Confirmation
St. John's Lutheran Church
New Berlin , IL
Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.
- Proverbs 22:6
Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.
- Ecclesiastes 12:13
Confirmation is a practice within the church to instruct members in the chief articles of the Christian faith. The common practice of churches within the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod is to have younger members of a congregation participate in confirmation. Ultimately, this process for the student is a transition from non-communicant to communicant membership. Being welcomed to the altar to receive the body and blood of Christ deserves great rejoicing and celebration. At the same time there are new expectations and responsibilities that come along with it. The goal of confirmation at St. John's is for the student not only to have a working understanding of the bible and the church’s confession, but also how it influences and guides their everyday life. The Christian life is not done in isolation, rather it participates in the life and culture of the church. This in turn informs one’s conduct and posture towards the world and their community. Confirmation is not a graduation from Church, rather it’s the opposite. It is the pledge of the student to follow Christ in all his vocations and to remain faithful to the Church despite trial or tribulations.
Listed below are four focus points of the confirmation curriculum at St. John's. Depending on where a student(s) is at will influence how much time and attention is put in for each focus point.
Focus 1
The person and work of Christ:
Some people (and even Christians) operate with the idea that the object of the church’s faith is the bible. This is not true, rather it is Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-3). The Scriptures are infallible (without error) and inspired by God the Holy Spirit. Therefore, they are reliable and sufficient for salvation. But ultimately, they point us to Jesus, who is God in flesh.
The Scriptures power lies in the testament and story of the Holy Spirit and what it shares about God. Specifically, how He has inserted Himself into the history of the world. Most noticeably in the person of Jesus. We confess this to be true because it is what Jesus says. He testifies to this truth when appeared to the men on the road to Emmaus. St. Luke accounts “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He [Jesus] interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself”. Therefore, appropriate time will be allocated to discussing Jesus, regarding what He came to do, what He continues to do, what He demands of His church, and what He will do when He returns.
Focus 2
The Scriptures
God operates incarnationally, that means through physical means. The pinnacle of his work comes by assuming human flesh and shedding his blood on a cross to atone for the sins of the world. Since the creation of the world, God has always operated in this way, even in the Old Testament. Therefore, it is important for Christians to read the bible with this framework in mind. Depending on the level of competency of students, appropriate time will be given to explore how the Scriptures teach about God interacting with his creation. We will see the way God operates in the Old Testament and how it is fulfilled in and through the incarnation of Jesus. And finally, how we as the church today still live in this incarnational reality that has been created by Jesus.
Focus 3
Catechism
With a proper understanding of Jesus and the scriptures we then can dig into the “nuts and bolts” of the church’s confession. Within the catechism we see the incarnational power of Jesus and the testimony of the scriptures continued in His church through the six chief articles of faith. Namely the Ten Commandments, The Creed, The Lord’s Prayer, Baptism, The Sacrament of the Altar, and Confession and Absolution. Again, these six parts are crucial to one’s faith because they teach about Christ, both in his redemptive work and what he commands of his church.
Focus 4
Communicant Member Expectations
As stated earlier, confirmation is not a graduation from church. Rather it is to draw us even deeper into the community and culture of the church. During confirmation service you will take vows before the church that you intend to follow Christ as long as you live and remain faithful to his Church. This is a serious commitment. And while works do not merit us more grace or love from God they matter in how conduct ourselves toward the world. Jesus says, “wisdom is justified by her deeds” (Luke 7:35). Therefore, the student will be instructed in what the expectations are for one who has publicly pledged their life to Christ and his Church.
This focus will also cover “practical” aspects of confirmation. Such as how to commune when the sacrament is celebrated in church. Any other miscellaneous topics or items will also be addressed here.