Feast of the Holy Name

by chuckofish

I was scheduled to be a lay reader this morning, so I had no choice but to go to church, having stayed up until midnight watching 6 seasons-worth of Buffy the Vampire Slayer season finales with daughter #2. This was clearly an awesome and rewarding undertaking, but still entailed staying up way past my bedtime.

The congregation was (not surprisingly) very small this morning. Those who came were treated to a collect that is used only when Sunday falls on January 1 (about once a decade) and the first lesson which is a wonderful New Year prayer:

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the Israelites: You shall say to them, the LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. So they shall put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.

Numbers 6:22-27

Happy New Year!