Confirmation begins again this month, and a whole new class of seventh graders will begin their Wednesday afternoons in class. They will hear again what I tell every new class. Their journey to confirmation began at their baptism and what I teach and what they will learn was set out before most of them were old enough to talk! In fact, what I teach and what they will study was set out long before my infancy.
It begins with the promises made by our parents and godparents at our baptisms. The pastor asks them to promise to fulfill the obligations to:
“to live with them among God's faithful people,
bring them to the word of God and the holy supper,
teach them the Lord's Prayer, the Creed, and the Ten Commandments,
place in their hands the holy scriptures,
and nurture them in faith and prayer”.
These things are promised so that the children may learn to live out their faith in the communion of the church and as a witness in the community of the world.
Now comes the interesting fact that many parents would like to forget. The promise is for the parents (and or godparents in their stead) to teach their children these basics of faith by word and action. No word is made of confirmation as class or schooling. In fact, Luther wrote the small catechism for parents to use in teaching their children at home.
In spite of the long history and shared expectations that pastors should and will teach confirmation, the biblical and early church traditions are that faith is taught at home. That’s where Jesus learned scripture and faith basics. And whether or not we are aware of what we are teaching, we teach our children by what we do and don’t do at home.
I often hear young adults say they feel church is important but they want their children to make up their own minds when they are older. I challenge them, saying that if they do not bring their children to church and Sunday School, they will have already taught their children that faith and worship are not important. That they didn’t go as a family will teach the children a lesson that will be difficult to overcome later in life.
Also, by not teaching and experiencing the basics of faith: the Lord’s prayer, the Apostles’ Creed, scripture, and feeding that faith at the Lord’s table, those children will miss out on the great consolation faith is late in life. Alzheimer’s, stroke, and other diseases or disorders often related to old age can diminish or threaten to take away the comprehension and memories that make us who we are. But I experience over and over again that the pattern of life-long, lived-in faith gives hope and comfort even when everything seems lost: the Lord’s prayer, the words of communion, or the giving of the bread and wine will bring a response. The person will remember and join us in spite of their condition.
I believe that is able to happen because the habit of faith and participation in the “communion of saints” has been life-long. The words and actions are so ingrained in the pathways of the heart and brain that even the closeness of death cannot erase them. I am humbled and honored to have witnessed this consolation of faith many times.
That is a gift that we can begin to give to our children (all the children in our midst are part of our – God’s family) by passing on the words and patterns of faith early and often.
It begins with baptism, with the gift of God’s grace through faith. We nurture it with every prayer, shared table, and sung hymn. We give it the power of witness every time we gather in worship, every gesture of caring, and every gift of sharing. We are all witness and teachers. Read Deuteronomy 11:18-21
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