Have you ever been blessed by someone? By this I mean has someone ever stopped, placed a hand on you, and declared a blessing on you in some enterprise or undertaking? I know that in the life of our church, we often pause to lay hands on sisters and brothers who are about to take leave of the community. Sometimes they are leaving on mission trips. Sometimes they may be moving away to a new job or opportunity. Other times they may just need a blessing as they encounter struggles on their journey.

Sometimes, of course, blessing happens in different ways. My father-in-law, who was quite ill when my wife and I were engaged, gave his blessing to our marriage. Some years back, when I left on a lengthy trip to Central America, my father gave me the gift of an expensive pocketknife, something I c…