Blessing the Children

It was the first Tuesday in September, the first day of school, the day to bless the children at AnchorPoint Christian School. As the opening chapel service was coming to an end, parents and grandparents, board members, teachers, and staff surrounded the children and pronounced a litany of God’s promises over them.

The tradition of blessing has deep roots in Scripture. God loves to bless his children. The very first thing God did after creating Adam and Eve was to bless them (Gen. 1:27-28). God blessed Noah and his sons (Gen. 9:1). When God called Abraham to father a nation, (Gen. 12:1), the very next thing God did was bless him (Gen. 12:2-3). After God called Moses to lead his people, God pulled Moses aside and said, “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless them: The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace’” (Num. 6:22-27).

In the Old Testament, Hebrew parents passed along God’s blessing to their children. Isaac blessed Jacob (Gen. 27:26-29, 39-40). Jacob blessed his sons and Joseph’s grandsons (Gen. 48-49). It is a tradition that continues today as Jewish parents pause on each Shabbat to verbally and intentionally bless their children as a part of their family worship.

In the New Testament, Jesus “took the children in his arms, put his hands on them, and blessed them” (Mark 10:14). And the apostle Paul reminds us that Christ “redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit” (Gal. 3:13-14).

Blessing is a particularly biblical word. Blessing is of such high significance that it occurs in the first chapter of Scripture (Gen. 1:22), in the last chapter (Rev. 22:14) and over four hundred times in between.

The Hebrew word for blessing (barakah) means to “to bow,” or “to adore with bended knee.” And while this adoration makes perfect sense when we “bless” God, the amazing grace in this word is that the God who created us “adores” us enough to make promises, offer provision, extend protection, and provide a pathway back to him through his Son.

The Greek root words eulogia (Gal. 3:14) and makarios (cf. the Beatitudes, Gal. 4:15) are often translated as “blessing” in the New Testament. The later word underscores a sense of contentment, provision, and freedom from cares; the former word carries a sense of praise and plenty.

While only a child of God can fully experience “blessing,” the word has been hijacked by our culture. Twitter is full of examples: “I got 57 Facebook wall postings on my birthday! #blessed!;” “Strawberries at Trader Joe’s are half-price this week! #blessed!” Jessica Bennett, in her New York Times article “They Feel Blessed” (May 2, 2014) indicates that the word is the current way to brag about one’s accomplishments while pretending to be humble. That’s the antithesis of biblical blessing. It is time the family of God reclaims both the word and the practice.

A biblical blessing is

• a declaration of God’s sovereignty—that God, and God alone, is Lord.
• an assurance of God’s endless promises, abundant provision, and endless protection; all blessings ultimately emanate from the faithfulness of God.
• a refresher course in God’s amazing grace; God’s blessings are never deserved or earned.
• an unmerited gift that elevates the recipient to a place of significance.
• an impartation of the supernatural power of God into our lives.
• a feast of encouragement powerful enough to shape our destiny.
• a declaration of unconditional acceptance and affirmation.
• an affirmation that we are loved by God; we belong to our faithful Savior; we are children of the King.

So, as our gatherings for worship come to an end, a blessing is given; a blessing is received. This blessing, or “benediction” is a parting reminder of the sovereign God we have worshiped, of our elevation into God’s family because of his Son, and of God’s commitment to remain with us always and everywhere.

God’s blessing is a blessing worth receiving, and it is a blessing worth passing along.

The Blessing of the Children has been an annual event since AnchorPoint Christian School first opened its doors. This first chapel of the year serves as a template for future chapels and classroom blessings, for parental blessings at home around the table and before bed at night, and for developing an atmosphere of blessing among the staff and student body. We know that children, regardless of their age, tend to live into their expectations. And we long for every one of them to grow as a child of God.

Maybe we should all start blessing our children, and each other, more regularly.