Confirmation

Sunday, May 20, 2007

Today the pieces to the confirmation puzzle are put together. What is confirmation? The American Heritage® Dictionary defines confirmation as "A Christian rite admitting a baptized person to full membership in a church1." Confirmation provides our youth the opportunity to learn more about their faith, what they believe, and their commitment as a member of the church. It does not mean that once they complete confirmation that they will never be seen again. Confirmation is not the end it is the beginning. In the Book of Order, section G.50101 we are given the meaning of membership:
The incarnation of God in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ gives to the church not only its mission but also its understanding of membership. One becomes an active member of the church through faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and acceptance of his Lordship in all of life. Baptism and a public profession of faith in Jesus as Lord are the visible signs of entrance into the active membership of the church.

People view "membership" in different ways. Pastor Jim Bonewald at Knox Presbyterian Church wrote an interesting article about "membership." In the article he admits that the views he expresses may be over-generalized. Even if the definitions are over-generalized it is important for us to realize that different people have different views. He breaks down the views into three categories2:

• "For those who are retirement age and beyond membership in the church clearly implies commitment and responsibility. Contributing to the life of the church is important because, in a sense, it’s what one is supposed to do as a good and responsible member of society.
• For those who are baby boomers membership in the church is strictly voluntary. Similar to joining a health club, one joins a church because of the benefits it provides. Volunteering time, energy, and effort to the church is important because of what one gains by doing so.
• For those who are Gen Xers (my age) and younger the word "membership" doesn’t even enter the picture. The question one asks is, "Do I belong to this group or community?" If one has a sense of belonging to the group then they will commit themselves with what it takes to be with that group."

As I read that article I realized that each of the confirmands here today is here because they have that sense of belonging and as they present their "Statements of Faith" you will see that too. During class we talked about four primary practices for members that are ways of fulfilling the guidelines stated in the Book of Order, section G-5.0102, entitled "Membership as Ministry" which says:

A faithful member accepts Christ's call to be involved responsibly in the ministry of his Church. Such involvement includes:

• proclaiming the good news,
• taking part in the common life and worship of a particular church,
• praying and studying Scripture and the faith of the Christian Church,
• supporting the work of the church through the giving of money, time, and talents,
• participating in the governing responsibilities of the church,
• demonstrating a new quality of life within and through the church,
• responding to God's activity in the world through service to others,
• living responsibly in the personal, family, vocational, political, cultural, and social relationships of life, working in the world for peace, justice, freedom, and human fulfillment.

The four primary practices for membership that we talked about are:
1) Worship: attendance in worship.
This would be regular attendance (over 50 percent of the services)
2) Fellowship: participation in a small group fellowship.
This can be any form of small group, such as Lunch Bunch or Bible study, but is considered primarily to mean a group of members who gather together regularly (around twice a month) for friendship, study, and prayer.
3) Growth: spiritual development in an accountability group.
This means covenanting with two to three other persons of the same gender to share with one another how things are going in their spiritual life and to share guidance in prayer for one another.
4) Service: involvement in active service to others.

This simply means being involved in something that is for the benefit of others, such as serving the homeless, teaching the Bible, arranging activities for the elderly, singing in choir, or being an intercessor in prayer.

These four primary practices are in line with the spirit of the Bible, our confessions, and the Book of Order and they are clear, simple, Biblical, and reasonable expectations. The look on their faces when we first started to discuss these practices was one of "how do we do that?" As we discussed them further they discovered that they are already doing each of them.

We spent nine months preparing for the discussion about membership. During that time the confirmands went on a "Journey To Discipleship." The first thing I told them was that they were about to start a lifelong journey of learning and that the decision to continue was theirs. As we began this journey they discovered that the church was much more than a building and that the Bible is not as boring as they thought it was. They also learned about the Reformation, Presbyterianism, worship, the Sacraments, prayer, and how we can serve Jesus Christ. They also got to see some of the history of Hus Church. We looked at the original pulpit Bible and when we discussed the Sacraments they got to see Reverend Pauk’s Army Field Communion kit from World War II. In addition to class they were required to take notes for at least two sermons a month, participate in a small group, which was Sunday school, youth group, or both, and they had to be involved in actively serving others.

To say they were overwhelmed with information would be an understatement. If I had to pick two things that I wanted these young people to remember about this year what would they be? The first thing that I want them to remember and never forget is that Jesus Christ is their Lord and Savior and that it is through proclaiming this that they will have eternal life with Him. The second thing is that they are now active members of this congregation. All of the things that we covered will serve to help build their foundation as Christians. We talked about how this is a lifelong journey and how Sunday worship, Sunday school, youth group, fellowshipping with other Christians, reading their Bibles along with many other things will be part continuing to build that foundation.

In today’s scripture from Colossians Paul wrote, "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."

The confirmands have learned that life is better with Christ. God chose each of them and all of us to be His children and all we need to do to receive the blessings that He has for us is to believe that Jesus is our Lord and Savior.

In Galatians 6:14-18 Paul wrote:
14As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died. 15It doesn’t matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation. 16May God’s peace and mercy be upon all who live by this principle; they are the new people of God.

Today we celebrate the hope in the future that we are given by Adam, Karissa, and Marissa. Today they will tell us in their own words about proclaiming Christ, living life united in Christ, celebrating God’s love, living and growing in Word and Spirit, serving faithfully in Christ’s name, and submitting their resources to the reign of God. I know each of them is nervous. I also know that they will do a great job as they complete the confirmation puzzle by publicly proclaiming their faith in God.


1 The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
2 From the Pastor by Pastor Jim Bonewald, Knox News Volume 5 May, 2007, a monthly publication of Knox Presbyterian Church, Cedar Rapids, IA.