by Justin Ross

Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervitisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist ans lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae.  The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm.  Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

On November 5th and 6th we held confirmation for all teenagers who were interested in becoming a member of the church or learning more about the Christian faith.  The purpose of confirmation was to get just the first and last letters of the faith in the right place.  What are the first and last letters of the Christian faith?  They are found in The Shema:

“Hear O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all of your strength.  And love your neighbor as yourself.”

The first letter is to love the Lord with all of your heart, and the last letter is to love your neighbor as yourself.  As illustrated above, the only important thing is that the first and last letters of our faith be in the right place.  Through the rest of our lives as we seek, study and learn more about God, the rest of the letters may not always be exactly correct.  This is because none of us have God completely figured out; but as long as we have the first and last letters in the right place we are fulfilling the calling of The Shema.

Along this journey of confirmation, we covered a wide range of topics.  We learned about the Presbyterian Church, its history, its polity, and how the church works for peace, justice, and human fulfillment in the world.  We discussed the structure of the church, got to know the constitution, looked at world missions, learned about the Christian calendar and how it affects our worship here, and explored what it means to demonstrate a new quality of life.  In the midst of all of that, we learned the specific purpose of the 4 gospels, and got an overview of the entire Bible.  When we added in discussing the Lordship of Jesus, you can see we had a full couple of days.

I am really proud of the 6 students who journeyed with us through confirmation and have been accepted by the Session into the membership of the church.  The statements of faith they developed leave no question as to the position of the first and last letters of their faith.  If you have not congratulated them, please do.  The future of Whidbey Presbyterian Church is strong and is in good hands.  Thanks be to God! 

“The first letter is to love the Lord with all of your heart, and the last letter is to love your neighbor as yourself.  As illustrated above, the only important thing is that the first and last letters of our faith be in the right place. ”