Every summer, our Facebook pages feature photos of smiling graduates and happy confirmands. They made it! They’re done! They’re free! Well, those of us who’ve been around the block a few times know that graduation isn’t the destination, but only the beginning – that’s why they call it commencement.
But what about confirmation? Doesn’t that mean we’re done? Doesn’t that mean we know everything we need to know about being disciples? Well, no.
Confirmation marks the beginning of a journey. It means we’ve got the basics, and now it’s time to start living into the promises we made (or that were made for us) at our baptism and affirmed at our confirmation. We promised to live among God’s faithful people, hear the word of God and share in the Lord’s Supper, proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed, serve all people following the example of Jesus, and strive for justice and peace in all the earth. How can we possibly live up to these?
Well, we also asked God to help us and guide us as we grow into discipleship, and God is always faithful.
This message is excerpted from “Beginning the journey” by orbiteers from the June 6, 2016, blog of the Women of the ELCA.
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