Let’s explore these questions together –
What does it mean as different generations Worship together and participate in Faith Formation? How does this happen? Are these two inter-related?
We start here:
When a baptized Christian affirms the faith (what we call confirmation) the pastor asks the question which echoes the words spoken at baptism: Do you intend to continue in the covenant God made with you in holy baptism?
Covenant? – it’s a promise – What are those covenant words?
Found in the ELW – under Baptism -pg. 228, and Affirmation of Baptism– pg. 236
We call them the – Five Gifts of Discipleship: [You know them, but for review-]
#1*Live among God’s faithful people –
The church as the body of Christ – in community
#2*Hear the word of God and share in the Lord’s supper; -worship
#3*Proclaim the good news of God in word and deed –
speak and live as a follower of Jesus
#4*Serve all people, following the example of Jesus
#5*Strive for justice and peace in all the earth
Trinity is intentional about making the connection between baptism and confirmation both in worship and faith formation. In faith formation classes, starting with the Baptismal class for parents, we talk about the 5 promises – the covenant.
Also, – Our students in Confirmation classes are focusing on these faith promises.
Let’s ask 2 questions- – Does worship lead us, the church, – to faith formation?
And- Does faith formation make our worship richer and more meaningful?
Here’s how it can work. We are baptized and from that time on faith is formed as we worship. I’ve watched it happen here.
I saw you brought to the baptismal font and splashed with the living water that made you a child of God. # baptized? A grace filled sacrament!
Again, I saw you – Tyler, Kaitlyn, Avery when as toddlers you were carried to the altar during communion. You watched the pastor touch your head with a blessing, [well, sometimes you ducked] and you saw how your parents received communion. A grace filled sacrament!
I saw you in worship, Jacob, Simon, Lauren, Hannah – You learned to bow in prayer and stand and sing. Sometimes you followed the words of hymns with your finger. [I really think that’s how I began learning to read and…maybe read music!!!]
You listened to the Word of God preached. You heard Bible stories in church and in Sunday School, and the pastor and your teachers constantly told of God’s love and saving grace.
What about faith formation?
Some of you attended pre-school here and many of you went to Sunday School classes. Phoebe, Grace, Michael, Sam, ..# others ?
Vacation Bible school was a fun time as was being in a choir and other programs here. How Many? ? Choir? VBS?
I watched you come proudly forward for your first communion. I have even seen some of you become communion assistants – Ethan, Sara.
You work to serve all people by helping lead in worship as acolyte, lector, gift bearer, usher and more = Sara, Simon, Isabelle. #others?
Remember Reformation Sunday, last October? – I saw some of your sisters and brothers in Christ confirmed. We laid hands on them as they affirmed the covenant made at for them at their baptism. There was – Alex, Brendan, Molly, Kayla, Jeffrey, Zackery… you know some of them and now you look forward to when you may affirm your faith.
And there’s more – you are serving others, following the example of Jesus. You are volunteering at Mizpah Foundation, collecting food for the homeless, singing carols as you visit the homebound, serving at our Wednesday Feast dinners, and even traveling away to serve on the Appalachian Service Project.
You strive for justice and peace in all the earth as you become aware of the many issues facing our community and the world.
Your story, my story, our story is “To be continued” … you will do many things yet unknown, – schooling, careers, moving out and moving on, maybe a partner and children, caring for others [maybe family members] as they age… or need you…
This is how it happens – we learn and grow in community – Remember the story from 1 Corinthians we did as a group? We are the body of Christ – we are the church!
So here’s the summary of my story – When we are worshiping and learning, with family or friends, old or new, –that’s when and how we learn to live among God’s faithful people. That’s how we grow in our own faith journey.
The 2020 Lenten Theme: is –Take up the Cross
In Matthew 11:29 – Jesus put it this way – Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. From today’s scripture from Philippians:
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, …
… he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross.9 Therefore God also highly exalted him
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.