Blessing the Boots Saturday July 13, 2024

Saturday Evening Worship

On Saturday evening the campers will receive their Salkehatchie shirts and in a brief worship service we will bless the boots. 

Boots?

Well, the idea for Blessing of the Boots came from reading this blog: https://slmedia.org/blog/a-new-prayer-for-putting-on-your-shoes

The blog writer, Marie Anne Torres writes: “The prayer comes from the Missionaries of Charity, the order that Saint Mother Teresa founded. The sisters recite specific prayers as they dress themselves with each major article of clothing (according to Mother Teresa - An Authorized Biography). This particular shoe prayer anchors me, pushes me forward — and is delightfully hard to forget as it’s associated with your shoes. The book explains, “As they put on their sandals they committed themselves to following Jesus [by saying], ‘wherever you shall go in search of souls, at any cost to myself and out of pure love for you.’” There are many parts of this prayer that really resonate with me. To begin with, this short prayer is a form of surrender, of mission, and a declaration of love, all in one — all while putting on your shoes. This prayer is also a verbal and physical reminder to be a witness of the Gospel, an instrument of evangelization everywhere you go; wherever you may journey with your shoes on.”

I loved Torres simple reminder to imbue a daily task, putting on shoes, with meaning and prayer. So on Saturday night, we are going to hand out the camper's Salkehatchie t-shirts and then have a liturgy of blessing their boots.

Below is the prayer we will use, and each camper will receive a copy to review each morning. I invite you to join us this week in praying for our campers and homeowners as you put on your shoes for the day.

“As we put on our boots*, let us commit ourselves to following Jesus [by saying], ‘As I go to serve today, let me attend to both the task and to the souls I encounter. Out of pure love for you, God, let me preach, in words or deeds, the Good News!’

Romans 10:15 (CEV)  And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!

*boots, work shoes, sneakers…what you are wearing on your feet to work on your site.