“Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us…”
Forgiveness was the topic that students and their parents wrestled with at Confirmation in December as the group continued its focus on the Lord’s Prayer. The 7th and 8th grade students began the December Confirmation mini retreat with a team building exercise where they were challenged to put the words of the Lord’s Prayer in order as fast as they could.
One of their projects for the day was to translate the Lord’s Prayer into their own words, using the Small Catechism, asking questions and coming up with words that they made sense to them. The students collaboratively came up with this prayer:
Dear God, Your name is holy. Your world comes to us. We want what you want. Give us what we need. Forgive the bad things that we did, as we forgive the people who do bad things against us. Guide us through dark times. Help us when we are in trouble. For all forms of power are yours now and forever. Peace. Amen. [mic-drop]
The students also illustrated each petition of the Lord’s Prayer. (see the gallery of artwork below…)
Then parents joined the students for the last half of Confirmation. Parents were asked the question “What do you need to forgive your son/daughter for?” “What do they need to forgive you for?”
Students were separately asked the same questions about what they needed to forgive their parents for and what do their parents need to forgive them for.
After watching and discussing several real world videos about forgiving, the group of students and parents had some in-depth conversation. “This makes the concept of forgiveness very real,” said one parent. “We need to do more things like this in church.”
What’s Coming Up in Confirmation?
Monday, Jan. 27 is a no-school day in Roseville and we’ll have a Confirmation mini retreat at church focusing on the sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion.
February 6-8 the 7th and 8th grade confirmation students have their winter retreat at Luther Point Bible Camp in Grantsburg, Wisconsin. This year’s retreat will focus on who is God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit using the Apostle’s Creed, bible stories and The Shack. The retreat will be led by Pastor Betsy, Pastor Peter and Cori Forcey, our Youth Director.