May God be gracious to us and bless us, and make his face to
shine upon us…….
This is a prayer of blessing that has been stated so many
times over….in worship….in devotions….in prayer….in the sending of people to do
great things in faith in this world. And
what a powerful blessing it is.
May God be gracious to us…………
What is the
grace that you are seeking?
What is the
heart of God reflecting to you?
How are you
at receiving that which God most wants to give to you?
May God bless us……….
What
blessings can you name that come from God?
What is the
abundance of blessings that you have received over your lifetime?
Can you see
the blessings of God throughout our world?
May God make his face shine upon us…….
What does
it feel like?
How have
you felt this in your life?
Does God
really shine his full presence on us?
During worship this weekend, and as with all times that we
worship, the hope is that we come to know the full presence of God. That we leave here as more hopeful and joyful
people, because we get what it means to have this amazing God always with
us. Just imagine – God shining on
us! Because God shines on us….we can
shine for God.
And that is the movement the Psalmist takes us to. After this powerful opening of a call to
praise, he gives the mission statement for why God would be so gracious and
good to us…….and it is in the words that follow….
That your way may be known upon the earth……..
Not our
way…..but God’s way.
God is the
giver of abundant grace.
God is the
one who we come to rest in.
God is the
one who we move, live, and have our being in.
God is our
sure and ever present hope.
And so we as the gathered people of God are called to live
in such a way as to make it possible for others to see this God of our world. In everything we do, out of the great gift of
grace that we ourselves have received, we point back to God. In doing so, others can see and receive the
gift that God seeks to give to all people.
This week……feel the SHINE of God upon you. And SHINE for God!
Pastor Chad
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