Put My Name On Them!

Christmas I - January 1, 2006

Number 6:22-27

Grace, mercy, and peace be yours from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.

What do you want to happen in worship? Let’s take a survey of the congregation and see what styles of worship you’d all like? Then, when we gather together, we can do for worship what everybody wants and everybody will be happy. Sounds like a good idea, doesn’t it? Making everybody happy? Do you think there is one form out there that can make everybody happy? To give everybody what they want would mean probably six or more different services every week.

There is another slight problem with that. You see, God has already given directives about what our worship is to be. I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (Rom. 12:1-2)

This means dear friends in Christ, that every moment, of every day, is to be your spiritual service of worship to God. Everything you think and say and do is to be a living and holy sacrifice, pleasing to God. Your life is to be a living witness. What you say, how you say it, how you act, literally everything you do each day says volumes to your neighbors. Everything you do should prove to those around you, what is the good and acceptable and perfect to the will of God.

Do we need to really discuss if you are doing this well? You know how this goes. God has given the Ten Commandments to keep. They are not the ten suggestions. Nor are they the ten ideals you are to try to live up to, they are the Ten Commandments. Do you remember them? All ten? Do you remember what they mean? And Luther’s meaning aren’t suggestions either. Luther takes what Jesus says about the commandments and applies His words to the meaning. Through it all you must remember, how you keep the commandments, on a daily basis - in your thoughts, and words, and deeds, is your spiritual service of worship.

Remember this as well. Those who do not keep these commandments, those whose lives are not perfect spiritual services of worship, will suffer God’s eternal wrath and punishment. Let me summarize all ten for you. First, love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your strength. So, examine yourself, do you live up to God’s demand for worship?

Secondly, you are to love your neighbor as yourself. How you doing with that? Is your attitude in your heart and your action toward your neighbor, an acceptable service of worship to God?

Of course, the world has other ideas about our lives. The world makes suggestions about the Ten Commandments. In fact, our culture literally screams that they are nothing more than suggestions. Furthermore, the world suggests that the Biblical promise which threatens God’s eternal wrath and punishment against those who break these commandments, is not true. They claim that a loving God would never send anybody to hell.

God tells us, through the pen of Paul. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (Rom. 12:2)

If God’s attitude about our daily lives is such, what do you think He’d say about our gathering together, that time which has come to be called corporate worship? Do you think it is a time for letting the world dictate what should happen here? Is this a time to gather and let unbelievers suggest to us what we should do in order to make them feel welcome?

Or, is our gathering together for another purpose? Do we come together as the children of God so that we do something for God? Or does God gather together as His children so that He can do something for us?

Here is where we are gathered for renewal. Here is where Christ comes to us and makes a difference in our lives, so that we can be a blessing to others. Paul wrote in our Epistle lesson, that we have been set apart. You and I have received grace, you have been called to belong to Jesus Christ, loved by God and called to be saints. Yes, called to be saints. You have been called to be holy, perfect before God.

That is exactly what our Old Testament lesson is all about, it is talking about what happens when we gather together as the children of God, as the Israelites. How many of you have heard the words of that text before? Maybe you’ll remember it if I say in older English.

The Lord bless thee and keep thee;

The Lord make His face shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee;

The Lord lift up His countenance upon thee and give thee peace.

Our text is slightly different because it comes from the New International Version, the language is a bit more contemporary. But, you have often heard those words, called the benediction, in our liturgy. But, do you know the reason that the benediction is spoken at the end of the service? It is because of the command of the Lord in our text which comes before and after the benediction?

Before the words of the benediction, The LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: It is then that He gives them the words of the benediction.

The Lord bless thee and keep thee;

The Lord lift up His countenance upon thee and give thee peace.

After giving them those words, the Lord says, “So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”

Did you hear it? These words are commanded to be spoken by God’s ministers over the people. Through these words, God puts His name on His children and He blesses them.

These aren’t just some words made up by some pastor to end the service. It isn’t like these words have meaning, but do little else. These words, when spoken as commanded by God, come upon you in an incredibly marvelous way and bestow miraculous blessing upon you. Jesus instructed His disciples, “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, there I am in their midst.” (Matt. 18:20) What is even more interesting is that Jesus informs them of this fact after instructing them that they will have authority to forgive and retain sins.

If you remember, after His resurrection, Jesus gives them a special use for God’s name. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matt. 28:19,20)

God puts His name upon you at baptism, and blesses you. That name of God is invoked at the beginning of our service, we are gathered in God’s name - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We are gathered in His name, at His command, to receive His gifts to us, that we might depart from this place and give glory to His name in all that we do.

Is it appropriate then, that our ideas and feelings dictate what happens in God’s house and in His name? Is it important that we do what we want to do here? Or is it better that we gather here to receive from God His gracious gifts that will change us, forgive us, bless us and send us out from here?

Too many want to conform this time and place to the world, so people will feel welcome here. Many churches have transformed their worship styles to fit the culture.

Dear friends in Christ, here you are transformed to be a fit instrument of God’s grace, a living testimony of the name you bear. The Spirit brings you to this place where God gathers you together. The forgiveness which the Christ child purchased to make you holy, is dispensed here, in word, bath and meal. This is where God puts His name on you, changes you, blesses you, and sends you out transformed, to be a blessing in the world.

The Lord bless thee and keep thee; Yes, God our Father created and sustains us, He blesses us and keeps us in all that we need to support this body and life.

The Lord make His face shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee; Nobody has seen the face of God except in Jesus Christ. The Babe of Bethlehem, is the grace of God revealed to men. Yes, His name is Jesus, God saves. He is Immanuel, God with us. His life of perfect worship was sacrificed as payment for our desire to let the world dictate our worship. The face God’s grace shines upon us as Christ speaks words of forgiveness to us, and feeds us His own body and blood. While hidden in earthly forms, God’s grace in Christ Jesus comes to you and changes you.

The Lord lift up His countenance upon thee and give thee peace. God’s Spirit moves us to see the countenance of God in Christ Jesus, to believe that indeed we are forgiven and redeemed. It is the Spirit who changes our heart and gives us faith to cling not to ourselves, but to Christ Jesus - and we have true peace - peace on earth, goodwill toward men, given to us in the Christ-child.

Just simple words? No, indeed they are not, they are so much more. These are the command of God to put His name on His people and to bless them.

The Lord bless thee and keep thee; The Lord make His face shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee; The Lord lift up His countenance upon thee and give thee peace. Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

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