Pastor's Corner

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This week is a joyful one for our congregation as our young people complete their catechetical instruction and stand before God and His Church to confess their faith. It is a beautiful moment, one that many of you remember from your own lives, and one that fills us with gratitude for what God is doing among us.

And yet, as we all know, there is still so much ahead of them.

You’ve likely heard the saying, “If I knew then what I know now.” Those being confirmed have much life yet to live, much to experience, and much still to learn. For that reason, we try not to speak of Confirmation as a finish line or a graduation. It is not the completion of their Christian formation, nor the end of their learning. Confirmation is not a moment that stands alone in the past; it is a reality that unfolds over a lifetime.

I often find myself reflecting on my own Confirmation. My experience may have looked different than many of yours. I did not grow up in the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Instead, I came into it as an adult convert. When I stood before my congregation in Chickasha, Oklahoma, and confessed that I would hold to the teachings of Scripture even unto death, I was 24 years old. I was married, had two children, and had made a deliberate and thoughtful decision to join this church body because I believed what it taught was true. 

Did I understand everything fully? Not at all. But I knew this: the Lord had brought me into His Church, and I was grateful to confess that truth.

Over time, I have come to see more clearly that Confirmation is not a single day but an ongoing process. It continues each and every day of our lives. Each time we repent, each time we return to our Baptism, drowning the old Adam and rising again in Christ, our understanding deepens. God is still teaching us, shaping us, and deepening our faith.

This is what we have tried to impress upon our confirmands: the Word of God is the path for life.

We turn to it when we are 12 or 13, looking for guidance and understanding. But we also return to it again and again at every stage of life—at 40, 50, 80, or even beyond, because it remains the only true and lasting source of wisdom in this world.

And what a gift we have in the Catechism. It takes the richness of Scripture and places it into our hands in a way that is clear, approachable, and deeply meaningful. It reminds us who we are in Christ and helps keep us grounded in His promises.

So this week, we give thanks, not because something is finished, but because something is continuing. God is at work in these young lives, just as He is in all of ours.

My prayer is that our confirmands, and each of us, would keep returning to His Word, keep growing in faith, and keep walking this path together, sustained by His grace.

Peace be with you,

Pastor Nate