"Thy Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" - Psalms 119:105
Shepherd of Peace Confirmation for Everyone
Shepherd of Peace Lutheran Church
203 Port Neal Rd., Sergeant Bluff, IA 51054
712-943-4502
Greetings! Welcome to this map of our upcoming journey! Confirmation is for everyone, as Holy Communion is for everyone*, as God’s Word is for everyone. God sent His Word to live among us so that we can know Him and live with Him for eternity in a perfect relationship. He loves us and wants this relationship with us. This means not only in eternity, but RIGHT NOW.
As never before, we have the Bible available in any translation or format we like, at our fingertips, free of charge. Prophets and martyrs and missionaries throughout history dreamed of this luxury—many even died for this cause. Our course of exploration will center on being in God’s Word. This means hearing what God would say through His Son by the Spirit. God’s Word is the verse on your wall art, the Bible on a shelf, the app on a device, and the site in your browser. But most importantly, God’s Word is the flesh and blood Son of the Father, Jesus Christ, God with us, the Divine Logos—the expression of God’s love and will for His blessed creation. As we will see, Jesus is not just a New Testament character. Anywhere one looks in the Bible He can be found. We see Him in the lions’ den with Daniel in 6th century B.C Babylon (6:16-24), parting the Red Sea (Exodus 14:2-29) in 1446 BC, and in the creation of all things and of time as we know it in the beginning (Genesis 1:3-27). Jesus Christ answers every question we have and tells us everything we need to know. In addition to individual verses from the Word, we will study narratives to see the entire treatment of each topic through the whole Bible. This is necessary to avoid confusion and error. Don’t worry; it will be fun and interesting! Our study will focus on the points we need to understand.
SELF STUDY—This voluntary journey is based necessarily on initiative being taken by parents and students. As we move on our journey we will learn to make time with Jesus more and more a part of our lives. Reading His Word, meditating on His words, and learning about the means of grace will help us walk in straight paths. Our cirriculum will be structured around the worship experience and how we experience God's grace in the study of Luther's 6 Chief Parts:
- The Ten Commandments
- The Apostles’ Creed
- The Lord’s Prayer
- The Sacrament of Holy Baptism
- The Sacrament of the Altar
- The Office of Keys and Confession
CLASS ATTENDANCE
tudents will meet Wednesdays at 6:00PM. Class will begin with a lesson or project including grades 5-8(5th grade welcome, not required). This will be followed Q & A and lecture material in the sanctuary with Pastor. The Creed, the Torah and the Lord’s Prayer will be examined. Assignments are to be turned in as completed. Pastor will not hunt these down.
WORSHIP: Finally, class will be completed in worship. This is where Jesus visits us with His gifts of life and forgiveness. Parents and students should experience this together.
Wednesday worship is tailored specifically to complement the lessons, adding clarity and application. Sunday services are also encouraged. We will plan field trips, do special projects, and take part in service events. This will be tricky this year. Suggestions are welcome.
SERMON/WORSHIP REPORTS
At worship, we should be tuned in and paying attention. Sermon Report forms will be available to report the liturgical season, Bible passages, topics, and other details from your worship experience. These forms should be discussed with your family and emailed/texted to pastor.
CONFIRMATION VERSE
This is the verse that will define your faith walk forever. You should find a verse that resonates with you and speaks to you. Completion of the process will require using Confirmation Verse Selection Sheets on different verses as you explore.
Work sheets will be assigned to guide students through a study of the confessions of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. These are teachings with controversy surrounding them in our culture and within the larger Church today. We will study them in depth to see how Luther gleaned his positions on these topics.
STATEMENT OF FAITH
Each student in 8th grade will spend the year assembling a paper detailing and outlining their faith. This paper needs to make the case for your confirmation. As you write, consider a skeptical audience that demands proof of your sincerity and commitment. The rite of Confirmation on pages 272-274 in the Lutheran Service Book can serve as a helpful guide.
Every lesson we have should be approached with the goal of understanding what the topic means to us personally and practically. Each of God's gifts is an important part of our faith and our worship experience. This means the paper will be in process over time as the students advance with the class. Just like the books of the Bible, each of the confessions we study points us to Jesus Christ and teaches us about him. He is the first and last, the beginning and the end. The more questions we ask, the better!
BELOW IS A ROUGH OUTLINE FOR OUR CURRICULUM:
Session 1 Matthew 22:11 & Acts 20:7
Parent Mtg History of the LCMS
Session 2 Questions for Parents
Baptism 1 Study on Colossians 4:2 - PowerPoint
Session 3 Matthew 16:19 & John 20:23
Office oKaC Confession & Absolution - PowerPoint
Session 4 Psalm 119:105 & Nehemiah 8:9
Gods Word Law & Gospel & Righteous Robes - PowerPoint
Session 5 Genesis 1:1-3 & John 1:1-5
1st Article Creation and Soul of Science
Session 6 Exodus 20 & Deuteronomy 5
The Torah The Ten Commandments
Session 7 Matthew 6:9-13 & Luke 11:1-4
Lord's Prayer 1 Prayer and Election
Session 8 Synoptics & 1 Corinthians
Lords' Supper 1 The Meaning of 'Is'
Session 9 Acts 8 & 2 Corinthians 1
Baptism 2 Benefits & Requirement)
Session 10 Mark 2:7, 4:41, & 6:2)
Office okaC Who Can Forgive Sins?
Session 11 Psalm 110 & Romans 8:1-11
2nd Article Vicarious Atonement or Propitiation?
Session 12 1 Tim 1:9-10 Rom 3:21 Ps 119:105
The Torah Three Uses of the Law
Session 13 1 Corinthians 10
Lord's Supper 2 Recognition and Food to Idols
Session 14 Matthew 28:16-20; Luke 23:39-43
Baptism 3 What about?
Session 15 Luke 10:16 and Matthew 18:18
Office okaC Christ's Authority to the Church
Session 16 Psalm 139, John 3
3rd Article Yes, I Believe in the Holy Spirit
Session 17 Job 31, 2 Samuel 12:10,13:1-19
The Torah The 6th Commandment
Session 18 Genesis 24 & Psalm 119
Lord's Prayer 2 Meditation & Prayer's Power
Session 19 Genesis 1, Exodus 2, John 3
Baptism 4 How Can Water?
Session 20 Hebrews 7 & Genesis 14
Lords' Supper 3 Bread of Heaven & Melchizedek
"Thy Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" - Psalms 119:105
Questions for Christian Parents
- What is something I do that makes you happy?
- What is something I do that makes you proud?
- What is your biggest fear for my life?
- What is your biggest hope for my life?
- What is your earliest childhood memory?
- What is your favorite childhood memory?
- What is your earliest memory of prayer to God?
- What is your earliest memory of going to Church?
- How old were you when Jesus became important to you?
- How has your relationship with Jesus altered your path in life?
- What is the best thing God has done for you?
- How has being a parent affected your relationship with God?
- Having children, what do you understand now more than before?
- What good things are happening in your life now because of your relationship with God?
- If you could talk to yourself at my age, what would you say?
- What is most important to you about my future?
- What is the hardest thing about being a parent?
- What is something I do that makes life difficult for you?
- What is something you should say to me but probably wouldn't
if pastor hadn't forced your hand with this questionnaire? - What is the best thing about being a parent?
- What is for supper?
"Thy Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" - Psalms 119:105
