Seven young people were confirmed at Central on May 20. Each read a portion of their faith statement.
Just when I was getting discouraged, here are some excerpts.
"Jesus to me is my best friend and guardian. I can talk to Him whenever and share with him things I feel I can't share with others." (Marianne, age 14)
"Prayer is very important because I can help other people without them knowing." (Nathan, age 14)
"I still struggle to believe everything I hear. Going to church helps me remember that God is there for me and will help me believe." (Hannah, age 14)
"I do believe that I am on this earth for a reason. I don't know the reason yet, but I plan on taking the challenges and living a rich life trying to find a purpose here on this earth." (Jack, age 14)
Yea, I'm proud of these kids. More than they know.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
The secondary title of this blog entry is: "How I survived teaching Confirmation"
So since I'm the "youth" pastor here at Central, I teach Confirmation. I actually love it. I love sharing stories and getting kids to ask questions.
I love kids, especially middle school kids. It's a rough age. You're either getting picked on or doing the picking. Having a (somewhat) captive audience each week is a way to let them know I care about them.
But I also try to teach them some stuff, like Biblical stories, what it means to be Lutheran and how we can use faith in real life. I sure hope something sunk in.
I gave them a "final test" last week. They all failed. Seriously. Now maybe I made the test too hard or didn't do a review. But really, most couldn't identify Joseph, Moses or King David of Old Testament fame (or infamy). Ack! I've failed!
But, then again, every last one of them could tell me the difference between a Lutheran understanding of Law and Gospel.
(For those who don't know...or don't care :)... the Law shows us our human weaknesses and gives us boundaries, the Gospel is good news of what God has already done for us...Lutherans believe we need both and the Bible shows both)
So I confirmed them on Sunday, May 20. All seven of them. I was so proud of them. They read excerpts of their faith statements (I'll post in another entry). Then they came back later that night for a final Confirmtion party.
It pained me to watch them leave that night.
I wonder how many I'll see again in church. I felt sad and kind of defeated. There was so much more I wanted to tell them, so much more I wanted to learn about who they are and what they think.
I wondered if this was what it was like to be a parent, to cast your bread upon the waters and wonder if it will ever return.... (this poetic phrase is from Old Testament sage in Ecclesiastes)
I wonder.
I wonder if anyone else reading this has wondered that too....
So since I'm the "youth" pastor here at Central, I teach Confirmation. I actually love it. I love sharing stories and getting kids to ask questions.
I love kids, especially middle school kids. It's a rough age. You're either getting picked on or doing the picking. Having a (somewhat) captive audience each week is a way to let them know I care about them.
But I also try to teach them some stuff, like Biblical stories, what it means to be Lutheran and how we can use faith in real life. I sure hope something sunk in.
I gave them a "final test" last week. They all failed. Seriously. Now maybe I made the test too hard or didn't do a review. But really, most couldn't identify Joseph, Moses or King David of Old Testament fame (or infamy). Ack! I've failed!
But, then again, every last one of them could tell me the difference between a Lutheran understanding of Law and Gospel.
(For those who don't know...or don't care :)... the Law shows us our human weaknesses and gives us boundaries, the Gospel is good news of what God has already done for us...Lutherans believe we need both and the Bible shows both)
So I confirmed them on Sunday, May 20. All seven of them. I was so proud of them. They read excerpts of their faith statements (I'll post in another entry). Then they came back later that night for a final Confirmtion party.
It pained me to watch them leave that night.
I wonder how many I'll see again in church. I felt sad and kind of defeated. There was so much more I wanted to tell them, so much more I wanted to learn about who they are and what they think.
I wondered if this was what it was like to be a parent, to cast your bread upon the waters and wonder if it will ever return.... (this poetic phrase is from Old Testament sage in Ecclesiastes)
I wonder.
I wonder if anyone else reading this has wondered that too....
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
The conversation about death caught me off guard.
I'm a Lutheran pastor, so talking about end of life, meaning-making, heaven -- no problem. But this was yoga class, full of spiritual-not-religious types, some who've had not-so-nice church experiences.
I study yoga at a studio here in Anchorage, actually I'm in a training program to become a yoga teacher. (As my friend Marcia says: Lutherans Doing Yoga: What does this mean?) I digress....
The class meets four hours each Friday morning. We do asanas (poses), anatomy, adjustments and yoga philosophy.
Based on Hindu wisdom texts, these "yoga sutras" provide the undercurrent for yoga. They speak of how to live a life free from violence, distraction and grasping for material success. Yoga philosophy touches the core of what it means to be human.
So last Friday, there was a sutra on death. I'll paraphrase: The fear of death is the cause of suffering. Usually our teacher comments on the sutra, students say a few words and we move on.
This time, things got heavy. I didn't even realize what was happening until the entire room was in tears.
Stories just came out: One woman watched her father die and it was meaningful and healing. Another women had a memorial service scheduled that day for her grandmother. Another was reeling from news that a young friend has pancreatic cancer. They needed to speak. We all needed to listen.
We all need sacred spaces. I'm so thankful that our congregation provides safe spaces for this kind of sharing. But we don't have the monopoly on it.
So let's celebrate that sacred, holy sharing happens anywhere, everywhere. Look for it, in the space where you find yourself.
I'm a Lutheran pastor, so talking about end of life, meaning-making, heaven -- no problem. But this was yoga class, full of spiritual-not-religious types, some who've had not-so-nice church experiences.
I study yoga at a studio here in Anchorage, actually I'm in a training program to become a yoga teacher. (As my friend Marcia says: Lutherans Doing Yoga: What does this mean?) I digress....
The class meets four hours each Friday morning. We do asanas (poses), anatomy, adjustments and yoga philosophy.
Based on Hindu wisdom texts, these "yoga sutras" provide the undercurrent for yoga. They speak of how to live a life free from violence, distraction and grasping for material success. Yoga philosophy touches the core of what it means to be human.
So last Friday, there was a sutra on death. I'll paraphrase: The fear of death is the cause of suffering. Usually our teacher comments on the sutra, students say a few words and we move on.
This time, things got heavy. I didn't even realize what was happening until the entire room was in tears.
Stories just came out: One woman watched her father die and it was meaningful and healing. Another women had a memorial service scheduled that day for her grandmother. Another was reeling from news that a young friend has pancreatic cancer. They needed to speak. We all needed to listen.
We all need sacred spaces. I'm so thankful that our congregation provides safe spaces for this kind of sharing. But we don't have the monopoly on it.
So let's celebrate that sacred, holy sharing happens anywhere, everywhere. Look for it, in the space where you find yourself.
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