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Saturday, March 31, 2012

Georgia A. on Baptism

Baptism

Confirmation class of 2012

“Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Mark 16:16

Baptism. It means to apply water by immersing, washing, and pouring. For most Christians it means having your sins washed away forever. You are accepted by God and he will always love you. Being baptized is a special occasion? and will likely guide you in your faith throughout your life. Three blessings are received by baptism.

The first blessing is forgiveness of sins. The truth is, everybody sins. We are by nature sinful beings and it is impossible for us to never sin. It cannot prevent us from sinning, but it forgives them so we can be right with God. We should also routinely repent or sins and thank God for what he has given to us. That is why baptism is so crucial as a Christian.

“Repent and be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.” Acts 2:38

The second is resurrection from death and the devil. In this blessing we get the comfort of knowing that we will go to heaven and be with God there. It is very important and also a comforting thought for people to believe.

”He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption , the forgiveness of sins.” Col. 1:13-14

The third and final blessing is eternal salvation. It means that we will always exist with God and never perish if we believe in Him and all he stands for.

“He saved us through the the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” Titus 3:5

Most people are baptized as babies. Why? As Christians we want to be baptized as soon as possible so we can start receiving all the wonderful blessings it gives. Babies can have faith and are included in people and need to be baptized.

“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” Mark 28:19

When Christians are baptized they almost always have sponsors. Sponsors are witnesses to the baptism. They pray for the person being baptized and guide them in their faith.

“Every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.” Matt. 18:16

Baptism indicates that we should try to not sin despite our evil nature by being sorry for our sins and repent of them with faith.

“Put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts.” Eph. 4:22

The important words, “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” are regularly remembered in Baptism ceremonies. They are known as the Trinitarian Invocation. It is usually said with the sign of the cross. When we say these words we are confessing and remembering before heaven and earth everything that we a have received from baptism.

“When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” Luke 3:21-22

As I explained above, baptism is important and meaningful. You truly receive some of the most important elements of the Christian faith; forgiveness of sins, resurrection from death and the devil, and eternal salvation. I hope I have represented all the things which baptism offers justly and correctly.

Trey H on the Lord’s Prayer

The Lord’s Prayer is not a prayer to be just said but is meant to be focused on what the words mean and believe their meaning in my heart. When asked why I should pray, I know that God wants us to be close to Him at all times and will hear my prayers and answer them. He wants me to pray together with others in His name and in private by myself. Matthew 6:5-8 says that when you pray you should pray in your room with the door closed and you will be rewarded by Him answering your prayers as His will and as He knows best. Jesus taught the disciples to pray and has taught me to pray the Lord’s Prayer.

First He invites me to believe He is our Father and we are His children and I may ask Him anything without being afraid. In the first petition “Hallowed be Thy name” I ask God to protect me from anyone who leads me away from God’s Holy Word.

The Second Petition tells me that because I believe in Him I will go to heaven and live with Him forever and that I should lead a pure and holy life here on earth. He is the king of power and is king of all things because he rules over all.

As I pray “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”, I understand that He is protecting me from the devil, the world, and our sinful nature. As well, He will help me be strong and firm in His Word until I die. We pray for ourselves that God’s will, will be done. He wants me to repent and believe in Him.

Next we ask “Give us this day our daily bread,” meaning that He will provide for all my needs to satisfy my body and my soul.

I know that I sin every day and deserve nothing but punishment but in the fifth petition, we ask that God wouldn't hold our sins against us or because of our sins that he won't refuse to hear our prayer. I in turn will gladly forgive and do good to those who sin against me.

God leads us away from temptation and guards us from being tempted by the devil, the world, and our sinful nature. We need God to keep us from being attacked by these things and pray that we can defeat these temptations and win.

We pray “But deliver us from evil.” This means when our last hour comes he will take us from this sinful world to himself in heaven. We will live with him for eternity.

Kingdom is also known as heaven. Power means he rules over us. Forever and ever means we will live with him in heaven forever and ever. I will remember for the rest of my life to pray the way God taught me to. In Matthew 7:7 I will remember “ Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

Ethan K on the First Table of the 10 Commandments

The First Table of the Ten Commandments

The first table of the Ten Commandments includes the first, second, and third commandments. All of the Ten Commandments tell you what you are to do and what not to do.

The first commandment: You shall have no other gods. What does this mean? We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.

You should fear God. God decides if you’re going to have eternal life. You should love God. God created us, and loves us more than anyone could love.

