Confirmation

Today held a visit from our diocesan bishop, Dorsey Henderson, who preached, confirmed two young people (all three are pictured below) and presided at the Eucharist. We gathered in our regular three-week cycle of worship at Grace Church in Ridge Spring. It was a place abuzz for the occasion.

With little space to spare, the parish hall taken over for the post-worship luncheon and the choir rehearsing in the nave, the bishop's conversation with the confirmands, their parents and sponsors took place in the very comfortable living room of a parishioner in her home situated across the street from the church building.

It was a day of vitality and purpose. I came away thinking about the word of the day, confirmation, and the fact that, in actuality, much was confirmed this morning: first and foremost, two young people confirmed the promises made for them at their respective baptisms. Beyond that, however, I could see love parent-to-child and vice versa on the faces I watched during the liturgy; a committed bishop reconnected with people he doesn't know very well; the faithful went out of their way to make the day memorable, not only for the two confirmands, but for visitors of which we had a number, and for Bishop Henderson. Confirmations all -- to community, to family, to the faith as it's understood in that place, to the Episcopal Church. A day of vitality and purpose, a day of blessing.