When we baptize babies in the PC(USA), we as a whole congregation “promise to guide and nurture each little one by word and deed, with love and prayer, encouraging them to know and follow Christ and to be a faithful member of Christ’s church.” To live into this promise, we support the Christian Education Committee as they formally implement this promise. At the same time, we recognize the shared responsibility to help children and youth know that they belong to God and that they are beloved by God and by us.
As they grow older in our midst, we help them to know their life has a purpose. The church gives them opportunities to use their God-given gifts to care for themselves by making healthy choices and to reach out to love and help others know God’s love. And when it is time, in eighth grade or older, we invite them to Confirmation Class - a special time of learning and searching for answers as they come to claim faith in Christ for themselves. At the end of Confirmation Class, many of them choose to confirm the promises their parents made for them at Baptism and to become adult members of this congregation.
The six young people that will stand before you to lead worship this Sunday – Anabel, Anne, Alyssa, Aubrey, Jason, and Michael - are amazing examples of how living into this promise to nurture faith can be a blessing to the whole faith community and beyond. Each one of these teens worked hard this year to show up for class, learn about worship, sacraments, mission, sin, forgiveness, and what following in the ways of Jesus looks like. They each spent time serving others – as they helped with the Blessing of the Animals service last fall, and the hot chocolate distribution at the Holiday parade, the FPP Breakfast with Santa, and other churchwide activities.
Confirmation is not an end but a starting point for deeper engagement in the life of the church so they can learn and grow and help us do the same. We need their perspective to help faithfully shape our mission according to the guidance of the Holy Spirit – to see how God is at work in the world. We need young voices trained in discernment to help show us what faithfulness to God’s word may look like in the next 5, 10, and 20 years.
When we engage them where they are, they will bring vitality and relevance – pointing us toward the pulse of God’s action in our current world – focusing on technology, connection, welcome, inclusion, mission, and outreach. It is not the gospel message that changes, but it is God’s living word applied to our ever-changing context that requires people of all ages of faith to pray, worship, gather stories, and bring knowledge to inform the ministry that we offer.
Please help us welcome these outstanding young people as our newest members on Sunday as they lead us in worship and share their gifts with us!
Love in Christ,
Rev. Amy