Finding Peace

The Lord bless you and keep you; 25the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. (Numbers 6:24-26)

Yesterday at church, we lit the "Peace" candle, the second candle on the Advent Wreath. So far, we have lit the Hope and Peace candles. Hope I have, but peace escapes me from time to time. I rarely feel hopeless, but if I get on social media or turn on the news, my peace is "out the window." 

I've always appreciated the "Benediction" given by Aaron to the people of Israel in Numbers for a number of reasons. First, it always marked a "sending" in that it ends the service, and yet our worship of God continues out into the mission fields. Secondly, the Pastor makes the sign of the cross as he delivers the benediction, which is a reminder that our real and true peace is eternal peace found in Christ.

We are sent by God to share the good news of His Son Jesus Christ to a world that needs and always has needed to hear the message of hope and everlasting peace. As we prepare for Christ's return, we are reminded that we wait and hope in Christ and in that we find peace.

Our prayer is to share this hope and peace with those who have not heard it or have forgotten it or with whom the message has been lost in a world that offers false hope. Our prayer is that Christ's Spirit reach those who are lost and open their hearts and minds to Christ Jesus, Amen