Legacy of Faith Training
As some of you may know, I have some controversial opinions and feelings toward Confirmation. Not necessarily the Rite, but the Process and the way we treat it. For years, we’ve treated the process of Confirmation as the only time we tend to teach our kids the catechism, or any Bible stories for that matter.
I have absolutely loved the influx of baby Baptisms over the last few months, and I’m excited to watch all of these little ones grow and develop in their faith. A few weeks ago, Lydia wrote in her blog about Deuteronomy 6:6-9 about how we are to continue to share the story of God’s people, His statutes and make it a part of our everyday life.
As parents, we promise to teach our kids the faith they received in Baptism, because it’s the faith we received, and it’s what we publicly profess during the Rite of Confirmation. It becomes a legacy when we pass it from one generation to the next. It is great to have people older than us with that same confession of Truth that continue to share it down the lines of the generations. This is why I try not to skip the genealogies when it comes to Genesis, Numbers, Chronicles, Matthew, Luke and all the other times we have a list of “begats” that show the numbers of generations. I see how the promise (and most of the time the faith in) of Christ was passed down, and each person was named. We get to pass that same faith on to the next generation.
This week, our Epistle reading is from 2 Timothy 1:1-10, but I’d like to focus on verses 3–7…
“I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. For this reason, I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
This section is pretty fantastic as we look at the Legacy of Faith that we pass on. I love how Paul emphasizes the line of succession and the sincerity of passing on the faith to the next generation. This is something that has happened to me, and you, and hopefully your children too!
Some of my favorite memories as a child are of my Grandma Evalene (pictured with me and Linda at our wedding in 2015) sharing Bible stories with me and my siblings, and how she would continually pray for me as I was getting older. She would always challenge me to think about my faith and grow in my trust for the Lord. Even to the point of her last days, she was an encourager to the end. We prayed, shared scriptures, and sung hymns together and she reminded me of the faith mentioned in Philemon. Thanks to Grandma, my parents and countless others sharing God’s love for me and the forgiveness we received from Jesus, I am now here to pass this on to you. As my girls get older, and my son is born soon, I look forward to you being the same kind of encouragement and sharing God’s love with the next generation.
Who were the people who were influential in your faith life?
Who are you talking to about their faith?
What are your favorite memories about growing in your faith?
In Christ,
Josh Cromley
Director of NexGen Ministries
