“Always remember these commands I give you today. Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and walk along the road. Talk about them when you lie down and when you get up.”

~Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (International Children's Bible)

Wonder, Learn, Grow

As a kid, one of my favorite parts of starting a new school year was shopping for school supplies. There was something so exciting about walking through the aisles and picking out fresh notebooks, folders, pencils, and, if it was the right year, a brand-new backpack. I have fond memories of coming home and organizing everything, carefully deciding which notebook would be for which subject, and getting it all ready for the first day.

There was something about those brand-new school supplies that made a new year feel full of possibility. There were new things to discover, new things to learn, and so many ways I would grow without even knowing it yet.

This year, the words on our backpack tags are Wonder, Learn, Grow. I love these words because, while they certainly express the hopes we have for our children and youth as they begin another school year, they aren't only for our youngest learners. Whether beginning kindergarten, heading off to college, working toward a graduate degree, stepping into a classroom as a teacher, or simply continuing to learn throughout life, we are all invited to wonder, learn, and grow.

In Deuteronomy, God's people are told to keep God's words close and to talk about them throughout the ordinary rhythms of life; at home and away, when lying down and when getting up. Faith isn't something we leave at church when we walk out the doors on Sunday. We carry it with us into classrooms and offices, libraries and lecture halls, playgrounds and faculty meetings. God is present wherever our learning and growing take us.

This Sunday, we will celebrate our annual Blessing of the Backpacks. We invite students of all ages, teachers, and other educators to bring the bags that accompany them throughout their days. We will bless backpacks filled with crayons and lunchboxes, laptops and textbooks, lesson plans and grading pens, but more importantly, we will bless the people who carry them.

As another school year begins, my prayer is that we never lose our sense of wonder, that we approach opportunities to learn with curiosity, and that we continue to grow, not only in knowledge, but in kindness, courage, compassion, and faith.

Perhaps Wonder, Learn, Grow isn't just a theme for Backpack Blessing Sunday. Maybe it is an invitation for all of us. May we never stop wondering. May we never stop learning. And with God's grace, may we never stop growing.