The Gifts of Confirmation

Psalm 139:1-6,13-18 Confirmation The gifts of confirmation 2nd Sunday of Pentecost Year B Children’s Sermon – bring something knitted Psalm 139 For the music leader. Of David. A song. 139 LORD, you have examined me. You know me. 2 You know when I sit down and when I stand up. Even from far away, you comprehend my plans. 3 You study my traveling and resting. You are thoroughly familiar with all my ways. 4 There isn’t a word on my tongue, LORD, that you don’t already know completely. 5 You surround me—front and back. You put your hand on me. 6 That kind of knowledge is too much for me; it’s so high above me that I can’t fathom it. Psalm 139:13-18 Common English Bible (CEB) 13 You are the one who created my innermost parts; you knit me together while I was still in my mother’s womb. 14 I give thanks to you that I was marvelously set apart. Your works are wonderful—I know that very well. 15 My bones weren’t hidden from you when I was being put together in a secret place, when I was being woven together in the deep parts of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my embryo, and on your scroll every day was written that was being formed for me,[a] before any one of them had yet happened.[b] 17 God, your plans are incomprehensible to me! Their total number is countless! 18 If I tried to count them—they outnumber grains of sand! If I came to the very end—I’d still be with you.[c] Footnotes: a. Psalm 139:16 Correction; Heb lacks for me. b. Psalm 139:16 Heb uncertain c. Psalm 139:18 Correction Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible A few years ago I posted this poem on facebook. "I believe in the sun even when it's not shining. I believe in love even when not feeling it. I believe in God even when He is silent." In many ways this was a faith statement about God - I believe that God is always with us. There are times in our lives when we don’t really feel the presence of God. But God is always there. That is the point of psalm 139 – it is a reminder that God is with us. It is a reminder that God was present in our lives before we were even born and that God knows us better than we know ourselves. You know that this was a psalm of the heart, because it is written not in Hebrew, but in Aramaic. Aramaic is the original language of Jesus. And whenever he was speaking from the heart, he used Aramaic words. When the psalm says lord you know me, the original language says Lord you dig deep into my heart and you know what is there. Our relationship with God is the deepest relationship that we have it goes beyond friends, family and even ourselves. And the good news is that we don’t have to go looking for God, because God always comes to find us. As a matter of fact a little piece of God is inside of us. Psalm 139 is one of my favorite verses in the bible because it reminds me of how special I am. So I think it is a perfect verse for us to reflect on for confirmation Sunday. It is a perfect verse to remind our young people that they are special, and that God has been waiting for eons for this day – to welcome you into the fold through your own choosing. In confirmation class we learned that these young people are not the ones who is confirming their faith – God is confirming God’s faith in them. When they were baptized God made a promise to them that God was there. And as we journey we have days like this where God for just a glimpse says hey remember me? Because I remember you. I hope that you realize that today is a beginning, not a graduation. It is your opportunity to be aware and to take part in what God gives to you. It is your chance to make it a part of your life and your plans. We are gather and work out our faith, and work on our selves together, we invite you to join us and to be a part of our community. The church is not made of perfect people, but we are sincere, and we learn more about God from one another. Just this year, I learned that when we are confirmed, the holy spirit brings us seven gifts…. 137628 It is difficult to name another Catholic doctrine of as hallowed antiquity as the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit that is subject to such benign neglect. Like most Catholics born around 1950, I learned their names by rote: "wis-dom, un-derstanding, coun-sel, fort-itude, know-ledge, pie-ety, and fear of the Lord!" These are all tools to have a better relationship with God. In those times when we doubt that God is around, these 7 gifts help us to see God more clearly. To know that God is always with us. There once was a fish who asked his mother what water was. She explained that water was the source of their life. She explained that they used water for everything, but that it was a clear substance that you couldn’t see. The little fish started to believe that there was no such thing as water, because he could not see the water for himself. Not realizing that he couldn’t see it because he was immersed in it and never saw anything else. God goes far beyond anything that your parents have taught you. God goes far beyond anything that happens in church. God goes far beyond anything that we may understand about God. God is the source of all that we are and ever will be. Let god lead us all through this moment. The last verses of our scripture for today says your eyes saw my embryo and on your scroll was written everyday of my life before I even lived it. Go forward from this moment and live your life to the fullness, remembering that a full life includes God. Let us all be grateful for the gifts that we have received today. : "wis-dom, un-derstanding, coun-sel, fort-itude, know-ledge, pie-ety, and fear of the Lord!" And Eileen, Evelyn chandler and Nell- Amen.