Galatians 1: 11-12

Paul is under attack. His authority is being challenged. Because he is attempting to be inclusive and welcome in the Gentiles, some are saying Paul's call is not legitimate. The challenge comes because unlike the disciples, Paul never knew Jesus. Unlike the disciples, he never walked with Jesus. The church he started in Galatia is buying into this. They are questioning Paul. In his defense Paul writes:

"The Gospel that was proclaimed by me is not of human origin; for I did not receive it from a human source, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ."

In other words, Paul experienced the gift of grace.

Reflecting on these two short verses started me thinking:

From whom does my authority come?

From whom does your authority come?

From whom does these confirmands authority come?

Have we received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ; an experience of grace?

If so, how would we describe this experience or revelation?

If questioned or challenged could we explain it?

Are we in some ways called to explain it every day?

Paul's revelation through Christ changed and transformed him, but it did not change his religion. He still believed in the same God. Touched by grace his understanding of God changed, as did his understanding of his relationship; both evolved.

Can we same the same?

Is our relationship with God in Christ evolving?

Is it growing deeper and stronger?

How do the realities of our lives impact our faith?

Do we allow our faith to play a role in the dialog as we address the social issues of today,

or do we soft-peddle or minimize the role of faith in the real world because holding fast

to it may cause us to take an unpopular stand?

Do we hear the call to faith as a call to be inclusive, or do we use our faith to exclude?

Today, unlike in Paul's day, the Church is established. It is an institution; one whose authority and relevance is constantly being challenged. The challenge comes in part because we have lost our identity. What makes Christianity unique has been watered down. It could be said we have lost our authority. What is that authority? How is it expressed? It is love and grace, justice and prophesy, inclusion and invitation, healing and reconciliation, hope and mercy.

Our authority is found not in what we do, but in what God does. It is found in the hope that comes as God transforms us. It is found when as a community we choose to see the world differently; recognizing it is not about maintaining an institution, nor is it about piety, or rules, or laws. It is about using the authority of God in a way that brings to life the institution known as the Church, as we seek to offer the healing grace that only God in Christ can offer. It is about being in ministry and mission in a hurting and vulnerable world.

I believe these words get at the heart of what I am saying.

Religion is not primarily a set of beliefs, a collection of prayers or a series of rituals.

Religion is first and foremost a way of seeing.

It cannot change the facts about the world we live in,

but it can change the way we see those facts,

and that in and of itself can often make a difference.

(Source unknown)

If the Church in our day has few prophetic voices to sound above the noise of the streets,

perhaps in large part it is because the pioneering spirit has become foreign to it.

The church today shows little willingness to explore new ways.

Where it does it has often been called an experiment,

but wherever the Church is true to its mission it will be experimenting,

blazing new paths, seeking how to speak the reconciling word of God to its own age.

(Patricia Ellen Ricci – Elizabeth O’Connor Series)

Today we are confirming Ryan, Maddie and Courtney. We are asking them to affirm the importance of God in Christ in their lives. We want to offer them a way to receive the revelation that Christ offers and embrace the authority of God in Christ. We talk a great deal about Confirmation being a beginning and not an ending. We also lament that too many see it is an end and not the beginning of a faith journey. The truth is all of us are called to grow in our faith. We all need to trust more fully in God's grace and use the authority that grace represents to live faithful lives. We need each other to do this. We need to allow our confirmands to do this.

The Church's authority and relevance is constantly being challenged. We cannot deny this. It does us no good to deny or lament this. Some of the challenges and criticisms are legitimate. We do lose our way. We can be irrelevant and exclusionary. After all we all fall short of the glory of God.

Remembering this opens us to the gift of grace, the revelation of Jesus Christ, as we accept for ourselves the authority that is offered to us. This authority calls us not to dominate or exclude, but to embrace and include, as we witness to our faith and offer healing, hope and reconciliation.

So let us hear the call. Let us hear the call, live the faith and discover how God's love and grace can transform us; that we might discover how to claim and proclaim the authority of grace. Amen.