If you are a craftsman . . . only look at your tools, your needle, your thimble, your beer barrel, your articles of trade, your scales, your measures, and you will find this saying written on them . . . “My dear, use me toward your neighbor, as you would want him to act toward you with that which is his.” — From Martin Luther, Weimarer Ausgabe 32, pp. 495–496 (The Sermon on the Mount).
For many churches, one of the markers of the beginning of the fall program year is the “Blessing of the Backpacks”. It is a ritual that helps our faith communities bless children as they return back to school, assures both children and adults that God is with them wherever they go and reminds us, as Martin Luther wrote, that everything inside that backpack can be a means by which we can serve and bless our neighbors.
With the possibility that some students will be learning online this fall, it’s also appropriate to bless the digital devices that facilitate teaching and learning. The United Methodist Church’s ResourceUMC website offers a blessing and resources at https://www.resourceumc.org/en/content/blessing-of-the-devices