Facing To and Away Peter Fitch, St. Croix Vineyard Sunday, March 1, 2015

Numbers 6 (Aaronic Blessing) 24 The Lord bless you, and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; 26 The Lord lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace.’

Faces Can show a lot or a little Can draw us in or push us away Can be badges of honour or masks covering defeat Can be real or pretend Can be hard or soft, angry or compassionate Can be poker, can be pleasure, can be wonder, can be love

Quotes He had the look of one who had drunk the cup of life and found a dead beetle at the bottom (P. G. Wodehouse) Gussie, a glutton for punishment, stared at himself in the mirror (P. G. Wodehouse)

God has given you one face, and you make yourself another (William Shakespeare) To Love another person is to see the face of God (Victor Hugo) Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face (Victor Hugo)

The face is the picture of the mind with the eyes as its interpreter (Marcus Tullius Cicero) She was not one for emptying her face of expression (J. D. Salinger)

Thoughts Countenance... The soul shining though the physical features Compassion... A safe and beckoning welcome from the soul Beauty... The light of the soul shining unhindered through the physical features

A sub-theme in Jeremiah “Be appalled, O heavens, at this, And shudder, be very desolate,” declares the Lord. “For My people have committed two evils; they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water” (Jeremiah 2:12-13)

For they have turned their back to Me, And not their face; But in the time of their trouble they will say, ‘Arise and save us’ (Jeremiah 2:27) Yet you had a harlot’s forehead; You refused to be ashamed (Jeremiah 3:3) They are shrewd to do evil but to do good they do not know (Jeremiah 4:22)

But they refused to take correction. They have made their faces harder than rock; they have refused to repent (Jeremiah 5:3) To whom shall I speak and give warning That they may hear? Behold, their ears are closed And they cannot listen. Behold, the word of the Lord has become a reproach to them; They have no delight in it (Jeremiah 6:10)

I will show them My back and not My face in the day of their calamity (Jeremiah 18:17)

15 “Do you become a king because you are competing in cedar? Did not your father eat and drink And do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him.16 “He pled the cause of the afflicted and needy; Then it was well. Is not that what it means to know Me?” Declares the Lord.17 “But your eyes and your heart Are intent only upon your own dishonest gain, And on shedding innocent blood And on practicing oppression and extortion” (Jeremiah 22:15-18)

Jeremiah 29:7, Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.’ 11 For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.

Jeremiah 29:7, You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’

Did I offer peace today? Did I bring a smile to someone’s face? Did I say words of healing? Did I let go of my anger and resentment? Did I forgive? Did I love? These are the real questions. I must trust that the little bit of love I sow now will bear many fruits, here in this world and in the life to come (Henri Nouwen)