Kid’s Korner this month is from Georgia McKinnon.
It’s the time of year when churches may want to offer a “Back-to-School Blessing” event for the kids (children and teens) and teachers in their congregation and target community. If you’ve never held an event like this, you may wonder what one would look like. Or you may be asking why you would want to hold an event like this.
The “why” of having a Back-to-School Blessing is directly tied to the “who” question we often ask: “Who is this God we serve?” The answer is that this God is a blessing God—a good God who blesses. He shares his blessing with us and calls on us to share his blessing with others.
Throughout the Bible we see this blessing theme. In the Old Testament, God promises to bless Abram (Abraham) and that in turn he (Abraham) would be a blessing to others, ultimately the whole world (Genesis 12:2). In the New Testament, Paul offers praise to God in Ephesians, acknowledging that Jesus has “blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). Paul continues in this passage to list specific things God has done in Jesus as blessings to us. Why? Because he is a blessing God!
Since we serve a good God who blesses, we can participate in his blessing work by intentionally finding ways to bless others. In this work of blessing others, we are wrapped up in the loop of blessing that the Triune God shares with us. As we share in his blessing life, we become witnesses to the God who has so richly blessed us in Jesus Christ.
The shape of a Back-to-School Blessing event can vary greatly, depending on your context and what you are trying to achieve. It could be as simple as calling all the children and teachers (school teachers and Sunday school teachers) together during a worship service to ask a blessing over them for the upcoming school year. This can be worked into your church service in many ways. It could also be more involved by adding an outreach component leading up to the event, like coordinating a collection and distribution of school supplies to children in need in the community.
In both activities, you can invite others in the community to participate, either in the Blessing Service, the service project, or both. There may be additional opportunities in your community that arise as the new school year approaches where the Spirit may be leading you to participate.
No matter what shape your event may take, if you choose to have one, a Back-to-School Blessing not only becomes a blessing for others, but it serves as a witness of our blessing God as revealed in Jesus Christ, and the hope we have living in communion with him.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. (Romans 13:13)
