You may notice that at Hillside we bless all sorts of things: The communion bread and cup. Babies at baptism. People going and people leaving the congregation. Even backpacks at the start of a school year.
But what does it mean to bless something?
A blessing is not magic. It does not change the chemistry of bread or the fabric of a backpack. Instead, blessing names what is already true: that God is present in the ordinary stuff of life. It sets something apart, not by making it holy, but by recognizing the holiness already woven through it.
When we bless a baby, we declare that this little life belongs to God. When we bless communion, we proclaim that Christ is with us at the table. When we bless a backpack, we say that God’s care stretches into the classroom, the cafeteria, the soccer field, and the bus stop.
To bless is to say: God is here too. God is in this. God is for you.
And that is why our church blesses so often. We keep reminding ourselves and each other that nothing in life is too small or too ordinary to be gathered up in God’s love.
What’s more, when we bless, we are not just naming God’s love but pledging to carry it with us into every corner of our lives.
