Our Journeys and the Divine Story

We set out with a reading from Luke Chapter one that began like this: "In the sixth month  the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David.  And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you." 
We immediately recognized the familiar narrative of Jesus' birth, attending to all the characters, noting  special details, sharing impressions.  Female and male class members identified with the shock young Mary must have experienced and what it would mean for her life.  We followed the narrative onward to the stable in Bethlehem, savoring the details.
The group of eight then headed upstairs to the sanctuary.  Along the way we recalled that Jesus, when he was little more than a week old, was taken by his parents to the house of worship for dedication.  It was in the house of God that his name was spoken aloud.  Moving to the front of our own sanctuary, we gathered around the baptismal font.  Six of us had been baptized in this very place!  I had transcribed those dates so we could share them.  Everyone's name was spoken aloud.The two of us whose baptisms had been elsewhere shared the details we could recall.  We celebrated our common place in kingdom of God!
Placing our hands in the water, we shared what we knew about baptism and what we believe it means for our lives. We considered the imagery of water.  We realized, in a very special way, that Jesus' life is entwined with ours, from the very beginning.
Each of us has a story that continues to unfold; God is in the midst of each of those lives, and the one that we are sharing and living together.
Returning downstairs, we took some time for a brief written exercise from one of the UCC resources, considering these questions: What are some times when you have been aware of God's presence in your life?  What experiences, events, and people have helped you to know of God's presence?  How have your family, friends, or members of the church helped you in your faith journey?  What qualities or traits might someone else see in you that show your faith?  What qualities or traits do you hope that God will help you develop as your faith grows?  Even though faith journeys and experiences are unique, have you discovered ways your story connects  to the stories of others?    We shared some of our answers.
Finally, we took some time to list expectations we have for the shape of the Confirmation year.    They included:
--Get to know God better
--To take a journey with God
--To get confirmed
--To make decisions as a church member
--To learn more about God and people
--To learn more about us
The word confirm means to "make former or stronger." In Confirmation we take the promises that our parents, family, and community made to God at our baptism and claim them for ourselves.  We consider what it means to give ourselves to God and to seek the will of God for our lives; to profess Jesus as our Lord and Savior and dedicate ourselves to be his disciples.  We immerse ourselves in the in the life of a faith community that is born of the Holy Spirit and inspired by that Spirit.  We call upon the Spirit to guide us and move us.  Most of all, we open ourselves to receive fully the gracious love of God, given freely.
Whew!  That's plenty for one session!  You were great!
We gathered together in a circle for prayer at the conclusion, with each one of us offering a thanksgiving or petition.