over us and placed upon us! As in Christian Baptism, where the minister applies water “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” and God washes away our sins and makes us His own dear children through faith in Christ Jesus (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 22:16; Tit. 3:5), so also in this blessing, the LORD – the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit – grants us His grace and blessing through His Word and Sacraments.

And when we believe His promises, God does mercifully “bless” us and “keep” us. His face does “shine” upon us and He is “gracious” unto us. He does “lift up His countenance upon” us and “give” us His “peace,” all for the sake of Christ Jesus and His innocent sufferings and death on the cross in our stead. And He continues to bless us and keep us throughout our earthly lives, until that Day when we finally partake of the everlasting peace of heaven!

Dear LORD God, graciously grant that we receive Your benediction in faith and partake of the blessings which You give us for the sake of our Savior, Jesus Christ. In His name, we pray. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the Revised Common Version of the Bible.]

“Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! To what end is it for you? The day of the LORD is darkness and not light, as if a man fled from a lion and a bear met him, or went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall and a serpent bit him. Shall the day of the LORD not be darkness rather than light, even very dark and no brightness in it?” Amos 5:18-20 (read v. 18-24)

Are you ready for the Day of the Lord? Most have little fear of that day or of its consequences for them. Most assume that all is well with their souls, and God’s judgments are far from their minds.

It is much like the days of ancient Israel during the reign of Jeroboam II. Israel became strong again and defeated its enemies. It was a time of prosperity. Yet, Jeroboam II continued in the sinful ways of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat. Instead of it being a time of repentance and returning to the LORD God who had shown mercy upon His people, they continued in idolatry and disregard for God’s commandments. cf. 2 Kings 14:23ff.

So, today, our people – even our churches – live in prosperity and are secure in their sinful ways. They disregard the Bible’s teaching and worship and serve gods fashioned after their own image and manner of thinking. Our nation’s laws are made to protect abortion, euthanasia, immorality, sexual perversion, robbery and theft. People assume all is well and that they are ready for the Day of the Lord but don’t see the judgment of the Almighty which is about to come upon them.

The words of Amos the prophet surely apply (Amos 5:18-24): “Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! To what end is it for you? The day of the LORD is darkness and not light, as if a man fled from a lion and a bear met him, or went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall and a serpent bit him. Shall the day of the LORD not be darkness rather than light, even very dark and no brightness in it? I hate, I despise your feast days and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies. Though you offer me burnt-offerings and your food-offerings, I will not accept them, neither will I regard the peace-offerings of your fat beasts. Take away from me the noise of your songs, for I will not hear the melody of your harps. But let judgment run down as waters and righteousness as a mighty stream.”

The Day of the Lord for our nation and people will not bring vindication; it will bring judgment and death! Our idolatry and sins will be exposed for what they are, and our people will find that their worship and service to God were shams. God did not accept them because their hearts were far from Him and they paid little regard to His Word (cf. Matt. 15:8-9; Isa. 29:13-14).

And, what about us? Are we ready for the Day of the Lord? Will we be vindicated in God’s judgment? As Amos prophesied, it’s not enough to say all the right words and to offer up all the right forms of praise. God desires the fruits of true faith! God desires that we trust in His mercy and forgiveness in Christ Jesus and then also live just and righteous lives in accord with His Word. Cf. Isaiah 1:1-20.

What does this prophecy call upon us to do? To examine our ways, to repent of our sins, to turn to the LORD God for mercy and forgiveness for the sake of Christ Jesus our Savior, and then to amend our lives and live for the LORD God in obedience to His Word.

Going through the right motions, saying the right words and singing the right hymns are not enough! God calls upon us – each and every one of us – to examine our ways and repent, looking to Him for mercy in Christ Jesus and for His help and strength to amend our sinful ways in accord with His perfect Word. Cf. Psalm 139:23-24; 2 Cor. 13:5; 1 John 1:7 – 2:6; Micah 6:8; Deut. 10:12-13.

