A Blessing for Parents

May this bread, as Christ’s body, empower you.
May this bread, as Christ’s hands, uphold you.
May this bread, as Christ’s presence, fill you and give you peace.
Just as God gave the Israelites their daily provision of manna,
just enough for one day,
may you know deep within that God will provide you with
everything you need to raise your children today,
And tomorrow,
And the day after that.
May blessings upon blessings surround you,
making this task of parenting both joyful
and fruitful.
Amen.

I love this blessing from Ordinary Miracles: Awakening to the Holy Work of Parenting by Rachel S. Gerber (page 133). I pray this especially for the parents of young children in my congregation:

• in the midst of the hard work of parenting, may they also know the holiness of their calling;
• in times of uncertainty, may they know the sureness of God’s provision;
• and may they face their present and future challenges with hope in God.

I was pleased when Herald Press asked me to write an endorsement for Rachel’s book, since I was already familiar with her blog, Everything Belongs. What a treat to settle down with her book as she shares her experience of parenting in the framework of Jesus and his disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35). From the disciples’ initial ignorance of Jesus’ identity, to the blessing and breaking of bread, to the holy heartburn of recognition, her book is both a meditation on the gospel text and on the holy work of parenting. She says (pages 19-20):

Like the story of the disciples on the way to Emmaus, my story ping-pongs from bewilderment to joy to sadness and back to joy again. It includes the ordinary texture of days with small children and experiences of tragedy and grief that made me question everything I thought I knew about God. Ultimately, my story is one of slowly awakening to the Christ who comes to us beyond the boundaries of time and circumstance. . . . The disciples did not travel alone toward Emmaus; they did it in the company of each other. I invite you to awaken to how Christ meets us all along the way so that we might return with burning hearts and declare together, ‘I have seen the Lord!’

This book is warm, wise, funny, and full of real-life moments with the author and her family. Rachel’s storytelling and spiritual insight are great gifts that I look forward to sharing with others, especially with parents of young children.

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