A benediction

Numbers 6:24-26 (New Living Translation)

24 ‘May the Lord bless you
and protect you.
25 May the Lord smile on you
and be gracious to you.
26 May the Lord show you his favor
and give you his peace.’

I found this scripture as I was reading the Handbook of the Methodist Youth Fellowship published in 1953. This is one of the treasures I have in my collection of ministry books. It is old and has a wonderful old book smell. This scripture was used for many many years as the Methodist Youth Fellowship benediction. Some churches use this benediction still today.

As I read the history of the Methodist Youth Fellowship in this treasure of a book, I really started to think about the importance of using this scripture as a benediction. Usually we don't have a formal closing to our meetings and gatherings. Our usual benediction is "see you later" or "hey...your mom is here". I don't usually take the much needed time to leave the youth with this message as they go off to their homes.

I am not good with good-byes. In fact it is one of my weaknesses. When it is time to say good bye to somebody I may never see again or somebody I won't see for a long while, I usually just freeze up and stay away from them. That is so hard for me to even say because it sounds so heartless. Its not because I don't care about people, its because I can't express how I truly care about people.

This scripture reminds us the blessings we tend not to lose focus on because we are wrapped on other things. How awesome would it be if you recited this scripture to them as they were leaving. What if we truly meant it. What if we really asked God to bless others and protect them? What if we asked God to give others peace instead of trying to figure out how to give peace to others on our own? What if we all prayed this prayer, not for ourselves, but for each other?

We are reminded through this scripture that we serve a loving God who likes to smile upon us. I wonder sometimes what I do that makes God smile. I am sure I need to step it up. I often wonder what I am leaving the youth with at the end of our meetings. My prayer is that I remember this prayer and that I embody this prayer to not only the youth but to everybody I come in contact with. My prayer is that I don't freeze up when others leave me, but that I am able to look them in the eyes and say:
‘May the Lord bless you
and protect you.
May the Lord smile on you
and be gracious to you.
May the Lord show you his favor
and give you his peace.’