One question I get almost yearly is why do the confirmation students have to do the questions and answers? There are a whole host of answers to this. One answer, which is by no means least, is I had to do it and I imagine if you grew up Lutheran, you did too. The power of tradition, the idea of a rite of passage, is a powerful identity idea. Where would we be as a people if we had none of these identity markers? And our hope is that when these confirmation students grow up they will demand the same rite of passage for their children.

But there are of course other answers. One, which is again not a small reason, is a little fear is good. We have to have a little bit of pressure in life so that we take things seriously. This is the same reason we receive tests at school. It would be wonderful if we could just hand out text books to students and they read them and we all go on our merry way. But we believe in human sinful nature. We believe that people will naturally put things off in life. But like with tests at school, projects at work, and questions and answers for confirmation, these are fixed dates in life that make us take the work seriously and strive to do our best.

Another is we don't think we are called to be individual Christians. We 1hink as soon as we are Christians we are called to be in community. This is why the questions and answers are in public. The comrnunity, the church of all believers, actually cares about these young Christians and. cares that they are ready and able to make an adult confession of faith. These are not minor things but instead the foundation stones of Christian faith throughout life and throughout time. Another is this is what Jesus did. Remember that account in the Gospel of Luke where Jesus was in the temple. Jesus was about twelve years old.

Answering questions put to him by teachers and elders of the church. And Jesus went to the temple likely almost every year of His life and so why now does He have this questioning of teachers and elders of the church? He too was that age where He was entering into the adult phase of his life. He was stepping from childhood into adolescence or the beginning stage of being an adult in the church. And so too like Christ we still are concerned that young people are able at this time to give a clear statement or account of what they believe. For from this time forward they will have to in some way continue to do this for the rest of their lives. And often the most gracious crowd one faces in one's life is the crowd on confirmation Sunday. For that crowd is all the family of God who is deeply rooting for each and every confirmation student.

And lastly in the Lutheran church we have been, ever since the Reformation, deeply concerned with having an educated church body. Now I don't mean having a church body with upper level degrees. (Though if you have one of those, wonderful). What the Lutheran church has been concerned with is people are able to access their bibles, understand that Jesus is the center of our personal faith, and be able to clearly articulate that Jesus and His grace truly is the center of the Faith. It was the reason why Luther translated the bible into the corrrmon language of the people. It is the reason why we still translate Lutheran works today. It was one of the reasons why our first missionaries who were sent to the Native Americans where linguists who could translate Luther's small catechism into the native tongues of the tribes. It is one of the reasons why wherever Lutheranisrn has gone, schools, teachers, universities and seminaries have soon followed. We believe in the importance of education. We believe in the importance of every single member being able to understand what we believe and to confess it. And so questions and answers is not an anomaly in the Lutheran church it is actually the place where the entire educational focus of the church throughout all ages rises to the surface in such a way that indeed all can see what we have been concerned with all along.

And so let us rejoice in the questions and answers on confirmation Sunday. Let us support our confirmation students. And let us all rejoice and take part in the education of the church whatever age we may be.
The peace of Christ be with you always. Amen.