Have you noticed? The pictures? You know... the ones on the bulletin board on the right as you pass through the entryway at church! The same ones that we showed before the services last weekend. What a cool bunch 'o kids! In case you hadn't noticed, these pictures are of our 2013 Confirmation Class. 20 young people who have completed 3 years of learning and serving and celebrating. They are now full "adult" members of Lord of Life. But what does that mean, really? What does it mean to be an adult much less a member of Lord of Life?

  Well, I suppose we could start with the fact that all of them will be able to vote on whether or not Pastor Sue stays on as one of your Pastors when that takes place early this fall. I wonder if they will take the opportunity as adult members of Lord of Life to participate in that important day in our life together. I certainly hope they will. But I don't know. Anymore than I know whether or not many of our other adult members will take that opportunity. And I wonder if they'll be able to maneuver all the demands on their time and energy in order to make the time to continue their growth as people of faith, as disciples, and to participate in learning and serving and celebrating and being in relationship with a God who loves them deeply. I wonder if they'll choose to make the time. Now that they're adults...

  Confirmation ministry is about helping our young people and their families to understand and appreciate the foundational beliefs we have as Lutheran Christians, to develop a healthy sense of what it means to be part of a faith community, and most important of all, to help them to know the Savior, Jesus, who lived and died and rose again for them. It's about relationship; a personal relationship. And it starts with all of us pastors, parents, coaches, and community, sharing our faith and witnessing to what our relationship with Jesus and through him, to each other, means to us.

  Over the last couple of years we've asked our Confirmation youth to select a bible passage and make a statement of faith. And each and every year they have come up with statements that have been profound and meaningful and important, not only to them, but to all of the rest of us who have read them as well. I wonder... What would the rest of us pick for a bible verse if we were asked? And what would we write down to share publically with the entire LOL community about that passage and what faith in Jesus Christ means to us? I encourage all of you to take a look at these statements. We've published them in a booklet that each and everyone can take a look at and benefit from. I encourage you to take a look and use them in your own devotional life. And maybe to inspire you to think about taking the time to create a statement of your own.

  You know, being an "adult" is a rather subjective term. Generally it refers to someone who is considered "mature". And with maturity generally comes both new freedoms and new responsibilities. I'm comfortable that all 20 of the young people in our Confirmation Class have a pretty good handle on their faith; on who this person Jesus is to and for them. I'm comfortable allowing them more fully into our community of faith with all the new freedoms and responsibilities that come with it. And I pray that they, and we, will always desire to, and choose to, learn and serve and celebrate in relationship with Jesus Christ and each other. At the end of the day, isn't that what being an adult and a member are all about?

Peace - PJ2