United in Christ, Learning Together

 

Rev. Moira Finley

Trinity United Church of Christ and St. John’s United Church of Christ

10 April 2005

Third Sunday of Easter

Confirmation Sunday

 

Today we rejoice as Jesus’ disciples.  We have gathered this morning as the family of Christ to celebrate and witness with some of our youth as they take their place in our midst as equals, as they confess their faith, and as they enter into full relationship with us and with the church around the world

 

Our class – Brittany, Cassandra, Kari, Joe, Cody and Taylor – has spent eighteen months together learning about what it means to be a Christian, and what it means to be a part of Christ’s church.  They’ve studied the scriptures, the history of the church and the sacraments.  They’ve asked questions about what it means to be a member of the church, how the church operates, and the different aspects of the church’s life together, from worship to ministry around the world.  They’ve explored what they believe about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.  They’ve had projects in class, taken quizzes, and done homework.   They’ve worked hard to integrate and interpret all they’ve learned and what it means for their lives.

 

Last week you saw the fruits of all that labor as they shared with you a worship service they designed, and what they believe as they presented their statements of faith.  Today, they will stand before you and reaffirm the promises of faith that their parents made at their baptism.  We will lay hands on them, conferring on them the power and presence of the Holy Spirit to guide them as they fulfill their vows, growing and living into their faith in Christ.

 

For you – Brittany, Cassandra, Kari, Joe, Cody and Taylor – today probably seems a bit strange.  We’re making all this production about you today.  You’ve gotten dressed up and gathered with your parents, siblings, sponsors and other family.  It’s only going to get stranger.  You will come forward and make promises and then you’ll kneel on the steps.  Then I’ll put my hand on your head and your family and sponsors will put their hands on your shoulders.

 

It’s a strange ritual, but we know something happens when, in the midst of a worshiping congregation, we touch each other that way.  God is known to us in that moment in a way we don’t really understand, and can’t explain.  There are only two times in a Christian’s life when that laying on of hands will happen – at confirmation and if they are someday ordained to be a pastor.    For almost two thousand years Christians have spread the power of the Holy Spirit by laying on of hands, just the way we will in a little while.

 

My challenge to you, the ones about to be confirmed, is to keep the learning alive.  I’ve tried to give you a grounding in the faith, some basic knowledge about the things a Christian ought to know.  But it isn’t really possible, in eighteen months, to learn everything there is to know.  As you grow, as your life changes, as you learn new things about the world, and about yourself, your faith will change too.

 

Those things you wrote in your statement of faith – what you believe about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and what it means to be a church – are what you believe now, at this particular moment in time and in this particular place.  Every so often, maybe once a year, take out that statement of faith you wrote and re-read it.  See if you still believe those things.  See if they still make sense to you, or if you need to rewrite, to rethink, to reinvestigate your beliefs.

 

Learning to be a Christian doesn’t stop once you’ve been confirmed.  Everyday of your life, from this point forward, you will be learning.  It won’t be every other Wednesday evening, and there probably won’t be somebody giving you snacks every week, but you’ll still be learning.  When things happen to you, when you meet new people, when your life changes, when the world changes, you’ll be learning.  Your faith will grow and adapt with you, throughout your life.

 

So I invite you to keep learning.  Look for the opportunities to grow, to stretch yourself, to think about new ideas, to talk to people who disagree with you.  Look for the opportunities to learn from the people around you, those who are older than you, and those who are younger too.  Keep learning and that way your faith will flourish and will see you through whatever life has in store.

 

Something else is happening today too.  Our congregations are changing.  When this service is over they won’t be the same as they were yesterday.  In a few moments we will welcome these young people into our family of faith as full members, with equal voices.  Just about every church I know laments this time of year with the same complaint.  “Once we confirm them, the kids leave the church.”  They beat their breasts.  They read books on generational differences.  They implement all sorts of ideas about how to keep the kids interested in church.  It’s a fair question to ask, but I’m not sure that all the answer can be found in books, or light shows, or bands with pumped up sound systems.

 

At least part of the answer has to do with how we, the people who are “already” members of the church, treat our newly confirmed members next Sunday, and the next, and the next one after that.  We have to celebrate them, not just this Sunday, but every day.  We have to listen to them.  They’re smart kids.  They have ideas about what they need the church to be and to do.  We need to hear them, make sure they feel free to express whatever is on their hearts and minds.  We can’t silence them just because they’re young.  We have to make sure that they feel valued, that they know we understand how important they are to us, to our lives and to the life of the church.

 

How are we going to do that?  We’re going to grow and learn together.  We’ll learn from one another.  There are things that the youth can teach us and things we can teach them.  When we do, when we engage in mutual learning, we will find ourselves stronger, better able to weather the changes of life and of the world, and more faith and spirit filled whatever the future might hold.  When we listen to the youth we will discover that more of them will stay in the church than if we ignore and silence them.  They stand before us today, bringing their energy, vitality, questions, views, doubts, taste in music, generational habits, and all of who they are.  They ask us today if we will listen to them, if we will embrace who they are, and welcome them fully into our community.

 

Today we unite ourselves in Christ, acknowledging the work that our confirmands have put into their decision to stand before us today and proclaim their faith.  They join us as a people committed to serving God in all we do, to bringing the good news of God’s love to the world, to sharing the ministry of Christ, and to receiving the power of the Holy Spirit.  Today we grow as a community of life-long learners, discovering what it means to be Christ’s disciples, together.  I invite all of us to hear the voice of God calling us forward, to learn from one another, and to be Christ’s joyful church in this place.  Amen.