A Faith Worth Dying For
Confirmation is resuming soon. This week I wrote a brief letter to our families about it, and as I was writing it occurred to me that others in our church might benefit from learning a little more about Confirmation as well since, frankly, confusion about the purpose of this ancient rite often exists.
For some, it can seem like a classic example of "things we do simply because we've always done them." For others, worse still, it is looked at like "graduation" from church. Neither of these sentiments is accurate. And so here I share with you (in revised form) what I shared with the families of our confirmands.
Dear TLC family,
Confirmation is for many young people a rite of passage. It’s a process of faith-formation, which culminates in the joyous public affirmation of the gifts given in Holy Baptism. It’s an opportunity for families to gather and celebrate. This is all true.
But it’s also much more.
In the Rite of Confirmation, there is a remarkable exchange between the pastor and the confirmands. The pastor asks, “Do you intend to live according to the Word of God, and in faith, word, and deed to remain true to God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, even to death?” And the confirmand responds, “I do, by the grace of God.”
Did you catch that? The confirmands are asked whether they’ll remain faithful even to death. Now, we’re of course fortunate to live in a time and place where, in all likelihood, they won’t have to face that outcome—though who knows what the future holds (for our young people individually or for our nation collectively). In any event, though, this is almost beside the point.
So, then, what is the point? Why do we have Confirmation? The reason is this: Confirmation exists to form God’s children in a faith worth living—and dying—for. In the midst of memory work and mentor relationships and fun retreats it can be easy to lose sight of this larger goal, but that would be a mistake.
Confirmation isn’t a hoop to jump through. It isn’t even merely a rite of passage. It’s a pivotal process in Christian formation.
Participating in Confirmation is a special privilege in the life of young Christians. I look forward to partnering with you to help form your child in a faith worth living and dying for.
Sincerely in Christ,
Pastor T.
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