Blessings old and new...

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.
(Numbers 6.24-26)

As a lover of all things (or nearly all things) ancient, the Priestly Blessing from the book of Numbers is one of my favorite blessings to use at the end of the Sunday liturgy. And ancient it certainly is, dating at least as far back as the First Temple period (that's Solomon's temple). Amulets with the blessing inscribed on them have been found in burial places from that time period, however, it is not unlikely that the blessing itself is quite older. While there are variations in translations, the translation above is fairly common and might even be familiar!

The image above shows the position of the hands for the blessing. If you think it looks a bit Hollywood, you are right! Dr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) adapted this gesture as the Vulcan greeting on Star Trek.

A few days ago, I came across another, more recently composed blessing. I share it with you below because I think it articulates so well the gospel paradox. Choosing to be followers of Christ does not mean a way of comfort, but it does mean a choice for life, a choice for the peace that passes understanding. Read below and see what you think.

May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart.
amen.

May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation, so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.
amen.

May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort and to turn pain into joy.
amen.

May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you may do what others claim cannot be done.
amen.