March 2008
As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free,
there is no longer males and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.”
Galatians 3:27-8
There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free,
there is no longer males and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.”
Galatians 3:27-8
In the month of March, we will be celebrating another Confirmation class at LPUMC. The confirmation experience is a process of growth and introspection...a time of learning about God, about ourselves, and about the United Methodist tradition. Most importantly, it is a time of decision for our young folk.
In the early church, (I mean the church formed in the first 150 years after Jesus walked among us...not the 8:00am service), those preparing to take their vow of membership went through an extended time of instruction in the sacred rites and rituals, of learning the gospel accounted of Jesus and his ministry, death, and resurrection, and of prayerful meditation. Then as the day of their inauguration into the church neared, they would fast and pray, and others would join them in the final stretch. Then, often on Easter morning, these persons would don a robe, which they would drop before entering the pool (don’t get too excited-men baptized men, and women tended to women), and be baptized into “new Life”; Paul described it like putting on the clothes of Christ. Then the newly-baptized would join the faithful in sharing the bread and the cup at Christ’s Table of Grace.
Over the last 8 weeks, our Confirmands have been learning and exploring too. Together, we have explored the character of God, the wisdom and truth found in holy scripture, the elegance of the sacraments of baptism and Holy Communion, and how the way we live our lives can (if we so choose) carry on Jesus’ ministry of compassion and justice. We have come to know about the passion of John Wesley to help people experience the grace of God through reading scripture, prayer, worship, and Christian dialogue. We’ve talked about what we do in worship and why we do it. We’ve met with Bishop Schnase and heard his personal testimony, joined with our Jewish neighbors at Central Reformed Community to experience the worship of our spiritual ancestors, and served our neighbors supper at Centenary UMC.
Yup. We have been exploring what it means to be followers of Christ...and more particularly, to be United Methodist Christians.
As infants, some were baptized into the faith of their parents, and it was the adults and the church congregation who took the vows of discipleship. Now it is our Confirmands’ turn. On March 30th, these young folk will be given the opportunity to stand before their congregations of choice (Lafayette Park and Centenary), and make for themselves the promises of the heart. They will declare whom they will call “Lord” of their lives. And they will choose with whom they will continue their faith journey moving forward, promising to support The United Methodist Church with their prayers, presence, gifts, and service.
As members of the church, I invite you, just as the members of the early church were, to be in active prayer for these young people as they complete their studies, and meditate on God’s claim on their lives. As we do this, may we be reminded what it means in our own faith journey to be “clothed in Christ”. Do Christ’s clothes still fit? Hmmmm....
- Pastor Sharon
