Christmas and the New Year are seasons of blessings and gratitude. What better way to start the year than Aaron's priestly blessing? Aaron prayed for the Lord's blessing and protection on Israel's people and that his face would shine upon them, giving them peace. That is God's greatest wish for each and every one of us and the world, but do we really believe that? If we did, our attitude might be very different. Perhaps we could repeat the words in our hearts at various times during the day and pray that others might be blessed in the same way.

One of the greatest blessings that God gives us is the Spirit that is poured into our hearts. We are then able to recognise God is our Father and ourselves as beloved adopted sons and daughters.

If we see ourselves in this way and experience this relationship in our hearts, our lives will be very different. The shepherds did not fully understand what was happening. But they were convinced that the presence of this newborn child was blessing them and the entire world. There was only one reaction: rejoicing and praising God. Joy and praise can only come from grateful hearts.