To Be Confirmed
0 comments | Posted by Steven Layson on 04 Aug 2007 in From Steve's Study ::
You may well be aware that on Sunday the 9th of September we will be holding a Confirmation Service in our evening service. You may well be wondering what confirmation is all about! Why would you want to do it? When I was young, most people who underwent Confirmation just did it because their parents told them they had to! Isn’t it just a “religious rite” of the past, with no relevance for us today?
Well, as with most things in life, the answers are found in the prayer book! On page 535 we read:
Those who are to be confirmed come to make for themselves the promises made on their behalf at their baptism… allegiance to Christ and rejection of all that is evil: the devil and all his works, the empty display and false values of the world, and the sinful desires of the flesh.
And later:
Those who have been baptised and confirmed, and desire to acknowledge the obligation of membership in the church, are called to study and seek to understand the Bible and the Christian faith more fully, to take their part in the life of the Church, to hear the word of God and share in the holy communion, and to pray faithfully and regularly both publicly and privately.
They are called to share with others, by word and example, the love of Christ and his gospel of reconciliation and hope.
And they are called to love their neighbour as themselves, to honour all men, and to pray and work for peace and justice.
In short, those who get confirmed are standing up and declaring: “I want to follow Jesus, and I want everyone to know it! I’m going to give him all my life, and will live it the way he wants me to.”
Confirmation is not just a hurdle to jump over, or even something to do just because your parents or friends tell you to. It is a great way of standing up and letting everyone know that you are a Christian so they might support and encourage you, as well as keeping you accountable to the promises you have made.
If you are interested in being confirmed this year (& are in year 9 or above), please see Steve or Rob this week, so you can join in with the confirmation classes over the next couple of weeks.
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