O just and merciful God, we know that the day of Your judgment is coming and that we too are deserving of Your wrath and punishment. Have mercy upon us for Jesus’ sake and forgive our sins, and lead us to walk in Your ways and to live in accord with Your perfect Word. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the Revised Common Version of the Bible.]

Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you, to your children, and to all who are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” Acts 2:38-39

How is it that one can receive the gift of the Holy Spirit? How can one “not be drunk with wine, in which is excess, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to yourselves in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God and the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting yourselves to one another in the fear of God” (Eph. 5:18-21)?

Peter, in his Pentecost sermon, gives to us the answer: “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

To be filled and led by the Spirit of God does not require any great spiritual work on our part. It does not require a specific prayer or a holy and sinless life before the Holy Spirit enters into us.

Through the good news of Christ’s innocent sufferings and death on the cross for the sins of the world, God graciously calls us sinners to turn from our sins to Christ Jesus for forgiveness and life everlasting (cf. 2 Thess. 2:13-14).

The Holy Spirit reveals our sinfulness and utter failure to live up to the demands of the perfect Law of God (cf. John 16:7-11; Rom. 3:9-20,23); but then the Holy Spirit comforts us with the assurance that atonement has been made for our sins in the shed blood of Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and rose again, and that we are forgiven and counted righteous by God through faith in Jesus’ name (cf. Rom. 3:24-26; Psalm 32:1ff.; 51:1ff.).

When, by the grace of God, we believe this and trust in Christ as our Savior, being baptized into His name and according to His command for the remission of our sins (Matt. 28:19; Gal. 3:26-27), we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. He takes up residence in our hearts, teaches us of Jesus from God’s Word, and strengthens and keeps us in the true and saving faith (cf. John 14:16-18, 23-28; 16:13-15; Titus 3:3-7).

And He who has “begun a good work” in us will dwell in us and “perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6).

Dear Lord Jesus Christ, our risen and ascended Savior, we thank You for granting to us the gift of the Holy Spirit — for bringing us to turn from our sins to You for forgiveness, being baptized in Your name, and for dwelling in us by Your Spirit that we might be kept and preserved in the true and saving faith unto life everlasting. For the sake of Your bitter sufferings and death in our stead, and Your glorious resurrection, we pray. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the Revised Common Version of the Bible.]

How is it that this world and the universe came to be? How did life begin and why does it go on? Is it all the result of chance over extreme lengths of time? Or is it the result of an intelligent creator who wisely designed and created all things?

While many have speculated and theorized, there is one eye-witness account of how all came to be and who is behind it.

And this account is foundational for the Christian Faith. If God did not create the heavens and the earth and all things, we are not accountable to Him. But, if the creation account is true and God did create this world and give us life, each of us must answer to Him for how we have lived the life He gave us.

Many scoff and criticize this account and offer alternative theories with no foundation in truth in an attempt to escape the accountability which goes along with the creation account, but wisdom calls upon us to seek the truth and accept it, along with any accountability which accompanies that truth.
That one eye-witness account is recorded for all to know in the first two chapters of Genesis. It is the account of the Creator Himself, recorded by Moses for all to read and know the truth.

That account begins: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).

Please take the time now to read Genesis 1:1 — 2:3.

Genesis 1:1 – 2:3

1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good, and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 And God called the light “day,” and he called the darkness “night,” and the evening and the morning were the first day.

6 And God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” 7 And God made the firmament and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament. And it was so. 8 And God called the firmament “heaven.” And the evening and the morning were the second day.

9 And God said, “Let the waters under the heaven be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10 And God called the dry land “earth,” and he called the collection of waters “seas.” And God saw that it was good. 11 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit-tree yielding fruit after its kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth.” And it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after its kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.

14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night, and let them be for signs, for seasons, for days, and years. 15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16 And God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night. He also made the stars. 17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, 18 To rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

20 And God said, “Let the waters abundantly bring forth the moving creature that has life and the bird that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.” 21 And God created the great sea-creatures and every living creature that moves, which the waters brought forth abundantly after their kind, and every winged bird after his kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply in the earth.” 23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind: cattle, the creeping animal, and the beast of the earth after his kind.” And it was so. 25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, cattle after their kind, and every animal that creeps upon the earth after his kind. And God saw that it was good.

