Each Divine Service concludes with the Benediction, “The Lord bless you and keep you…” (Num 6.24-26) That blessing isn’t just a nice gesture. God commanded it. It imparts something; in fact, when God’s called servant speaks the blessing it is coming from God himself. As The LORD himself says, when it is spoken, “[I] put my name upon the people.” (Num 6.27) Thus, when the Eternal Son of God begins His public ministry with a series of “Blessed are you’s,” (Mt 5.1-12) it is not just a pious wish, but imparts what He says. Only faith appreciates this. Only faith can grasp “the word of the cross,” (1 Cor 1.18) the message of blessing through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Through faith we see that what the world considers foolish is, in fact, life itself.