Confirmation Weekend

In January a class of eight ninth and tenth graders embarked upon a spiritual journey together led by Rev. Heather Shortlidge, Rev. Bill Hathaway, Jay & Jane Hudiburg and myself. Together on Sunday mornings they explored what it means to be a Christian, a Presbyterian, and a member of our congregation. They learned about the sacraments, the Bible, prayer, mission, and church governance. The class also went on a weekend retreat to DC which I have written about in an earlier post. At the end of the class each of them took on the task of putting down on paper a Statement of Faith. As it was explained to them in January, when they were babies their parents made the decision to have them baptized and brought up in the faith; at the end of this class they would be given the opportunity to affirm that choice for themselves. That opportunity occurred last weekend.

Last Saturday morning, seven of the eight, along with their parents and covenant partners met for brunch with the Session. Each of them stood and read their Faith Statement to the entire room. We then broke into small groups with at least one Session member for each student in order to have discussions about the statements and the class in general. The seven were then asked the three questions for membership required by PCUSA -

• Trusting in the gracious mercy of God, do you turn from the ways of sin and renounce evil and its power in the world?
• Who is your Lord and Savior?
• Will you be Christ's faithful disciple, obeying his Word and showing his love?

After the confirmands answered the questions the Session then voted unanimously to accept them as adult members of our congregation.

On Sunday all eight of them were recognized in worship and I think that this is so important. We tell them at the beginning of the class that the choice is theirs and that they do not have to be confirmed as members at the end of the class. Of course we want them to, but what is most important is that they actively participate in the class, understand that this is a lifelong journey and that they feel that they have a safe, welcoming place to explore their faith. That message I hope came through loud and clear when the young man that decided not to join was asked to stand with his classmates up front, was acknowledged for his commitment and prayed for individually just like those that chose to join.

I am extremely proud of Ashleigh, Brianna, Cameron, Danny, Haines, Jessica, Louise, and Zach and I'm honored to have participated in this journey with them. They inspired me and after each of them took the very brave act of reading their statement aloud to a room full of parents and church officers I have decided to publish my personal statement here on my blog.

I believe in the triune God.

I believe that God is everything tangible and intangible that is, was and will ever be. There is nothing that it outside of God. Everything is part of the One and that One goes on forever.

I believe Jesus the Christ has been the living, tangible part of God from the beginning of time and continues to be. He lives, dies and is reborn over and over and over again. He made himself known to the world through the person Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus of Nazareth was fully human and died, but the Christ was, is and always will be one with God. Since we are one with God, we are one with Christ.

I believe that the Holy Spirit is the unseen thread that binds us to all of creation in all places and times. It is the name we give to the intangible aspects of God. It is consciousness, motivation, emotion, desire, wisdom, action, reaction and most of all that internal longing and knowledge that we are connected.

I believe that sin is acting or thinking in a way that neglects or ignores the fact that we are one with God. We don’t have to do anything special to be one with God. Whether we realize it or not, ask for it or not, we are one with God. We do need to be open to that concept in order to actually be forgiven though. Being forgiven is to let go of whatever is making you emotionally distant from God. The only barriers to being with God are ones we place there by our actions or thoughts. Forgiveness is a free gift that is waiting to be received.

To me, salvation means that graceful state when our perceptions cease to be barriers between us and God. It is a state of Zen when we are fully in the moment. Salvation is not a once and for all experience. It is being saved from your own trappings so that you can be fully with God. Musicians, athletes and artists often describe this as being “in the zone.”

I believe that we were put on Earth to share the experience that is life with those around us. When we recognize our connections, we see each others suffering and success as our own. That inspires us to do our best to ease each others suffering and we are available and supportive when suffering is unavoidable (which it often is). One way that we do this is to teach others what we’ve learned through our experiences. Just as we share each others burdens we can also celebrate each others joy and success.

I think that God expects us to love as fully and as uninhibited as we are capable of. We are to do our best to love ourselves and others equally. We are to strive for that perfect balance between being completely selfish and completely selfless. God wants us to see Christ in others and in ourselves.

I believe that we are partners in creation with God and that all of creation is a gift that is in our care. We must not just care for ourselves and other humans, but for the whole of creation. The inanimate objects, the elements and the animal kingdom are also one with God and therefore one with us as well. We must love creation as we love ourselves and others.

I believe the church is a community, that it is much bigger than any building or institution. The purpose of the church is to be a community in which to worship and practice theology so that its members can live it from day to day while dealing with the ups and downs of life. I believe the church’s job is also to teach, to be available and supportive and to share in life’s journey with all members of the community.

I believe that the Bible was inspired by God and is the story of mankind’s relationship to God. Its history, wisdom, prophecy and theology can be interpreted to assist in discerning our way forward. It is also an invaluable tool to pass down our traditions and rituals from one generation to the next.

I believe that the sacrament of communion is the most important ritual in the Christian faith because it reminds us of our roots, while also making us mindful of our mortality and our interconnectedness with all of creation.

We may feel distant or doubt God’s presence in our lives sometimes, but that is only a false perception. I do not believe that faith is the absence of doubts or questions. No matter what is happening, or what doubts we may have from time to time, there is nothing that will ever separate us from God. Faith means knowing that with all my heart and mind even without the ability to empirically prove it.

Being part of the church, worshiping with others, partaking in the sacraments are all ways to reinforce and strengthen that faith. They are the practices that prepare us for living life. Just like practicing a musical instrument, a sport, lines in a play, or mathematics problems – repetition trains the mind and muscles, makes the moves second nature and prepares us to handle whatever comes up with grace and skill.

I believe these things with all that I am. I strive to live my life in a way that honors and demonstrates these beliefs. I know that I often fall short, so I want to surround myself with people that inspire me, encourage me and hold me accountable to these tenets. By being an active member of the church I am surrounded by such people. Recognizing certain gifts that I have for teaching and believing also that by teaching others my own understanding will be challenged, refined and strengthened I have made the decision to pursue additional schooling at seminary and am considering an occupation as a minister.