This coming Sunday is Confirmation Sunday!  We will have 4 of our young people confirmed in the Christian faith and brought into membership at First Congregational Church.  They, as a group, will also be sharing their singing talents with us as part of the worship service.  It will be a very exciting day!  (And, yes, there will be cake!)

One of the central outcomes of this program of study and discussion is that each Confirmand develops a statement of faith.  In my tenure, this has always been an opportunity to be creative; to use words or draw pictures and/or symbols.  The point of this process is to invite them to represent what they believe about God at this juncture on their faith journey.  

Every class I have taught has amazed me with their creativity and depth of faith and this class is no different!

Confirmation Sunday is also a great occasion for all of us to ponder our own statement of faith.  What do you believe?  Who is God to you?  How do you understand yourself as a person of faith?  What is the importance of the church to you?  What about Christ?  What role does he play in your life?

These are all vital questions and there is something very powerful about committing answers to them to paper.  It forces you to really declare where you stand with regard to your faith development.  It can point out what you hold dear and can proclaim without hesitation, even while it highlights areas where you need to do more exploring.

For example, many people are comfortable finding a place for God and Christ in their understanding of faith, but the Holy Spirit?  What is that exactly?

Many people confuse a personal statement of faith with a denominational statement of faith such as that offered by the wider United Church of Christ.  The Apostles Creed or the Nicene Creed also come to mind for folks.  These are uniting statements.  Ancient statements.  Valuable statements.  But they can also cause us to think of a statement of faith as something that is “for all time.”  

A personal statement of faith is not like that.  It is not as if you are carving this in stone and it can never be changed.  In fact, it should be changed.  Regularly.  Any statement of faith should reflect where you are on the journey right now.  In months or years hence, you will be in a different place by virtue of lived experience and your faith formation will have evolved.  It should evolve.  Faith is not static.  It is dynamic and moving and a part of what it means to be a human being.  A statement of faith developed when you are grieving will be very different from one developed when you are rejoicing.  Both are authentic.  Both are real.  

May this Confirmation Sunday inspire you to take some time to consider what it is that you believe as a Christian person.  Think about it.  Write it down.  Draw it out.  Where are you on the path?

See you in church,

–Rev. Dominic