May 15th – Confirmation Service

Congratulations to this year’s confirmand, Natalie Gunnelson! We are so happy that you are joining our family at Rockdale Lutheran! As we were going through the Affirmation of Baptism service, I was reminded of the process of picking my own confirmation Bible verse. It certainly was a difficult choice for me (and I imagine many others), and I loved the verse that Natalie chose, Matthew 6:34, which comes from the Sermon on the Mount: Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. I was pleasantly reminded of a long-standing mantra in our family, “Don’t borrow trouble,” meaning, worrying won’t change a thing other than your peace of mind, which hearkens back to my blog on serenity from last month after Palm Sunday. I am still learning to let go and trade worry for peace, but we all have our difficulties when it comes to worry or fear.  

The sermon this week talked about our people as the Children of God, which is a concept I and many others have clung to in our faith. Though our bodies stop growing and eventually start to show the end of their usefulness, our growth in faith continues until the very last moment of our earthly lives. As God’s children, we need to be patient with ourselves as we struggle through the trials of life, just as our earthly children learn that some adventures are painful but wounds heal in time. Our Parent in our faith is watching, gently guiding, letting us grow, and showing us that we are capable with every new challenge we take on. God does not set us into life then hold our hand with a heavy watch on our progress, nor does he protect us from the lessons that can only be taught by living in this crazy, beautiful world. He wants us to know that we have the strength to endure the painful adventures of life and can grow in faith as a result of the experience. Furthermore, he teaches us to love and support our family, the people of God, as a parent teaches us to love our family unconditionally, support our brothers and sisters when they need guidance, and forgive each other when we disagree. In this way, God gives us everything we need to continue our growth with our family through faith.

Welcome to the family, Natalie!

-          Hannah