Back to School Blessing

Liz Hoyt and Austin White · Tidal Church Moncton · September 4, 2022

Liz Hoyt and Austin White offer a back to school blessing, drawing on Mark 10:13-16, 1 Samuel 16, and Daniel. They give educators the word potential, teens the word rooted, and kids the word courage, trusting that God holds the next generation.

More from Liz Hoyt · More from Austin White

Topics: Faith, Mission & Outreach, Discipleship

Transcript

[0:00] Church, I hear it a lot. I hear it a lot. I hear, I'm worried about the next generation. There seems to be a general pessimism when it comes to the next generation, the future outlook. There's a general anxiety and worry about the future of the next generation, and to be fair, there's merit to that. 48% of teens are stressed out and unhappy, one study found. And young adults, 65% of post-secondary students reported experiencing overwhelming anxiety in the previous year. Now, this is what the world believes, but how many of us know that the church, we believe in the gospel. We believe in the good news. We believe in something different. We believe that there's a paradigm shift for us, that God's love truly does change everything. One of the things that I believe is that the local church is the hope of the world. And what's beautiful about Moncton Wesleyan is we invest, believe, and empower the next generation, that there's something special happening here. And what I love as well is the world is actually waking up to the fact that there's something different about the church.

[1:14] That there's something a little bit different when the next generation, kids, teens, young adults, are plugged in. There is a Harvard study that just happened in 2020. It said this: Christian participation serves as an important antidote to despair and an asset of sustaining a sense of hope and meaning, strengthened by psychological resilience by fostering a sense of peace and a positive outlook. Look at your neighbor and say, peace. Peace and a positive outlook, and the promoting of social connectedness. This is a church that believes in the next generation, and we see something different when our next generation is plugged in to Moncton Wesleyan. We see how much Jesus believed in the next generation in Mark 10:13-16. It says this: People were bringing little children to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. They thought that the children were a distraction.

[2:14] When Jesus saw this, He was indignant. He was indignant. He said to them, Let the little children come to Me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. What a powerful statement, truly. I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it. And He took the children in His arms, placed His hands on them, and He blessed them. Back to School Blessing 2022. What Pastor Liz and I have for you is three words and three prayers. So we're gonna be praying all throughout this sermon. Our first prayer and word is for those who work in the education system. The second is for our teens and the third is for our kids. So here's three words the pastor Liz and I have for you. So raise your hand if you are a principal, a janitor, a lunch lady, the EA, the teacher, or the administrator. If you work in the educational system, can you raise your hand right now?

[3:16] There are a lot of you. And can I thank you? Thank you. There you go. Because you have a mission to be the light of Jesus to the next generation, and no matter what part you play in the educational system. It may seem small and insignificant to you, but you can play a big part, and all these statistics that he just talked about, you can play a big part in the lives of these kids. I want to share a word with you and a scripture. But first I want to just kind of set up this word.

[4:04] So if you go and look at 1 Samuel, there's a guy in there. His name is Samuel, of course. And Samuel was called by God to go find the next king to replace King Saul. So he was told to go to the family of Jesse in Bethlehem. So he goes there, and Jesse brings out his sons. And Samuel says, well, of course, it's Eliab. He's strong and great in stature. And he's handsome. It must be him. No, God said no. It's not him. Then he goes through the line of all the sons. Must be this one. It must be this one. Are you sure it's not this one? Then Samuel looks, he's gone through all the sons. Are you sure? There's no more? Well, yeah, sure. There's one that's out in the fields. He's not terribly important.

[4:55] Obviously. We didn't bring him with all the other sons. He's just a shepherd. And God said, He is the one. And God says, Do not look, he's talking to Samuel, Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. Eliab is what he's talking about, but he's rejected all of them, for God sees not as man sees, for man, he looks at the outward appearance. But the Lord, He looks at the heart. The word I have for you this morning, those in the educational system and those headed back to school, is the word potential.

[5:44] Yes. There's two sides to this potential word. There is part of it where it, potential is going to be, there is the potential to be a very bad year. There is the potential that you're going to be told off by a teacher, a student, or parent. There is the potential that you are going to be disheartened and tired. I won't deny that. But if you put on the eyes of Jesus, you look around you to see the potential that this next generation has. It is mind-blowing, of what can happen. So if we're like Samuel, where we're looking like, okay, oh, I like him. I mean, he's got a great attitude. He listens well in class.

