Blessing of the Backpacks

This past Sunday was had the Blessing of the Backpacks as part of our 10am service. Children of all ages brought their backpacks to church and up to the altar at the story stick time, in order to have them blessed for the beginning of the school year. It is always fun to see the wide variety of sizes, colors, and designs that come forward. After being blessed we walk to the chapel and there the real fun began, for the backpacks were stuffed full of paper, notebooks, markers, crayons and other school supplies. We emptied them into a basket at the front of the alter, and then piled the supplies as neatly as we could. They filled the basket I brought, and kept coming. Soon the floor in front of the alter was littered with glue bottles and sissors, pencils and pads. These school supplies will be delivered to children who need them so that they to can have a blessed year.

I love how excited our children get about the start of school! And even more I love how excited they are about donating school supplies to others. For the past several years we have given our children a tag to attach to their packpack with a Bible verse on it. This year the verse was one we loved from Vacation Bible School. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, don't rely on your own intelligence." Proverbs 3:5. My back to school wish for all of us it to trust in the Lord, to receive God's blessings with unfettered excitement and to share our blessings with others with overflowing joy.