Springtime – Time for Confirmation!

Springtime brings the blossoming of flowers, displaying the beauty of God's creation. It is also the time of year when most Lutheran congregations hold their annual service of youth confirmation. In addition to this very special day, St. Luke also will have the privilege of receiving a number of adults via confirmation this spring.

Confirmation is a very important event in the life of a Lutheran. Most life-long Lutherans have fond memories of their confirmation day, wearing the white gown and receiving their special confirmation verse and blessing from the pastor. Often confirmation is marked with a family celebration. It is a true benchmark in a Christian's life.

But why? Confirmation is not a sacrament; we don't receive forgiveness of sins through it. It is not, as some people believe, the completion of Baptism. Confirmation is the day a Christian formally declares, before God and the whole world, that he/she believes that what St. Luke teaches is what God teaches in the Bible.

In fact, everyone confirmed at St. Luke must answer this question: "Do you intend to continue steadfast in this confession and Church and to suffer all, even death, rather than fall away from it.?" The confirmand answers, "I do, by the grace of God."

On confirmation day a Christian binds him/her self to a particular congregation. Our confirmands are choosing to be a part of God's family at St. Luke. This means they have responsibilities to us and we have responsibilities toward them. It means that our pastors will "shepherd" their souls, teaching and preaching God's word to them, admonishing them when they wander and forgiving them when they repent of their sin.

In order to make such a momentous pledge, a person must know what St. Luke teaches. To this end, confirmands are led by the pastors in a thorough course of Lutheran teaching. We examine the Small Catechism in detail, discovering that the doctrine (teaching) of this church is entirely drawn from God's Word. We discuss how this doctrine works in our lives, and why it matters so much.

Confirmation is a great event for the new members and also for the rest of us. We recall our own confirmation day, and we also rejoice to see the pure Word of God continue its way from generation to generation. Thank God for our confirmands and for the Faith they confess!