May God Bless You and Keep You

The LORD said to Moses:
“Speak to Aaron and his sons and tell them:
This is how you shall bless the Israelites.
Say to them:
The LORD bless you and keep you!
The LORD let his face shine upon
you, and be gracious to you!
The LORD look upon you kindly and
give you peace!
So shall they invoke my name upon the Israelites,
and I will bless them.”
—Numbers 6:22-27

As each new moment meets you,
whatever it imparts,
may God bless you and keep you
in the shelter of his heart.

As memory drifts through you,
the harvest of the days,
may God be gracious to you,
and may you see his face.

As years fall back behind you 
and roads run on beneath,
may God look on you kindly
and may he give you peace.

And as the new year rises,
a morning all unknown,
may God forever guide you 
and bring you safely home.

Down of the great alpine road, Victoria, Australia, By fir0002flagstaffotos [at] gmail.comCanon 20D + Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 – Own work, GFDL 1.2, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=511931

Whatever

We hear the trumpet stirring, Lord,
the long crescendo of the drums.
If there is peace or there is war,
still, bless us in whatever comes.

So long we have been hot and cold
that now we've just gone mostly numb.
Our hands feel not, and nothing hold,
but bless us in whatever comes.

The tongues that clamored all ran dry;
they've spent their noise and fallen dumb,
so who is left to lift the cry,
“Oh, bless us in whatever comes”?

For it will take us by the hair
and play our nerves like catgut strummed
whether we do or do not dare.
Lord, bless us in whatever comes.

And let it, when it's had its day
to foul the feast and leave us crumbs,
pass over and be on its way.
Oh, bless us in whatever comes.

Though time will ride us o'er rough-shod,
it goes back where it first came from.
You gather it and us, O God,
and bless us in whatever comes.

Screenshot of the film The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) in which Doris Day performs the song Que Sera, Sera. By Paramount Pictures – Trailer of The Man Who Knew Too Much., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=65534401

Will You Bless Us?

For today’s Gospel reading of the Beatitudes:

Lord, we come to you confessing
all our struggle and our need,
and we ask you for your blessing.
Will you give us what we seek?

Will you make us poor in spirit,
like a king who left his crown
so that nobodies can wear it
when he comes into his own?

Will you give us tears for mourning?
There's so much we need to grieve;
drench our hearts, for they are burning!
Christ who wept, grant us relief!

Will you give us thirst and hunger
for the kingdom that you bring
and the justice that we long for,
and then fill us with good things?

Will you give us, Lord, your mercy?
Oh, then make us merciful!
We will bear each other's burdens
as you bear them for us all.

For you came to help and cure us
of the ills that we have made.
Make a blessing of our curses;
bring new life out of our graves.

The sermon on the mount By Harold Copping – https://www.meisterdrucke.de/künstler/Harold-Copping.html, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=84021899

Blessing (with Greg Scheer)

Based on Psalm 20, set to music by composer Greg Scheer:

May God give answer when you call,
and may God's name defend you
to shield you from what harms befall
and with great love befriend you,
then when at last the shadows fall,
with shepherd's care yet tend you,
and may you see God's hand in all,
wheree'er your road may send you.

May you take all you have and do
to be today your off'ring,
and give to God in love and truth,
in happiness and suff'ring.
May God send mercy filling you,
your heart's desires uncov'ring,
with graces pouring into you,
and peace upon you hov'ring.

May God pay heed to all your prayers,
and may we know the answer,
rejoicing with you as you share
the goodness God shall grant you.
Some trust in arms and some in pow'r,
but we shall trust in heaven,
and trust still more in every hour
the vict'ry God has given.