The Bible is filled with blessings. You have probably heard one of the most familiar: “The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you.” We have offered that blessing in worship services, church conferences, and in choir anthems. The Bible reminds us that there is power in our words both to bless and to curse. (I’m not sure I want that much power extended to my words, but the reality is that God has entrusted us with awesome authority and responsibility!)
And this work of blessing is serious business. In the book of Genesis, Isaac mistakenly blesses the younger son much to the dismay of the older son. And even though the father was deceived, the power of his words could not be rescinded! If we realized our words carried such weight, we might be more careful with both blessings and curses.
This Sunday in worship we will offer words of blessing on the beginning of a new school year. In the “Blessing of the Backpacks” we are not so much blessing backpacks as we are the students who carry them. We will bless both students and educators, And, if we believe the testimony of scripture, our words will carry the tremendous potential to affect real change. So let us gather this Sunday to offer our blessing on students and all who facilitate their education, for in our words we have been entrusted with the generous blessings of our God.
Peace and all things good,
Pastor David
