A Confirmation Gift

Tis the confirmation season – a time for the young adults in the congregation to renew their baptismal vows and publically confess their faith.  To get to confirmation day a great deal of studying has occurred and hopefully many conversations have taken place.  Confirmation is not just a day it is the continuation of one’s faith walk with the Lord.  Yet, many of you have heard this is confirmation not graduation!  So many young people drift away and act as if they have graduated from their church. 

How do we as parents or friends help the young people see confirmation as a continuation of their faith and not a graduation?   A rather deep question to ponder that holds a great deal of weight for our children.  I believe a piece of the puzzle is within the “community”.  Let me explain - Our daughter was confirmed this past October and as a parent I was faced with this very question.  What could I give my daughter on confirmation day that would help her see just how important faith was?  I struggled a great deal and one day God planted this little idea.  Numerous people that have such a strong faith have surrounded my daughter and the impact they have on my daughter is profound.  So I emailed those people and asked them to share their faith with her in a letter – it was their Faith Statement.   My daughter has spent countless hours with these people and knew faith was important but I’m not sure she knew why.  The heartfelt letters sent to Abby is a chance for those people to share their faith and something for Abby to hold onto for the rest of her life.

A reason an email was sent in advance and not a book set out at her party was to allow people time to put their thoughts on paper.  Because of this, Abby did not receive this gift on confirmation day as many of those people handed me their letter the day Abby was confirmed.  I gathered all the letters that came through email and that were hand written and put them together in a book.  My preference was a scrapbook but there are so many things you could do with those letters.  No matter how you give them to your child, it is a gift that reveals a graduation has not occurred but a continuation of a walk that has already begun. 

If confirmation is just around the corner remember you don’t have to have all the letters in your hand the day of confirmation.  Ask people to share their faith with your child and let the “community” be a piece of the next step in your child’s faith walk.

Cheryl

Holy Week - An Emotional Rollercoaster

Holy Week…

A week that could be considered an emotional rollercoaster!  Palm Sunday – a day where people were shouting praises of joy saying Hosanna!  Scripture says it was a large crowd of people so the noise level had to be great.  When people around you are exuberating excitement and shouting praises it would be hard not to feel the excitement surrounding you. 

Then the disciples had the opportunity to have an intimate dinner with Jesus, a chance to sit around the table with the One who they were following and learning about ministry.   The emotions probably didn’t have the same exuberance as shouting praises; yet, there was a sense of closeness.  They all shared a meal and at that meal Jesus broke the bread and took the cup, a time that brought all of them together in a very special way.  Yet, that same night brought about sadness as Jesus told them that one of them was going to betray Him.  Matthew notes, “They were very sorrowful”. (Matthew 26:22)  There was also the emotional response in Peter of being “called out” by Jesus. Peter was told he was going to deny Jesus and Peter was very animate that he was not going to deny Jesus. 

The emotional rollercoaster ramped up after that.  Soldiers appeared to arrest Jesus.  Imagine the sense of fear that ran through the disciples.  Along with that, it was revealed that Judas betrayed Jesus.  Maybe a sense of shock or anger went through the disciples at that time too.  No matter what it was the emotions were running wild.  The next day did not help with the emotions.  To watch a man you loved on trial, being beat, and hung on a cross is more emotion than I have ever experienced.  I cannot even comprehend how the disciples felt that day. 

How do you even go about and do the daily things that need to be done after experiencing such devastation?  I’m not sure, but the ladies still prepared the spices for the body.  When the ladies arrived at the tomb on the first day of the week to apply the spices to the body, they did not find what they expected.  As Luke says, they were perplexed.  Their confusion turned to fear as Angels appeared and their fear turned into excitement as they were told Jesus had Risen. 

We were not there to experience first-hand the emotional rollercoaster the disciples went through that week; yet, it is our sin as well that put Jesus on that cross.  This week is about “experiencing” the emotional roller coaster.  We can praise the King that walked through the city.  We share in the intimate meal that Jesus provided.  We can feel the pain of our sin and the agony that we sent Jesus to the cross.  We can rejoice in His forgiveness and Resurrection.  We can rest in His peace!

Cheryl

Grow - Lent Photo Challenge

Grow…

To grow something is a process.  You are not able to put a seed into the ground and the next day a beautiful flower will be in bloom or an ear of corn will be on a corn stalk.  The growing process is one that requires numerous things in order for the seed to become a plant.  There is a need for soil, warmth, water, nutrients, and time.  Without all of those things the chances of a seed growing into a plant that produces something is not real good. 

The same goes for our relationship with Christ.  Without a number of “things” the relationship does not develop and grow.  Christ is there for us but if we don’t spend time in scripture it is hard to know who He is.  Communication is an integral piece to a relationship so we need to be in prayer as well as taking time to listen to Him.  Growth occurs through worship too.  If we simply sit back and do nothing our relationship will not grow.  2 Peter 3:18 – “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen”.  Grow in His grace and knowledge.  Spend time with the Lord and nurture the relationship He wants with you.

Cheryl

Purpose - Lent Photo Challenge

Purpose…

I have a lot of questions about purpose.  Last summer we endured endless hours of a high pitch hum from cicadas that had lived in the ground for 17 years.  What is the purpose of cicadas appearing every 17 years? I have no idea!  I’ve been involved in a number of different things and have considered what the purpose of my involvement was.  Purpose brings about thought and wonderment.  Through that thought and wonderment sometimes we come up with the answer and sometimes we don’t.

We have many things to consider what the purpose is but there is one thing that we do not have to wonder about.  We don’t have to wonder why Jesus came to earth.  We don’t have to wonder why He endured the cross.  We know the purpose of Jesus’ death and resurrection.  Pontius Pilate questioned His purpose but Jesus shared with him – “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”  John 18:37 

Jesus fulfilled His purpose and through that fulfillment we are saved! 

Cheryl

Release - Lent Photo Challenge

Release…

Do you find it fascinating when Jesus was on trial that the people were so convinced He should be crucified that they let the murderer go?  Pontius Pilate couldn’t find anything to convict Jesus of so he figured if he put Barabbas in front of the people and gave them a choice; they would pick the murderer and release Jesus.  However, the people didn’t pick Barabbas.  The people were insistent that Jesus be crucified.  It seems crazy to release a murderer back on the street!

Well, it would be no different if we were standing before the crowd and Jesus was standing next to us. It is easy to say that we are not as bad as Barabbas, but if the people released us they still got it wrong.  The people would be releasing the sinner and convicting an innocent man that never did anything wrong. We sent Jesus to the cross.  It is our sin that crucified an innocent man. 

Thankfully, Jesus didn’t turn away and say no.  He willingly went to the cross so we could be released from our sin.  “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!” Romans 5:8   

Cheryl