Confirmation and Punchinello

Confirmation Sermon:

Read out You Are Special by Max Lucado…

See Resources Pack 85 (Possibilty of OHP slides as the story is read.)

I WONDER WHAT WAS THE BEST PART OF THAT STORY FOR YOU?

Punchinello had been made to feel unloved and unimportant by his peers, he was confused and unhappy and now he looked for answers to his maker. The best part of this story for me, was when Eli the woodcarver placed his hand upon Punchinello’s head…

“Me, special?” said Punchinello “Why? I’m not very talented and my paint is peeling. Why do I matter to you?”

Eli spoke very slowly.

“Because you’re mine. That’s why you matter to me!”

Confirmation is for me that moment when hands are laid upon a person who is pledging their whole life to God.

Not only is God saying,

“You’re mine…” at that moment… the candidate is also declaring…

“I’m yours!”

It’s a very special moment.

From that moment on, it really doesn’t matter what other people think of us, it’s what God thinks of us that’s important. He knows our hearts, he knows our thinking and why we do what we do!.

For at confirmation we enter into a relationship that hopefully will grow over the years and deepen.

We won’t need stars from other people like Punchinello did, to affirm what we do, we won’t need their praise.

It won’t matter if others don’t understand our motives as we try to serve God in the way he leads us. Others may even try to stick a few negative dots on us.

But what ultimately matters is that God loves us,and appreciates us;  he will be with us, He will lead and guide us in all we do.

We also become part of God’s family. And we will seek to imitate our Father, his nature and character as shown to us through his son Jesus.

We will seek to feed the hungry, give the thirsty something to drink; we will welcome strangers, and attempt to clothe those who have nothing.; we will take care of the sick and reach out to anyone who has made a prison for themselves…not because we must but because we want to for His sake.

As in the gospel reading, Matthew 25 31-46; this is how God will know his own.

During our service this evening, there will be a chance for us all to pledge ourselves afresh to God and his purposes for our lives and for the life of our church.

Let us pray that this will be a very special evening for us all.