I've been thinking about what it means to bless and to be a blessing lately. I opened my mouth at a church meeting and of course that leads to doing something. So I'm planning a blessing of the backpacks - a blessing for anyone who is in school (any level) or works in a school setting. I have to think about what it means to bless or be blessed in order to write a liturgy that stands on a rich tradition. I need to understand this concept so I can write something that is faithful to all those who will gather to be blessed and who are doing the blessing. So I did what I do what I want opinions I posted this question on Facebook. A church musician reminded me of the song "Count Your Blessings." Others said something that is given freely and that we don't earn. Another person reminded me of the words from Numbers. After taking it all in here's what I'm concluded for now: we are all blessed, even before we took form on this earth. We are all part of the circle of being blessed and blessing others. As creations of the Divine we can show each other blessings and help each other remember from time to time that we've already been blessed and that because of that we are to bless others. It's not perfect but it's what I know and it's what I've experienced.
As a minister I have the honor of performing rites and ceremonies for people at a variety of stages of life: baptisms, blessings, marriages, funerals, etc. I usually enjoy planning and leading these events. But lately I've had a rash of folks shocked that as a minister, I would have a fee to do some of these services. So lets talk about why I have fees. To start with, if you are a member of my congregation you do get my services as a part of my contract with the congregation as long as they are spelled out in the contract. Generally if you're a member of the congregation I serve, it is expected that I will preform baptisms, blessings, funerals, weddings, etc for you because I want to remind you of God's continuous blessing in your life and especially at important moments in your life. However some folks are shocked that there would be an honorarium suggested for the minister. The reality is that these blessings, weddings, funerals, etc. are extra work in our wee...
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