This is a menu - don’t try to eat it all! Pick one or two suggestions to try at home.
“Like orange juice is not just for breakfast anymore, blessings need not only be for special occasions.... A blessing can be anytime we wish to make a deeper connection with the life (and lives) around us.” - From Blessing: The Art and the Practice by David Spangler
For Adults
Appetizer: Getting hungry for spiritual practice
"The more alert we become to the blessings that flow into us, the more our own touch will bring blessing." - Br. David Steindl-Rast in A Listening Heart
Main Course: Tasting the practice
Whenever we hear sirens, we are reminded that someone’s life has changed. The sirens and lights can be our reminder to stop and pray for the people involved. Whenever you hear sirens, use this liturgy: “God: When we hear sirens, it is a reminder that someone’s life has changed. Please be with the people in need of your care, their families, the drivers of the emergency vehicles, the medical team, and people who might be in their paths. Amen.” - From Rev. Tanya Campen
Dessert: Using the practice to sweeten my life
As you take care of a pet or tend to living plants in your home, use this time to give thanks to God for the wonders and beauty of creation.
Watering plants: As you pour the water say, “Thank you, God, for the gift of life. May your light and water bring life to all of your creation.”
Prayer of thanksgiving for pets: As you walk/feed your pet, say, “God, Thank you for [insert pet’s name/s]. They are a gift to me. Help me to love and take care of them. Amen.” - From Rev. Tanya Campen
Digest: Absorbing the meaning of the practice
Read Chapter 9, “Blessing: Healing the World with Love,” in The Hopeful Family: Raising Resilient Children in Uncertain Times by Amelia Richardson Dress (available on Kindle)
For Youth
Appetizer: Getting hungry for spiritual practice
“It is impossible to bless and judge at the same time.” - Pierre Pradvervand
Main Course: Tasting the practice
Say a blessing for yourself in the mirror: "God is with you, Christ is beside you, the Holy Spirit moves through you. You have all you need."
Dessert: Using the practice to sweeten my life
A blessing for enemies, even.
Digest: Absorbing the meaning of the practice
"We bless this one who is joining us in this amazing and challenging adventure called humankind advancing. We bless them in their ability to face the immense challenges that their generation will certainly have to meet. We bless them in their constant adaptability, creativity and inventiveness as they face strange or unsettling conditions... We bless them in their unshakeable trust in Providence that watches over their every step, that furnishes them with the wisdom and insight to follow their own path, the resilience, determination and grit to never, ever give up, the clear intention that can never be swayed, and the vision that ignites a flame in their eyes and draws a smile on their lips." - Pierre Pradervand
For Kids
Appetizer: Getting hungry for spiritual practice
"Blessings help us connect with and affirm one another. It is an opportunity for God's people to remind each other that God is with us and that God loves us." - Rev. Tanya Campen
Main Course: Tasting the practice
One way to offer a blessing is to make the shape of a cross on your family member’s forehead or hand while saying words of your choice. For example:
(Make a vertical line) God loves you.
(Make a horizontal line) God is with you.
(Look your family member in their eyes) You are a blessing.
(Hug your family member) I love spending time with you.
- From Bless Each Other by Rev. Tanya Campen
Dessert: Using the practice to sweeten my life
At a meal time, bedtime, or on the way to school, ask your family who they’d like to bless.... You can say something like, “Who would you like to send God’s light to today?” or “Who would you like to send love to today?” - From The Hopeful Family: Raising Resilient Children in Uncertain Times by Amelia Richardson Dress
Digest: Absorbing the meaning of the practice
"A blessing is a circle of light drawn around another person to heal, protect, and strengthen." - John O'Donohue
For Families
Appetizer: Getting hungry for spiritual practice
“Blessing is inviting God to work in the life of a child to bring healing.” -Rev. Leanne Hadley
Main Course: Tasting the practice
In his book The Family Blessing, Rolf Garborg talks about the importance of a daily blessing and gives family guidance in doing this work at home. He lists out steps as a way to get started:
Now is the time to start blessing your children today.
Find a consistent time to bless your family (this might be at bed time, or at the start of a new day).
Ask God for the words. For example, you can say “God loves you, God is with you, Be at peace.”
If you are a religious family, you can teach your child the priestly blessing from Numbers 6:24-26: The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make their face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord watch over you and give you peace.
Garborg suggests you talk to your family about what a blessing is so they are not surprised or unsure about what is happening. Tanya Campen says, “Any time I bless a person of any age for the first time, I always take time to explain what I am doing. It doesn’t necessarily make it less wonky or weird, but it does help us learn and grow as we practice the tool together. Like other disciplines- the more you practice the easier it gets, and in my experience, using this tool changes you and the person you are blessing.... Parents have shared with me that when it feels weird or if their child goes to bed on their own, that they will stand in their child’s doorway making a sign of the cross in the air, offering a silent blessing over them while they sleep.” - Rev. Tanya Campen
Dessert: Using the practice to sweeten my life
“Let your child know that they are a blessing. You can simply add ‘You’re a blessing’ to your ‘I love you’ when you tuck them in at night. For older kids who tend to roll their eyes at these affections, try tucking a note into their lunchbox or putting a sticky note on the bathroom mirror. You could also say, ‘You’re a gift to the world’ or ‘I’m happy you came into our lives.’” - From The Hopeful Family: Raising Resilient Children in Uncertain Times by Amelia Richardson Dress
Digest: Absorbing the meaning of the practice
“When we bless a child, we meet them in their deepest longing: to be seen, known, and loved. A blessing, even one as simple as ‘You are a child of God,’ reassures kids that they are not a mistake and signals our confidence in them.” - From The Hopeful Family: Raising Resilient Children in Uncertain Times by Amelia Richardson Dress
A Blessing
May you always have music and laughter
and may a rainbow follow every storm.
May gladness wash away every disappointment,
may joy dissolve every sorrow,
and may love ease every pain.
May every wound bring wisdom,
may every trial bring triumph,
and with each passing day may you live
more abundantly than the day before.
May you be blessed and may others be blessed by you.
This is my heartfelt wish for you:
May you be blessed.
Pierre Pradervand
Zoom link for Sunday School online:
Meeting ID: 823 0434 8356
Contact Pastor Chelsea: associatepastor@holladayucc.org
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