26 And God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, over the cattle, over all the earth, and over every creeping animal that creeps upon the earth.” 27 So God created man in his own image. In the image of God he created him: male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, replenish the earth, and subdue it. And have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the bird of the air, and over every living animal that moves upon the earth.”

29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed. To you it shall be for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to every animal that creeps upon the earth, in which is life, I have given every green herb for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made. And he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

[Scripture is quoted from the Revised Common Version of the Bible.]

“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God. Therefore, the world does not know us because it did not know him. Beloved, now we are the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be. But we know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And every man who has this hope in him purifies himself, even as he is pure.” 1 John 3:1-3

The Bible tells us: “For this is how God loved the world: he gave his only-begotten Son, so that whoever believes in him, should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). We see this love in the following:

• Our Lord Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. He humbled Himself, suffered and died on the cross for the sins of all, and rose again on the third day, having won forgiveness of sins and life everlasting for all mankind. Cf. Gal. 4:4-5; 1 Tim. 1:15-16; 1 Cor. 15:3-4.

• He now — through the preaching of His Word — calls sinners to repent of their sinful ways and trust in Him and His shed blood for full and free forgiveness and for the everlasting joys of heaven. Cf. Luke 24:46-47; Acts 3:19; Rom. 10:17.

• When by the grace and mercy of God, we are brought to see our sinfulness and to turn in faith to Jesus for forgiveness and life in Him, we become children of God — saved by His grace alone. We have an inheritance in heaven and look forward to the day when Jesus our Savior returns to take us to live with Him in holiness and righteousness, forever with our God and Savior. Cf. John 3:14-18; Rom. 3:19-26; 5:1-2; Gal. 3:26-29; Eph. 2:8-9.

We can’t even begin to understand what it will be like when we are raised up in — or changed into — His image. The Bible tells us: “Beloved, now we are the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be. But we know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2; cf. Rom. 8:29).

Now, as believers, we are faultless before our heavenly Father because of Christ’s righteous life and atoning sacrifice on the cross for the sins of the world (cf. Col. 1:19-23; Eph. 1:6-7), but we look forward to that day when we are free of all sin and can indeed serve our God in righteousness and purity forever.

We confess in our catechism (Luther’s explanation of the Second Article of the Apostles’ Creed): “I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord, who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned creature, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil, not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, that I may be His own, and live under Him in His kingdom, and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, even as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity. This is most certainly true.”

While we await that day, we strive — led and aided by God’s Holy Spirit — to be more and more like our Savior. The Bible says, “And every man who has this hope in him purifies himself, even as he is pure” (1 John 3:3).

St. Paul describes it this way in his letter to the Philippians (Phil. 3:8-14): “Indeed, I even count all things to be loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. For him I have suffered the loss of all things and count them to be dung so that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith, so that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable to his death, if by any means I may attain to the resurrection of the dead. It is not as though I had already attained, or were already perfect, but I pursue, if that I may obtain that for which Christ Jesus also obtained me. Brothers, I do not count myself to have obtained, but this one thing I do: forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

But the day will come, “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet shall sound, the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Cor. 15:52; cf. Phil. 3:20-21).

When that day comes, we shall be changed into the image of our Lord Jesus. As John wrote in his first epistle, “We shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”

As believers in our Lord Jesus, we can join with David in his psalm and say: “As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness. I shall be satisfied with your likeness when I awake” (Psalm 17:15).

What a day that will be!

Dear Lord Jesus, we thank You for redeeming us with Your holy and precious blood and for graciously bringing us to repent of our sins and trust in You for forgiveness and life. By Your Spirit, keep us in the faith and move us to seek to be more and more like You until that day when You return and we are changed into Your likeness and dwell with You forevermore. Amen.

[Scripture quotations are from the Revised Common Version of the Bible.]