The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the Israelites: You shall say to them,
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.
So they shall put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them
Numbers 6:22-27
Thank you for being a Blessing. Yes you!
You are a blessing to us. If you are reading this, you have been a blessing to Memorial this year. Even if you haven’t darkened our doorsteps in many years, even if you only came to see a musical, or a concert, or for a community meeting. Even if you are not sure “Church” is really a place for you, you have been a blessing to us.
Because at some point this Jesus-centered, justice-focused community came across your mind and made you smile, or think, or ponder, or offer a prayer, and so you have blessed us in 2019, and this serves as a note of thanks to you for keeping Memorial in your heart, your mind and your prayers.
Of course many of you reading this have been a consistent blessing! Whether you have kept the altar appropriately beautiful, led processions as an acolyte or crucifer, volunteered with our justice committee, collected toys or food or clothes for those in need, sung in the choir, helped lead worship, or served on one of many committees that keep this place running, you have certainly been a blessing to this place.
So it seems appropriate to end the year (and start the next) with the priestly blessing from numbers. Conferred to Moses by The Almighty to bless the priests as the Israelites wandered through the desert, it is both a reminder of the Lord’s never-failing love for us and our inextricable connection to the Jewish people. Our Jewish siblings are important to us. They matter to us. And as our Jewish neighbors up the street and around the world suffer from yet another anti-semitic attack, we remember that we too suffer. Just as We share our blessings, so do we share in our hurts, and support each other in times of need.
This year Memorial has experienced its share of losses. We have said goodbye to parents, grandparents, siblings, and long-time friends and members of this community; and I have watched as you have supported each other with kind words and casseroles, with visits and with prayer, with tears and with laughter.
You all have been a blessing to each other. You have made God’s light shine upon friend and stranger alike in their darkest moments, and brought peace to unlikely places.
Thank you for being a blessing. I hope you will consider making a gift at the end of the year to honor the blessing that is Memorial, and the blessing we can be to each other.
Happy new year!