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Holy Trinity Anglican Orthodox Church
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Trinity Sunday |
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June 3, 2007 The Necessity and Meaning of Confirmation July will mark the end of our first year together as Holy Trinity Anglican Church. May I say it has been a great privilege on my part to be associated with you, and that I commend your courage and commitment. I know it is not easy to give up long cherished ties, beautiful buildings, and well orchestrated choirs and music programs, to meet in a library under the somewhat Spartan circumstances that characterize our worship. I truly admire you for it. Now we are ready to take the next step. Most of you have already indicated your desire to become official members of Holy Trinity, so on August 5th during the Bishop’s visit, we are going to formally and officially be recognized as a congregation of the Anglican Orthodox Church and receive those who desire membership. Bishop Ogles will also lead us in worship through the service of Holy Communion., and he will receive some of our group into communicant membership through Confirmation. With that in mind, today I want to talk about the necessity and meaning of Confirmation. Our Church lays down some very important guides about who may be confirmed. (BCP, p. 582). In fulfilling this rubric, I intend to preach on the topics that are covered in the Catechism between now and the Bishop’s visit. I don’t promise sparkling wit and brilliant biblical exposition, but I do think this should be an informative series of sermons because the Catechism covers the basics of what it means to be a Christian Much of its teaching is neglected in churches today, so it is vital that we understand it and refresh our knowledge of it on a regular basis. I encourage you to be a part of the services. Today I want to talk about the meaning and necessity of Conformation. Essentially Confirmation means that the person baptized as a child, now commits to the vows and the faith made for him at that time. The candidate is asked by the Bishop, “Do
ye here, in the presence of God, and of this congregation, renew the
solemn promise and vow that you made, or that was made in your name, at
your Baptism; ratifying and confirming the same; and acknowledging
yourselves bound to believe and to do all those things which ye then
undertook, or your Sponsors then undertook for you?” (Book of Common
Prayer, page 296). To understand this we need to review the promises made in our baptismal vows. Look on page 277 of your Prayer Book. Here is the vow and covenant you made with God at your baptism. “Dost
thou renounce the devil and all his works, the vain pomp and glory of this
world, with all covetous desires of the same, and the sinful desires of
the flesh, so that thou wilt not follow, nor be led by them?” “Dost
thou believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God?” “Dost
thou accept him, and desire to follow him as thy Saviour and Lord?” “Dost
thou believe all the articles of the Christian Faith, as contained in the
Apostles’ Creed?” “Wilt
thou be baptized in this faith?” “Wilt
thou then obediently keep God’s holy will and commandments, and walk in
the same all the days of thy life?” The baptismal candidate must answer “I do” or “I will” to each of these questions, and must understand that his answer is a vow and commitment to Almighty God. Quite obviously an infant is not cognizant of these vows made on his behalf. He is baptized without his knowledge or consent, raised in the Church, and taught the faith, and has most of the outward privileges and rights of church membership. But there comes a day, we call it the age of discretion, when that child must, as an adult fully and personally responsible before God, consent to his situation in the Church and affirm that he has made The Faith his Faith. In short, he must profess Christ for himself. This is what the person is doing in the service of Confirmation. As Dr. W.H. Griffith Thomas wrote: “The
instructions and influences of childhood thus culminate in a solemn and
beautiful act of dedication of ourselves to God, and in a profession
before others that we desire and determine to be his forever.
At the same time it is of necessity also an opportunity for
realizing afresh God’s presence and his Divine attitude to us in the
covenant of grace, … . “Yet
again confirmation affords the privilege and opportunity of entering into
fellowship with those who, like ourselves, have been brought into personal
contact and spiritual relation with Christ.
Confirmation is thus the gateway to full membership in the Church
and to all the benefits of church fellowship,” (The
Catholic Faith, pp.117-118). So Confirmation is your adult action of affirming faith in Christ. You are saying, “I am a Christian. I belong to Christ and His Church, not because Mom and Dad bring me, not to please my family or to see my friends or to participate in a pretty ceremony, but because I believe.” In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
The Rev. Dr. R. Dennis Campbell, Vicar, Holy Trinity Anglican Church,
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