[6:33] He's not bullying the other kids on the school bus. But what about the kids that we look at and go, I wish she'd be quiet. Man, he's told me off too many times. He won't speak. He keeps his hood up. He's sullen. Those kids that we're just looking at. But if you look at them with the eyes of Jesus and the potential that they have, you, you people, you in the educational system, are the light of Jesus. You are the hands and feet of Jesus. It's not where we can get into right now, but you have a foot in the door, because it is a dark place where God is no longer invited into the education system, but you are, and you can be, the heart, the listening ears, the feet and hands of Jesus. You can be a beacon. You can listen, and maybe you'll find unfilled potential in a child that they've never, you know, been seen before.

[7:49] Maybe they'll feel loved by you from adulthood. They've never felt loved before. If we could just put on the eyes of Jesus. And see the potential of the next generation, if we could see the potential of who they could become with Jesus in their life. Because, as it says, God sees not as man sees. For man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord, He looks at the heart. So this may be a bit odd, but we always love to do at the back-to-school blessing is we love to bring our groups forward to pray for them. So, if you are in the educational system, no matter what, if you are headed back to school, or I mean, if you've been administration, you've been there all summer, we would love for you to come forward and we would love to pray for you.

[8:44] And nobody moves. If anybody would like to come forward, actually, come forward. If anybody come forward, and we have a prayer team. They're gonna come. Thank you. Thank you, Lana, for leading the way. We would like for them to come forward, and us as a church, we would love to pray for these beacons, these lights of Jesus in the educational system. Now, all of you that are sitting out there now and you're thinking, I don't have the next generation that you're looking at or ministering to, but there is still potential that you can see in your neighbors. The cranky neighbor who's next door who doesn't know Jesus, there is potential there. There is potential for the guy next door at your house, or the one who is playing rugby beside you.

[9:38] Right, there is potential. So we would love to pray for those that are here this morning. I know there are lots online. And if you would like to even reach your hand forward, or anyone who would like to pray for them. We are going to pray for all of you right now, because I know it's been a tough couple of years. And I've seen a lot of your heartaches. And the kids that have been hurting. And thank you for what you do. So, God, we just pray right now for those that are in the educational system, and those that are the light of Jesus in a place where you are no longer invited. And God, I pray for their strength. I pray for their courage.

[10:23] I pray for them to see the light of Jesus and use their eyes to see the potential in these students. I pray that You would lift them up. I pray that You would deepen their faith. I pray that You would give them wisdom and all the things that they have to deal with. And we thank You for who they are today, and thank You for where You've placed them as they embrace the mission field that You have called them to. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you, guys. Amen. Thank you so much, Pastor Liz. Next up, I'd like to share a word for our teens. I'd like to share a word for our teens. Now, this will be relevant to many of us. So the word for teens is rooted.

[11:10] Rooted. Can you turn to your neighbor and say rooted? Rooted, rooted. Proverbs 16:9 says, the heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. 1 Chronicles 16:11 says something similar. It says, seek the Lord and His strength. Seek His presence continually. Now, staying rooted in God means in a shaky, shifting, turbulent world, you'll be anchored and rooted in an unchanging and all loving God. One year ago this week, my wife Jess and I, we moved to a little hobby farm just outside of Shediac. Now, one of the things that we love on that farm is we've actually got five or six apple trees, and one of the things that is great this time of year is these apple trees start producing apples, and it's absolutely incredible to enjoy those apples. We make apple pies. We enjoy them just by themselves. But the reason that these apple trees produce such great fruit is because over the years their roots have gone down deep.

[12:16] And the truth is, if you stick with God, if you have a sticky faith, if you spend time with God, when your roots go down in Him, God's fruit comes up in you. What do I mean by that? Galatians 5:22 talks about these incredible things that happen when we spend time with His Holy Spirit. It says that the fruit of the Spirit is this: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Teens, everybody, when you are rooted in God, you can experience love in a world that can seem so divided and bitter. You can experience joy when sadness can sometimes overwhelm you.

[13:04] When things don't go according to plan, patience with friends, with school, with the frustrating things of life. Kindness in a world that needs you to share a kind word and action or a post that so desperately needs your encouragement. Goodness, that when things go bad, you can be full of the goodness of the Lord. Faithfulness when people are quick to give up, you can be faithful and steady in a changing world. And finally, self-control when the world says now, now, me, me, you can practice self-control and be a blessing to others. Can't we all agree that the world needs a little bit more of the fruit of the Spirit? So when you are rooted in God, His fruit will come up in you. I have three ideas for you to stay rooted this school year. Number one, stay rooted in community.

