Bless you

A few years ago, I taught in the elementary Sunday School.  We used a curriculum that included an individual blessing for each child at the end of the lesson.  Since I was the lead teacher, I was to bless any other adults in the room, then an adult would touch a child, look into their eyes and give them the blessing.  Hmmmm.  Seems a tad....uncomfortable.  I mean, who goes around pronouncing blessings on other people?  Just priests, right?  Not me, that's for sure. 

The truth is that I'll do all sorts of things in a room full of kids that I wouldn't do with adults.  So I tried the blessing at the end of class.  I was afraid that the kids would be a little creeped out by it, or resist being touched, or think it was silly.  I told them to line up, then I turned to the other teacher and blessed her.  So far, so good.  She started blessing at one end of the line and I started at the other. 

It was rather amazing.  All of the children stood quietly, watching us proceed down the line.  "________, child of God, may you carry the light of Christ within you this week."  Again and again I put my hands on a set of little shoulders and looked into an upturned face and repeated the blessing.  What faces!  Expectant and a little excited, each child beamed at the blessing that was their very own.  They stayed quiet.  They didn't poke each other. Instead, they smiled with big eyes and little shrugs. 

After a while, we didn't use the curriculum anymore and I stopped blessing the children.  We still had fun and learned things, but we never blessed anyone ever again.  I miss it.


May you be filled with the grace of the Living God who calls you .

Our Next Meeting!

Since I very thoroughly messed up the schedule, I'll just post what chapters we will be covering in our next meeting here on the blog.  Our next meeting will be September 7th.

 This was the one time we will do two chapters in two weeks.  Hebrews 9 and 10.

Week 1 (August 25th through 31st):  N. T. Wright. Lesson 9 - The Sacrifice of the Messiah on pages 48 - 53.

Week 2 (September 1st through 7th):  Listening to God - I Have Come To Do Your Will on pages 59 through 65.

Last Friday we covered Hebrews 8:  The Promise of a New Covenant/I Am His and He Is Mine.   Everyone pretty much agreed - the lesson in the Listening for God book was...hard to understand and respond to.   If you weren't there on Friday, is there anything you want to discuss?  

What did you think about the John Wesley quote on page 55? Could you pray that prayer?

"I am no longer my own, but Yours.  Put me to what You will; put me to doing, put me to suffering; let me be employed for You or laid aside for You, praised for You or humbled for You; let me be full, let me be empy; let me have all things, let me have nothing; I freely and cheerfully yield all things to Your pleasure and disposal."