Numbers 6:24-26 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.

What more beautiful words could there be than those words spoken in the Benediction at the close of a worship service? The Lord our God sends us on our way with a blessing, the same blessing spoken over the people of God in Moses' day. What God did then, he does now. His face shines on us with grace, even as he lifts his whole being to give us peace.

The word peace in Hebrew is the word shalom. In Hebrew that word is vividly translated, "May all things be for you the way God always wanted them to be." The word shalom invites us to recall the Garden of Eden that God created at the dawn of time and believe that one day we'll be back there again, because of Jesus Christ.
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

Philippians 4:11 ..I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.

You probably have a friend who worries about everything. Perhaps they even say, "If I don't have something to worry about, I worry until I have something to worry about."

That may seem strange, but I have to admit that I've had times when I've worried and really didn't need to, times when things were going well that I just knew something bad was about to happen.

But why not turn all that around? When things are going bad, why not think, "Any minute now, things are going to get better...because I have Jesus"? Or, to put it another way, "because Jesus has me."

I like to sit in a pew and look at the cross. Sometimes I pray. At other times, I like to sit quietly and let God speak to me. And you know something? He really does.
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Perhaps you have seen the sign: "No Jesus, no peace. Know Jesus, know peace." I like that. I also like what I heard a preacher say once: "If Jesus is not real, nothing matters. If Jesus is real, nothing else matters."

So is Jesus real for you? I know we all have to answer that question for ourselves, but I don't think that by ourselves we can come to the right answer. That's why the Spirit of God in Jesus guides us to the cross to show us through faith what happened there. Jesus dies there. But then look again. Jesus isn't on that cross anymore, and neither are we.

Jesus died, but then rose again, and then, justified by faith in Him, we rise with Him. That's why when we approach the cross of Jesus, there's always an invitation to see what's behind the cross - Easter.

Know Jesus, know peace.
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

Years ago, the Beatles released a song called "Eleanor Rigby." It's a pretty depressing song that talks about lonely, abandoned, heartbroken people who simply want to be loved. One of the lines is "All the lonely people, where do they all come from? All the lonely people, where do they belong?"

That last line is particularly telling: "Where do they all belong?" To me, that says all those lonely people do have a place where they belong even though they may not realize it. All those lonely people are important to someone, and that someone is Jesus.

Jesus said, "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost," and he gave his life to prove it. So, Eleanor Rigby, if you're listening, you're not alone anymore.
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

Matthew 11:28  Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Often people will say, "It was a come to Jesus moment." Generally the term refers to a time when a person has to admit he or she needs to get his or her life in order. I've also heard it used in sporting circles: "For the team it was a 'come to Jesus' moment'; they were going to have to try a different strategy or lose the game."

But forget the slang. What does it really mean to "come to Jesus"? Doesn't it have something to do with approaching the cross of Jesus in a spirit of humility? Doesn't it mean bowing the heart in confession and giving one's whole life to God? Doesn't it mean asking Jesus to come and lift us up because we know we can't make it without him?

When we feel worn out and beaten down by life, isn't it time to pray, "Come, Lord Jesus. Come"?

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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,
 

Romans 5:8 God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
 

There was a segment on the news recently about a police officer who was passing by an alleyway when he saw a dog entangled in and fighting what seemed to be a losing battle with a fabric pull cord hanging from a dumpster. The officer went to the dog's aid, though wary of the animal's snarling and snapping to break free. When the dog was finally set free, the officer was greeted by a loving lunge as the dog leaped up to literally hug and kiss the man who had saved him.

Now while this story may seem like a wonderfully strange and simple human-interest piece, when I think of what Jesus did for us on the cross, it all becomes real and personal. "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

This Lenten season we are guided by God's love to stand beneath the cross and know we are forgiven and set free from sin and death. Man's best friend is Jesus.

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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,
 

1 John 3:1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.

Did you know that a child hungers for the blessing of his or her parents? When he or she takes the first step and hears the cheers coming from mom and dad, it's a blessing that keeps on giving: "If I can walk, who knows? Maybe I can be the president of Concordia University someday."

I've also been told that if a child does not get the loving blessing of his or her parents, that child will search for that blessing the rest of his or her life. That's what makes these words of John so wonderful: "See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are."

And so we are! Those words thunder from the heart of God, beginning at the very moment of our baptism: "This is my beloved son/daughter in whom I am well pleased."

You and I are children of God. Jesus went to the cross to prove it.
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,