SERMON FOR SERVICE OF CONFIRMATION, AUGUST 22, 2021
     Some of you will recognize this popular old standard: “You must have been a beautiful baby/You must have been a wonderful child.” “Does your mother realize/The stork delivered quite a prize/The day he left you on the family tree?/Does your dad appreciate/That you’re merely super great/The miracle of any century?” I’ll venture to answer for Cheryl and Peter, “You got that right!” The song ends with a final rousing affirmation: “Oh you must’ve been a beautiful baby/‘Cause baby look at you now!”
    Rhiannon and Braelyn, I’m guessing this moldy oldie — it was first released in 1938 — is not included on your Spotify playlist! But it popped into my head when I came upon the entries in the baptism section of the parish register: Rhiannon Marie Stone, May 15, 2005; Braelyn Anne Stone, April 15, 2007. You were beautiful babies that first time, when your parents brought you to this baptismal font and entrusted your lives to God. They heard the promises on your behalf. They witnessed to their own Christian faith, and they, along with the members of this congregation, made a commitment to help you grow in that same faith and in the life of discipleship, so that, in the words of the hymnal, you might learn to trust God, proclaim Christ through word and deed, care for others and the world God made, and work for justice and peace. And grow you have. Our commitment to you is not over; our responsibility, our desire to support and empower you still holds. But the beautiful babies have become beautiful young women. You no longer need your parents or this congregation to speak on your behalf; today you claim your legacy of grace for yourself. Confirmation marks a milestone in your relationship with God and with the church. It is not an ending; it is a point of passage. 
     As St. Paul writes, “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways” (1 Corinthians 13:11). You are on your way into adulthood, but there is no need to be in a hurry. Make the most of where you are on life’s journey now. It’s a remarkable time, something called a “liminal state.” Here’s the definition: “Liminality is a state of transition between one stage and the next, especially between major stages in one's life or during a rite of passage. The concept of liminality was first developed and is used most often in the science of anthropology (the study of human origins, behavior, and culture).” The concept is also used in religious studies; that’s where I first encountered it. “Liminal” comes from the Latin word meaning “threshold.” It’s like a doorway or gateway. The crossing over or passing through can take time and effort, like bringing a child into the world or making it from middle school to senior year. And it can also take you by surprise in the twinkling of an eye, like falling in love. The process of moving from the familiar into the unknown is daunting, but it is also alive with possibility. Don’t get hurried along to the destination others think is the right one for you. You are gifted, vibrant young women in a society that still tries to impose the gendered judgments of the past on your future. See it for what it is, and then see beyond it. Liminal states are about exploration and adventure, trial and error. I hate to think how many times I said to my daughter in the wake of some unfortunate event, “What in God’s name were you thinking of?! until she finally looked me in the eye and said, “You know, Mom, I have a right to my own screw-ups.”
     Confirmation is an important rite of passage along your journey. As beautiful babies you were too young to understand the promises God made to you at baptism. As you have grown, it has been up to us to help you learn about God, about who Jesus is and why he is important not just in history but in your life. When we recite the familiar verse from the Gospel of John, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life,” we want you to hear “For God so loved you.” It has been our job to teach you what mercy means, to show you that our strength as Christians lies not in being morally superior and identifying the slackers among us but in being forgiven and forgiving. In his ministry Jesus saw the people the world readily overlooks. He did not ignore their need, their fear and their pain; nor does he turn away from ours. Because his heart is open to us, we can be bold in opening our hearts to others. Because he shares his life with us, we can dare to change. When you follow Jesus, you are always in a liminal state, getting unstuck from what cripples you and crossing over to new life. When you follow Jesus, you are never alone. Wherever you find yourself, there will be a community of believers to welcome and support you. 
     Back in early March of 2020, before Covid shut everything down, your mom sent me an email, asking about what she and her daughters could expect in a Lutheran confirmation. She wrote, “The last one I saw was simply the boy stood up, was recognized and welcomed and then sat down. This and their First Communion were very different than all the frills I had, growing up in the Catholic Church.” I replied that confirmation is an outgrowth of baptism, not a separate sacrament. Its purpose is not to put young people to the test to prove that they know enough or are prepared enough to rate the rite, anymore than a baby can merit baptism. Confirmation is a celebration of your relationship with God and your place here among us. It is the way we recognize that, while always a child of God, you are no longer a child. I wrote to your mom: “Those being confirmed are asked to confess their faith publicly, to embrace their identity as members of the church, the body of Christ, and to commit themselves to the work of the church in the world, in this congregation now, and in others as their futures unfold. The service in the hymnal is called “Affirmation of Baptism,” because that is what confirmation is all about. The confirmands confess their faith in the words of the Apostles’ Creed, the same creed used at their baptism, confessed then by their parents and sponsors and the congregation. Once again those present will welcome them, now older and experienced enough to speak for themselves and to make the choice on their own to be part of this  community.” As your mom observed, there isn’t much in the way of frills. The ceremony is short and straightforward, but don’t let its simplicity fool you. The blessing it conveys is powerful. And that blessing is yours forever. Amen.