If you can’t have the luck of the Irish, I pray you can have the blessing of God. Read Numbers 6:22-27. Today, there will be a lot of people wearing green to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. There will also be a lot of people drinking green beer and eating shepherd’s pie. Not everyone who celebrates today will be thinking of Patrick as the person who brought the message of the gospel to Ireland. One of my favorite aspects of the emphasis on St. Patrick’s Day is the practice of sharing the Irish blessings. One of the most popular is, “May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be always at your back, may the sun shine warm upon your face, may the rains fall soft upon your fields, and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand.” The power of blessing is an important part of the Judeo-Christian tradition. As Moses led the people out of Egypt to Mount Sinai and beyond, the tribe of Levi was given the assignment to be the priestly tribe. The role of the priest was to take the prayers and petitions of the people to God. The priest was to ask God to forgive the people of their sins. Another role of the priest was to pronounce blessings upon the people. We find this first in the book of Numbers. In Numbers 6, God tells Moses to instruct his brother, Aaron, to bless the people. Aaron is considered the first priest responsible for following the practices of the Hebrew religion. The Aaronic blessing is not Irish, but no doubt the inspiration for Irish blessings. Instead of praying to end our time today, let us receive the Aaronic blessing.

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”