And you should trust God. Trust that God will make the right decisions in and for your life. This commandment doesn’t just mean you shouldn’t worship false gods. It also means that you shouldn’t want or need things more than you need God. For example, not going to church because you’re about to beat a videogame, got to a good part in a movie, or if you just feel like sleeping in that day.

The second commandment: You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God. In summary this means, we should not swear, curse, or lie in his name. We should not use his name in useless ways. We should use his name only in prayer and when we are in trouble. In this commandment God forbids us to misuse his name by saying something like,”Oh my God.” This phrase has no meaning to it at all. This commandment doesn’t say that we can never use God’s name. We can use his name while praying or telling people about his word.

The third commandment: Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. In summary this means we should not despise or hate God’s word but honor it and use it in holy ways.

Most people think that Sunday is the required day of Sabbath, but God never set aside any particular day to be the day of rest. If we don’t like going to church or despise its teachings we are disobeying the third commandment.

These first three commandments are about God, his name, and his word, and how we should keep them holy. It is impossible for anyone not to sin, but God is forgiving. If we repent we will be saved. Knowing these commandments help you later in life because you will know what to do and what not to do. Following all of the commandments will help you earn God’s salvation because you are following his rules and following his rules will give you eternal salvation in Heaven.

Kam P on the Second Article of the Apostles’ Creed

Second Article

This article speaks about Jesus Christ, who he is, and what works he has done. He was born as a baby to the Virgin Mary. He was brought as a savior of the world. He was crucified, died, and was buried. On the third day he rose from the dead and went to be with God, The Father Almighty. He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead.

The second article tells us about Jesus which means “the Lord saves.” Christ means “the Anointed.” The Holy Spirit anointed Christ to be our prophet, priest, and king throughout eternity. Jesus lived and overcame death to save us from our sins.

The Second Article means when I confess, “I believe in Jesus Christ” that I know and trust in Jesus Christ as my only savior from sin, death, and the power of the devil. I also know that he gives eternal life to those who believe. Jesus is true God and true man given to us from our Father from heaven.

This leads me to Jesus and his salvation. I know that he has forgiven all of my sins and freed me from those sins. I know that on the last day God will come again with all his glory so that I will live with him for eternity.

It is valuable to me that Christ ascended to heaven and sits at the right hand of God our Father. It is comforting to know that he has paid the price of our sins by living and dying on the cross. One day all believers will be living with God our Father in heaven.

CreeAnn P. on the Sacrament of the Altar

The Sacrament of the Altar

The Sacrament of the Altar is the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. The benefits of the Sacrament are, forgiveness of sins, salvation, and life in Heaven when we die. Anyone who does not believe in the Sacrament is unworthy and unprepared for when Jesus comes again. Our Lord Jesus Christ instituted the Sacrament himself at the Lord’s Supper.

The Sacrament is also called The Lord’s Supper, The Lord’s Table, and Holy Communion, the Breaking of the Bread, The Blessed Sacrament, and The Eucharist. Eucharist comes from the Greek words “giving thanks or thanksgiving”. The Lord Jesus Christ gave thanks at this supper before he was betrayed.

Jesus Christ, who is true God, and true man, instituted this Sacrament. We speak of the “Sacrament of the Altar” because an altar is a place where things were sacrificed. In the Sacrament Jesus gives us His own body and blood for the forgiveness of our sins.

The holy Evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke, and St. Paul wrote: Our Lord Jesus Christ on the night when he was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to the disciples and said: “Take, eat; this is my body, which is given for us for the forgiveness of all our sins, This do in remembrance of Me.”

Jesus’ crucifixion is important to me because it means all my sins are forgiven, I will go to Heaven and I am safe from the Devil, but not his temptation, except for in Heaven.

We drink Jesus’ blood and eat his body in remembrance of Him, and his Sacrament. And during Lent we have Communion every Sunday and any other time we only have it on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Sunday on the months that have 5 Sunday’s. The visible elements in the Sacrament are bread and wine. “The Fruit of the Vine” in the Bible means wine, not grape juice. The bread and wine in the Sacrament are Christ’s blood and body not just regular food and drink.

Throughout my Confirmation classes I have learned that you have to work to get confirmed and to receive Communion. I did have a good time reading about, and memorizing things in the Bible and in the small Catechism. And I also learned that the wine in Communion doesn’t taste that great. Also, that there is a lot more information in the Bible and Catechism than I had thought before I went to Confirmation classes.

The Sacrament depends on Christ’s Word not on our faith. The Sacrament, Christ gives victory over sin, hell, and gives strength for the new life in Him.

Because of this I now feel that I am closer to God and that I know Him more.