31 Jul 2021 Be blessed! (Blessing of the backpacks)

By Donald Brazile

It’s August, so we know what that means—back to school, football season, late summer allergy season, and lots of sniffing and sneezing. And with the sneezing comes the automatic response of “bless you” from those nearby. Saying “bless you” to another person or asking God for blessings is a good thing. Something we should not limit to sneezing.

If you go to church with any consistency, then you know Christians bless pretty much anything that moves and plenty of things that don’t. We didn’t make it up. We get it from the Bible. In the stories found in Genesis to Revelation, someone is either being blessed or giving out blessings to others. In the gospels, Jesus comes blessing the poor, hungry, weak, merciful, pure in heart, and all sorts of people. He blesses his disciples, strangers, and he blesses children (Mark 10:13-16).

You see, Superman can fly, Spider Man can cling to almost any surface, Thor can summon thunder and lightning with his powerful hammer, the Hulk has incredible strength, but we can do something far more spectacular–we can bless!

That’s why churches throughout Central Arkansas celebrate the “blessings of backpacks” for children entering a new school year. Students are asked to bring their backpacks to church, and during the service the minister says a prayer of blessing upon the backpacks. Why? Because each individual congregation wants the children to know that they are carrying the love of God and the love of the church with them wherever they go.

At these services, they ask God to touch and bless each student. They pray that each student would discover and develop the gifts they’ve been given, that as the students grow in knowledge, they will grow also in kindness and compassion, learning respect for themselves and others. Additionally, a prayer is spoken for the parents, teachers, aides, principals, administrators, maintenance workers, secretaries, cooks, security officers, librarians, custodians, and bus drivers. They pray that each one might be surrounded with encouragement, support, and love.

Raising children is no easy task. Churches offer some of what we all want for our children in this chaotic, sometimes frightening world. They offer ancient wisdom with a modern mindset in a language students understand: a place with a lot of joy, hope, and a lot of laughter (and glorious music, too!) And best of all, a chance for your kids to be loved by other human beings the way God loves them: unconditionally.

One thing’s for sure, you and your children will be welcomed with open arms. You’ll be welcome — if you haven’t been to church in a while, haven’t ever been to church, have lots of questions, have no questions, fall asleep during the sermon (we understand), if you don’t like church music, or if you love church music! You’ll be welcome — if you have five Bibles, or no Bibles, if you are 9 months old and cry all the time, or 99 years old and never cry, even if you accidentally clap off beat! You will be warmly welcomed.

So, what are you waiting for? Call the church that you regularly attend, or one that you’re interested in attending, and ask them about their upcoming “back to school” service. Place it on your calendar today and “Be Blessed!”