Confirmation Classes Begin

September is an exciting month at St. Paul Lutheran.  On September 8th, we will celebrate Rally Sunday with walking tacos, games, and fun.  It’s also the beginning of Sunday school and choir after the summer break.  But I’m particularly looking forward to the start of confirmation classes. Over the past year, I’ve been part of a team developing a comprehensive confirmation curriculum through Luther House of Study.  We’ve produced 25 interactive lessons which are available for free to congregations this fall, thanks to a grant from the 1521 Foundation.  Our first set of lessons focuses on the Small Catechism, and I can’t wait to use them with our students in confirmation class this year.

What’s so exciting about the Small Catechism?  During a lesson on the Apostles’ Creed last spring, I asked our students, “What is Baptism?” One of our seventh-graders answered, “Baptism is the best promise you will ever get.” Amen. This is most certainly true: Baptism is indeed the best promise you will ever get. That’s something to get excited about.

As we confess in the Small Catechism: Baptism is not simply plain water, but it is water enclosed in God’s command and connected with God’s Word.  So it is a promise given by God Himself–an eternal promise.  It is the forgiveness of sin, salvation, and eternal life on account of Jesus Christ.  You’ll never get a better promise than that one.

But…it’s under attack.  This promise comes under attack from the lies of the devil, the world, and our flesh from the very moment you get it.  Our teenagers are experiencing these attacks on their faith constantly.  Therefore we use the Small Catechism to teach our young people the words to confess the promise and faith that God has first and finally given them in Baptism. The Catechism confesses what Scripture says, so it is what God says–what Jesus Christ says–and God does not and cannot lie.

Confirmation classes for seventh and eighth graders begin on Wednesday, September 11 at 6:30 pm.  This first meeting is for students and their parents, and pizza will be served.

Grace and peace to you,

Pastor Raleigh