Yesterday, Alan, Kjersten, and I had the opportunity to help lead confirmation classes for 13 year olds at Kopaskirkja. We had two main questions guiding our time and they were, "Did Jesus really live and how do we know?" and "Why do/did you want to be confirmed?" Now those are difficult questions to answer at any age, but I think especially challenging if you're a newly ordained teenager at 13. And yes, even in Iceland, teenagers are the same as in the US; girls giggle and draw on their notebooks and boys hit each other and just 'grunt' to answer.
So with that context in mind and with Sigi's (the pastor) help, we set off trying answer the questions ourselves and to guide the discussion with these kids. What I learned from them is just how much kids can and do think about God in this culture. Some clearly didn't want to be there on a Saturday morning and some had a deep faith, but still others questioned their faith. It could appear on the surface as a blatant dismissal, but from my perspective I found it more in depth and critical than most of the answers given. It shows me how God, even through doubt, is working. For even those few who questioned if anything with God was real, it was the questioning that proved God was indeed real.
Good and Gracious God, I thank you for the many blessed opportunities that You have given us all on the adventure through another land of Your kingdom. I pray that all of the children we met yesterday will follow the path that You have for them and that whether confirmation is included or not, they know the love of God in their lives. In Christ's name I pray, Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment