Passing Along a Blessing

“This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: ‘The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.’ So they (the priests) will put my name on the Israelites and I will bless them.” *

            Several days ago, I emailed all of the members of our small group asking about the titles of their favorite hymns or worship songs. A friend who is a gifted vocalist and pianist had offered to tape some songs to use at our zoom meetings on Saturday mornings.

Many folks responded with their favorites including familiar hymns such as “How Great Thou Art” and “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” A praise song performed by  Kari Jobe called “The Blessing” was also requested.  Al and I had heard it sung a few times in our contemporary worship service—a powerful song with words taken from the Old Testament book of Numbers.

In Numbers 6:24-26, Moses was instructed to teach the priests this blessing and they in turn were to invoke it over the people of Israel from one generation to the next. Thus, the Israelites would identify themselves as God’s people, beloved and blessed with His protection, presence, grace and peace.

Through the centuries this particular prayer of blessing became a regular part of worship, not only for the Jews but also for Christians. It is still often used today, being read or sung as a benediction at the end of the service. I’m sure that most of us would recognize the traditional melody to the words: “May the Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord lift His countenance upon you, and give you peace, and give you peace…” 

Not only had I read that same passage earlier in the week, it also came up again twice on Sunday morning in two different contemporary services. Well, that caught my attention! I had to stop and ask myself, “Okay, what is the Lord trying to tell me?  Is this what He wants me to write about this week?” So, I waited, prayed and read all of the scriptures related to blessings, until I felt sure that He was guiding me in using the verses from Numbers 6.

But here is where things took an unexpected turn. While looking at an email account that Al and I seldom use, I realized that besides quarantine reports and junk mail, it contained two personal letters that had been sitting unread for almost a year.

 We normally read our emails daily, but from another account. Unfortunately, the  account set up in my name had been neglected. One of the email letters was written in February 2021 by a man claiming to be my third cousin who had found my name with the help of an online genealogy tracker.

It was amazing to stumble across his email. Third cousins? That meant we shared the same great-great grandfather! He had carefully traced the family tree from that ancestor, but was wanting stories and old photographs from my branch of the “tree.”

He also wondered why my ancestors moved from the family home in Hannibal, Missouri to northern California, a question that set me on a search through the scanty records that I had obtained previously.

Since that time, third cousin Robert and I have been corresponding back and forth. Unpacking some of the boxes of old family photos stored down in the basement has been brought back many happy memories. Even though he is a third cousin, I can definitely see a family resemblance in Robert’s smiling face.

Each of the people who have come before us have made a contribution in forming us, in determining who we are today. While it is amazing to think about all of the ways the Lord has blessed us from one generation to the next, just consider the blessings He has showered upon us through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Through faith in Jesus, we have become part of His family, bearing the name “Christian.” Our sins have been forgiven; we have been spiritually reborn and are looking forward to the day when we will be with Him in heaven forever.

 Indeed, the Lord has blessed us and has made His face shine upon us. May His blessing be passed along to future generations, so that it might become a reality in their lives as well. Amen!

(above photo taken in 1908, of my Grandmother Hazel standing in back, her sister Winnie to the left and two unidentified boys )

*Numbers 6:24-25 NIV