[13:58] Stay rooted in community. Can you say that with me in three, two, one: stay rooted in community? Show me your friends and I'll show you your future. I'm not sure where that quote came from. I don't remember the author, but show me your friends and I'll show you your future. The local church and youth ministry is the best place to be. Do you know, we have 40 volunteers that serve with our teens every single Wednesday. Do you know that we have over a hundred kids volunteers, Pastor Liz? I don't even know how you do that. A hundred kids falling. There's, can we give it up for Pastor Liz. She just, such a great job. The best place for kids and teens to be is rooted in a local church.

[14:43] You can know that you are never, never alone. You've got a church that believes in you and is encouraging you and cheering you on all along the way. Number two is stay rooted in your influences. Stay rooted in your influences. Guard what you watch. Guard what you listen to. Make sure that not everything that you listen to is tearing you down, is worldly. I would encourage you on your social media platforms to make sure that you're following pastors, churches, Christian influencers. So the things that you are watching and listening to are building you up instead of tearing you down or numbing you. Number three is this: stay rooted in God's Word and prayer. Stay rooted in God's Word and prayer. Can you say that with me in three, two, one: stay rooted in God's Word and prayer.

[15:35] God's Word never changes. It never lacks, and it always provides timely wisdom and transformation. Hebrews chapter 4, verse 12 says, for God's Word is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joint and marrow. It judges the thoughts and the attitudes of the heart. Now, what we're gonna do is we're gonna pray for the teens. Now, Pastor Liz and I chatted about what this should look like, and I don't think the teens would necessarily enjoy standing up in front of the entire church. So what we're gonna do is you guys can stay in your seat. But if you notice a teen around you, I just encourage you to maybe reach out your hand towards that teen.

[16:20] Families that have a teen, I'd encourage you to place a hand on their shoulder, and we're going to go ahead and bless these teens as they go into a turbulent world, believing that they can stay rooted in God. Let's go ahead and pray for our teens. Father God, we thank You so much that You've created these teens with a purpose and with a plan. Your Word says that You knitted them together in their mother's womb. God, You love them. You've called them by name. And I ask that they would stay rooted in You. They would realize Your love for them. They would know that they are never alone.

[17:09] So God, as they go into these hallways, into these cafeterias, into these classes, Lord, I pray that they would be marked by the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit indwelling in them. God, as we go into another year of youth ministry, that we would continue to see life change and baptisms and decisions for Jesus, and Lord, that these teens would be missionaries in their schools, that they would be inviting, that they would be sharing and encouraging word, that they'd be full of Your love, Your joy, Your peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. So God, bless them. I pray for protection over their mental health, that, Lord, You would protect them from any toxic thoughts, any self-doubt, any negativity.

[17:56] Lord, I pray for their spiritual health, that You would guard them, that You would make it so that even in their darkest moments and their highest of highs and their lowest of lows, they would know that the Holy Spirit is guiding them and empowering them. Lord, I pray for their parents, that You would give them energy, that You would give them wisdom, that Your Scripture, Your Word, Your strong foundation would be the foundation of their homes, that every day they would honor You. So God, be with them, bless them, and protect them. Lord, we believe that the best is yet to come for these teens. Give them optimism, hope, courage, and rootedness. We pray this in Your name, and all God's people said, "Amen."

[18:44] Okay, kids. You, mind now, do you want to come on up? Haha. Come on up and come sit with me up here. This is my mojo right here. Any kids who want to come up, if you're going to school, come on up and join me. We want to talk to you. Here's some. Come on, kids. I hear you out there. I know you're out there. Come on down. Look at all these cool-looking kids.

[19:32] Hey guys, how you doing? Look at this good-looking crowd. They're still coming. They're still coming. All the way from a barrel. Well, let's get started. You guys can have a seat right here, and I want to talk to you, so you can turn and look up here at me. So everyone's looking up here at me. I know it's gonna happen. I'm gonna take my shoes off. We're gonna get down to business. Okay? You guys listening? Everybody look up here for a minute. Look at you, okay. So we gave a word to every, to other people, to the adults. We gave the word. Who remembers the word we gave to the adults?

[20:18] Who can remember? Anyone was listening? Potential. Does anybody remember the word that we gave to the teens? Rooted. You listen to that one. Now, my word for you is, we're gonna, is what? How did you know that? It's up there. They're totally cheating. Can you guys? Guys, the pastor in the making right there. See the potential. Can you guys go like this? Courage. Go like this: courage. Now tell me this: who gives you courage? Who gives you courage? God gives you courage. Now, I want to tell you a quick story. Remember, what is this?

