2016-07-27

In the Lutheran Church, adolescents go through Confirmation, which is a period of spiritual study followed by a public profession of our faith. Confirmation is a young Lutheran's opportunity to examine what her faith means, consider where it has taken her, and finally confirm who she is because of it by publicly taking vows. Confirmation Day marks a spiritual coming of age.

This is how I see my life: a series of Confirmations. Each new experience is a new opportunity to examine who I am, to honor God's presence in my life, to confirm that I am committed to my path. And each new Confirmation calls for a ritual that gives me no choice but to look upon these new experiences with reverence . . . a ceremony that reminds me to see God standing beside me.

This is why I need to wear an oversized t-shirt and drink root beer tonight. So I can notice where I am. So I can confirm both my understanding and my confusion. And so I can bring myself back to the center, where I will see God sitting beside me, guiding me through this and on to the next true thing.

Ritual

First, I will clear the space that surrounds us.
I set aside the clutter of my day
so the chaos does not obstruct my view of You.

Then, I will clear myself.
I breathe out the weight of my ego
so my heart is opened to you.

Then, I will open my eyes.
I find you at my side,
waiting for my frantic mind to settle finally on You.

Now we meet,
joined in the sacred ceremony of our routine,
in the quiet motions that tell my wild heart
it's time to be still . . .
in this moment I am with You
and nowhere else.

-Abigail Wurdeman


 

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