Not So Important Memories

When one thinks back to his days of confirmation instruction—in my case that is looking back 60 years—many things come to mind. I remember making the trip to St. Cloud, Minnesota with my parents, a long trip of twenty-one miles in those days, to buy my first suit, a white shirt and tie, and new black shoes. For a young fellow of fourteen that was a “big, big deal.”

I remember the members of my class, made up mostly of girls, and the three hour sessions we held every Saturday morning during the school year in the little Christian Day School building a mile and a half from our home. I remember how our pastor, who was also my father, reminded the class members in the last weeks leading up to confirmation that the learning of our weekly lessons was far more important than the new suits and dresses and shoes that may have been occupying our minds at that time.

I remember the worries that filled my mind on the morning of confirmation, when, before a packed church, we would be questioned for an hour in front of the gathered worshipers.

What Should Be Remembered The Most

What one may not remember as well from his Confirmation Day are the vows that on that day were made by us young people. As a pastor for over forty years I have had the wonderful opportunity to be reminded of my Confirmation Day vows as on a yearly basis I have heard the vows taken by those whom I have had the privilege of confirming in their Christian Lutheran faith.

What are those vows we made on our day of confirmation, the vows that are so important, but which we may have all too often forgotten? Though these vows may have been worded a little differently, depending on where one was confirmed, they basically consisted of these five parts:

1. I renounce the devil and all his works and all his ways;

2. I believe in the Triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

3. I believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God.

4. I intend, with the help of God, to remain steadfast in the confession of my church.

5. I intend, with the help of God, to live a godly, Christian life.

Faithless

It is good for us to be regularly reminded of these vows that we made on our day of confirmation. The Lord surely remembers and will never forget them. Have you and I been able to keep our Confirmation Day vows perfectly? We have not! Because of the sinful nature in which all of us are wrapped, we have again and again fallen far short of what we promised God on our day of confirmation. With the Apostle Paul we must all confess, “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good that I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep doing”(Romans 7:18-20). Those words certainly apply to all of us in the matter of our failure to live up to our Confirmation vows.

Faithful

Does this mean that God now has also removed His grace from our lives? Certainly not! Listen to the comforting words of the Psalmist: “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him; for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust” (Psalm 103:13-14). And we have also this wonderful promise in God’s Word: “If we are faithless, He will remain faithful, for He cannot deny Himself” (2 Timothy 2:13). God was faithful and sent His Son Jesus, who faithfully kept God’s law and died for sin so that God could faithfully forgive us our sins.

Ever striving towards the Goal

Should we, then, give up in our attempt to fulfill our Confirmation vows, knowing that we will not be able to fulfill them perfectly? Certainly not! As redeemed children of God, we will continue to strive towards the goal. We learned in our days of confirmation instruction these words, which in the King James Version are perhaps a little difficult to understand: “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect; but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12). A modern day translation has improved that passage: “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” (NIV)

Christ Jesus took hold of us at our baptism, gave us faith in Jesus, kept us in that faith, and made us heirs of eternal life, His loving hand was there to support and uphold us on our day of Confirmation. In spite of our failure to fulfill our Confirmation vows perfectly, He is still there to forgive, support, strengthen and guide us. Never doubt it for a moment!

Norman A. Madson is the interim Pastor at Redeemer Lutheran Church, Scottsdale, Arizona.