Faith Journeys
This time of year, while most people’s thoughts are turning towards sugarplums dancing
in their heads and the advent of Christ’s birth in our midst, my thoughts are about
Confirmation. As I am writing this, Testimony Sunday is upon us; Confirmation Sunday
is coming up (November 27); and on December 4, our Confirmation Class of 2011 will be
celebrating their first communion as confirmed members of Bem Church. These three
Sundays are joyous times in the life of our family of faith; a time to celebrate the heritage
we share, and the vision we have for the future.
The most exciting part of this celebration, to me, is Testimony Sunday. On that Sunday
(November 20) the confirmation students present a testimonial to their faith. This
usually takes the form of a 4-5 minute “sermonette”. This is the culmination of their
confirmation journey, a 14-month long process of developing their faith.
I have told many people that Confirmation Classes are my favorite time all week; and this
is true. Spending time with the youth of our church in that pivotal age where they are
just figuring out what they believe is an incredible joy. During the year we spend together
we explore various aspects of God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the Bible, the Universal Church,
the United Church of Christ, Bem Church, our role as Stewards of God’s Kingdom,
Forgiveness and Grace, Heaven and Hell and Eternal Life. But while we are exploring
these topics of faith, I do not tell them what to believe; I try to help them formulate their
own understanding of faith. As we work together, this is just what happens. Their own
faith develops. Testimony Sunday is an illustration of this.
How has your faith developed over the years? Have you explored what you truly believe, or
has your faith become simply a comfortable “habit”? What do you mean when you say you
believe in God? What is the Bible, to you? Why? Who is Jesus, to you?
Faith is like a muscle; you have to keep working it out to be beneficial. We work out our
faith muscles in various ways- worship, prayer, Bible reading/study, and discussions
about faith with our friends. Our confirmation students just completed 14 months of
training their faith muscle. Have you worked out your faith muscle lately?
