Do Everything With Love

Throughout our lives, there are important milestones that mark momentous occasions. Can you think of any of the major ones from your life? Maybe it was a Sweet Sixteen or Quinceañera. Maybe it was a wedding or the first time you drove a car, at graduation, or watched a child take their first steps. Within the Christian tradition, there are also a variety of milestones. For some denominations, a child may engage in education and a particular ritual as they prepare for their First Communion at a certain age. Some traditions have particular burial practices that are honored when a person dies.

In our tradition, one important milestone is Confirmation. In our congregation, youth in 7th and 8th grade have the opportunity to be in the Confirmation program in which they study scripture and Methodist theology and tradition for two years. Along with this, our youth commit to at least 10 hours of service to the congregation, they are present in worship, and they engage with mentors. During this time they are invited to not only learn about Methodist beliefs but to explore and begin to claim their own beliefs.

This Sunday, we will celebrate the confirmation of eight 8th graders. You will hear some of their theology and values in the vows they speak, the community prayer they wrote, and the scripture they chose. It has been an absolute joy to get to know this group of confirmands this year. I am proud of their dedication to this program and to the kindness they have offered to one another throughout this program. They have embodied the values that they name and we are fortunate to have them join our congregation as members this Sunday.

One of the values that was of the utmost importance to them was love. This group believes firmly that all people are created in the image of God and are to be loved and accepted with all of their similarities and differences. Join us this Sunday as we honor this milestone in their life and celebrate the love that God places on each life as we read from 1 Corinthians 13!