Confirmand Sunday

In Worship this Sunday (1/25): John 1: 35-46, Children's Bible Stories #251

Meditation:

On this Family Sunday (1/25), the Confirmation II class will be leading us in worship! We are excited for their contributions and we hope you will be able to join us for worship.

In the scripture the Confirmands will be using this Sunday, there are a lot of names and a lot of people who are drawn or brought to be Jesus' disciples. My favorite is Nathanael, who is the "smart-aleck" of the bunch. People have been talking and bringing others saying "I have found the messiah." And Nathanael, instead of saying "Horrah I'm right behind ya" replies instead "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"

Can anything good come out of Nazareth? 

It's a cynical question. We know the tone of voice and the narrowness of expectations that go with such a response. And perhaps we even know it in ourselves, when irritation, fear, or even grief close a door before its even opened.

Philip in reply simply says "Come and see."

In the midst of such a week in our country, we invite you to come and see the wonderful work that youth in our church have done. Come and see their leadership, thoughtfulness, and wonderful gifts. Come and see how children in the congregation view these "big kids." Come and see how the Spirit of God has done wonderful things with this group of youth, even in the middle of midterms.

Discussion for Families:

Jesus sees Peter (the Rock) in Simon: In the story today, Jesus meets Simon and gives him the new name of Peter, which means the Rock. Even though Simon made many mistakes, Jesus saw that he was the person who would be the Rock upon which the church would be built. As a family, talk about what you see in another person that they might not see in themselves. What might God see in us that we cannot see in ourselves?

Confirmation: After seeing the Confirmands lead worship, ask how your kids are feeling about Confirmation. Do you have hopes for them in Confirmation? How would your kids feel about putting together a worship service like the Confirmands today? 

EDIT 1/26: The confirmands did a great job! If you would like to leave notes to be passed along to the Confirmation II class, feel free to do so in the comments section.