Backpacks, Blessings & BBQ

​I remember my first day of kindergarten. Although it was many years ago, I can recall with great detail the mixture of excitement and anxiety I felt. I remember how proud I felt in my green and red striped watermelon dress with my denim Pocahontas backpack. My dad held my hand and walked me inside. We sat down next to a little girl with bright red hair, sitting with her mother. My dad started chatting with them, and we learned that her name was Abigail. She became my first friend in school. Over the years, Abigail and I did soccer, Girl Scouts, and even youth group together. We had sleepovers and birthday parties and became good friends. Now, almost 30 years later, my son is starting kindergarten.
 
On July 27, we will have a blessing of the backpacks in our combined worship service, and the following week, we will recognize our kindergarten children. It is a Northbrook tradition to gather and offer a blessing on the students, teachers, and administrators who will begin a new season of learning. We will also start a new season of Sunday school here at Northbrook.
 
Today, we often take public education for granted; however, Sunday schools were among the first free educational programs. In the late 1700s, Sunday schools emerged as a form of supplemental education, particularly for the poor, providing free basic literacy and religious instruction before the widespread adoption of public education. These schools empowered working-class communities by providing access to education and fostering a sense of community. Educating the children fostered meaningful relationships and contributed to the overall prosperity of the town.
 
Education and community go hand-in-hand. Adults and children who learn together also grow together. The same was true for Jesus’s earliest disciples. As they followed Jesus and learned at his feet, they also became closer friends. Learning together helped them bridge the social gaps that hung in the air between former fishermen and ex-tax collectors.
 
As we begin a new school year and a new Sunday school year, there is an opportunity for each of us to recommit to discipleship and spiritual formation. Northbrook offers numerous small groups and classes that foster a deep sense of community and learning.
 
In Kindergarten, I learned alongside my friends, but I also did life alongside my friends. If you feel called to a deeper experience of relation with Jesus and your fellow disciples, I hope you will attend our Ministry Fair after worship this week or reach out to me, and I can help you find a place to get more involved. And may we all renew our commitment to learn at the feet of Jesus.
 
In Christ,
 
Rev. Kena Newkirk
Associate Pastor