[21:09] Is this true? Is it completely true? Is it fake? Is there nothing faking here at all, right? Nothing is fake in here. So we're telling a story about Daniel and the Can you give me a lion? Can everybody give me a lion? So Daniel and the lions' den. Do you know how come he got tossed into the lions' den? He did something every day. What did he do? He what? He prayed every single day, and did he care what anybody thought? He did not care what anybody thought. But he had what?

[21:55] He had what? He had courage. Whose courage? He had God's courage. So he thought, "God, I'm gonna pray to You. I don't care who's looking. I don't care what they think, and I am gonna pray." Well, the king was not impressed by all of this, and there was a law that was tossed around, and he got into what? Trouble. Can you guys say "trouble"? And they said, "Toss him into the lions' den," didn't they? He had what? Whose courage?

[22:41] He had God's courage to stand up and do what he thought he should do, even if other people around him didn't want him to do that. So he was tossed into the lions' den. He was tossed into the lions' den, but did the lions eat him? What did God do? He closed the mouths of the lions. And God was faithful. See, Daniel had what? And he had whose courage? He had God's courage. So you're all going back to school this week. Who's excited? Who's not excited?

[23:27] There's a few of you parents. Who's excited? It Can I actually want you to do this for one second? Everybody's looking up here. If you look out there, they're all going to start waving. If you look up at that, your church is going to start waving at you. See all of these people? They love you. They want the best for you. Thank you, guys. And when you are having maybe some hard, tough times at school and you need what? And you'll need whose courage? See all these people up here. They also need God's courage.

[24:15] But if you ever need to talk to somebody, and you need to know that there are other people who are standing up for Jesus. Look at all of those people out there standing up for Jesus. So when your school is, sometimes tough. Yes, it's sometimes tough. Do you sometimes have people who are mean to you? Do you sometimes have a hard time on tests and think you can't make it? Are there people who make fun of you because you love Jesus sometimes? There are some of you who do, and we need what? Whose courage? We need God's courage going back to school. And I want to be like Daniel. I want to pray in public.

[25:04] I want to love Jesus and let everybody know. And because I don't want to care what other people think, but first I need what? Whose courage? So what we're going to do right now, all these people are going to do it with me, is we are gonna pray for all of you to have a good year. And we're going to pray for all of you to have courage. But whose courage? God's courage. So they're gonna pray with me at the same time as I pray. Can we all do... we have to wait. We've talked about this. Can you pray? What's praying? Talking to God. Can you do it anywhere?

[25:51] Any place? Can you do it while you're riding your bike? Can you do it when you're washing the dishes for your parents? You can do it anywhere, anytime, any place. Can you pray with your eyes open? Can you pray with your eyes closed? So today we're actually going to pray with our eyes open and looking at me, and you're gonna repeat after me. Okay, so, dear God, thank You for loving me. Help me to be strong. Help me to have courage. Help me to stand up for You because I love You. Thank You for loving me.

[26:39] In Jesus' name, hey. Amen. I love it, you guys. We love you. They all love you. And I hope that this year you would have what? Okay, what we're gonna do right now, actually, because I know we need instruction, everybody stay here for two more minutes. What's gonna happen is Pastor Austin, he's gonna finish this off, and then we're gonna stand down here and we're gonna dance for the last song, sounds good? But you have to be quiet and keep your... contained for just two more seconds. Okay. Go ahead, Mr. Austin. You might get something in with all of us. No, maybe you're not a school educator. Maybe you're not a teen. Maybe you're not one of our Tidal Kids. But our hope for you is that you'll see the potential in this fall. You'll realize that the missionaries don't just go overseas, but we all get to be missionaries in our workplaces, on our sports teams, to our extended families, to our friends, to our neighborhoods, to our workplaces. I hope that you'll see the potential this coming school year. I hope that for all of us will realize that it's got to start with us. We've got to stay rooted in God's Word, that it starts with you.

[28:00] Turn to your neighbor and say, "It starts with you." It starts with you. You've got to stay rooted in God's Word. And finally, our prayer is that as a church we'll have the courage to step out in faith, to not just have a back to school blessing, but to be a blessing on our community, to our friends, to our neighbors. So this back to school blessing 2022, I hope that the educators and those in the school system, the teens and the kids, that you'll walk away knowing that you've got a church that believes in you, wants to encourage you, wants to empower you. And we genuinely believe that the best is yet to come. So don't forget: potential, rooted, and finally, have courage.

[28:49] Let's go ahead and worship together.