Confessions

1. Confessions The Ninth and Tenth Commandments

2. WORSHIP • L Holy God, holy and mighty, holy and immortal, • C have mercy and hear us. Our Father, who art in heaven, • hallowed be thy name, • thy kingdom come, • thy will be done, • on earth as it is in heaven. • Give us this day our daily bread; • and forgive us our trespasses, • as we forgive those who trespass against us; • and lead us not into temptation, • but deliver us from evil. • For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, • forever and ever. Amen

3. Worship - 2 • C . I believe in God, the Father almighty, • creator of heaven and earth. • I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. • He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit • and born of the virgin Mary. • He suffered under Pontius Pilate, • was crucified, died, and was buried. • He descended into hell. • On the third day he rose again. • He ascended into heaven, • and is seated at the right hand of the Father. • He will come again to judge the living and the dead. • I believe in the Holy Spirit, • the holy catholic Church, • the communion of saints, • the forgiveness of sins, • the resurrection of the body, • and the life everlasting. Amen

4. Worship - 3 • L Show us your mercy, O Lord, • C and grant us your salvation. • L Clothe your ministers with righteousness. • C Let your people sing with joy. • L Give peace, O Lord, in all the world; • C for only in you can we live in safety. • L Lord, keep this nation under your care, • C and guide us in the way of justice and truth. • L Let your way be known upon earth; • C your saving health among all nations. • L Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten, • C nor the hope of the poor be taken away. • L Create in us clean hearts, O God, • C and sustain us with your Holy Spirit. • L The Lord be with you. • C And also with you.

5. Worship - 4 • L We give thanks to you, heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ your dear Son, • that you have this day so graciously protected us. • We beg you to forgive us all our sins and the wrong which we have done. • By your great mercy defend us from all the perils and dangers of this night. • Into your hands we commend our bodies and souls, and all that is ours. • Let your holy angels have charge of us, that the wicked one have no power over us. • C Amen • L Let us bless the Lord. • C Thanks be to God. • L The + Lord bless us, defend us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life. • C Amen

6. Experience • Role play: • Person 1: There has been a death in the family and you have inherited the family house, complete with AV room, indoor swimming pool, horse barn, etc. etc. • Person 2: You thought you were going to inherit this family house. Try to convince Person 1 to give it to you.

7. Discussion & reflection: • The Ninth and Tenth Commandments: You must not covet. (Remember to take notes on every slide!) • Q. What does this mean? • A. (9) We are to fear and love God, so that we do not try to trick our neighbors out of their inheritance or property or try to get it for ourselves by claiming to have a legal right to it and the like, but instead be of help and service to them in keeping what is theirs. • (10) We are to fear and love God, so that we don't entice, force, or steal away from our neighbor their spouses, workers, or livestock, but instead urge them to stay and remain loyal to our neighbors.

8. Discussion & reflection: • Exodus 20:17 "You shall not covetyour neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s." (ESV), • Deuteronomy5: 21"'And you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. And you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field, or his male servant, or his female servant, his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.' (ESV)

9. Discussion & reflection: • Coveting is more than wishful thinking. • If we go by a beautiful house and think, “I wonder what it would be like to live there.” that isn’t coveting. • Imagine you are married. If you really like and want to spend more and more time with someone else’s spouse, now you are coveting!

10. Discussion & reflection: • Because you are baptized, you belong to Jesus…lock, stock and barrel! • But if you leave the church because • you are too busy, • you don’t think church is important enough, • you have a hard time getting up on Sunday morning, • it is because you coveted and have found a new love, something that is more important than Christ and His Church.

11. Discussion & reflection: • 1. What is the term for someone who says/witnesses to one thing and does another? • Sirach 1:29 Be not a hypocrite in the sight of men, and take good heed what you say. • Sirach 32:15 The one who seeks the law will be filled with it, but the hypocrite will stumble at it. 16 Those who fear the Lord will form true judgments, and they will kindle righteous deeds like a light. 17 The sinner will shun correction, and will prefer a decision according to his liking.

12. Discussion & reflection: • Hypocrite! This term applies to all of us, because we claim to love everyone whom Jesus loves, and in reality, we seem to love ourselves best and our favorites a little worse than us. • Wanting, even wishing for something that belongs to our neighbor is a sign of our spiritual disease. • Failure to help others keep what is rightfully theirs is the flip side of this same spiritual disease.

13. Discussion & reflection: • And yet we call ourselves good people. • Someone once told me they wouldn’t come to church because of all the hypocrites there. “Always room for one more!” was my reply. • We call ourselves good, yet we are also envious of other’s possession, looks, abilities, friends, grades, personality....... How are you a hypocrite?

14. Discussion & reflection: • 2. One of the saddest scenes that I am forced to witness every year is not the death of one of our saints in the church • but the claim/confession of faith and faithfulness by a confirmand who has no intention of living according to his/her confession, • marked by immediate and profound absence from life in the community of Christ, • Preferring a new love, a greater love for someone, something else. Remember, we belong to Jesus!

15. Discussion & reflection: • I want to be your friend, so I am warning you about the future. • Every year one or more of each confirmation class will seemingly turn their backs on the class, the Church of Jesus Christ and on Christ Jesus himself. • Not that we are called to judge. • But what are the rest of us still here to think of those who don’t love us enough to spend some time with us in prayer, study and mission? • I warn you know because I am your neighbor and I would rather err on the side of grace. • Prove me wrong! Are you also going to turn your back on Christ and Church? What does it mean to be faithful to Christ and Church?

16. Discussion & reflection: • 3. What is going to be the barrier between you and Jesus, if any, after the Rite of Confirmation? • I know a number of things are working against your faithfulness. • First is the stage of your brain’s formation, where your peer group forms reality. • Some or many of your friends will not be faithful which will influence you whether you want to be faithful or not.

17. Discussion & reflection: • Second, you can’t drive yet and your parents may not be helpful to your joining us in prayer, study and mission. • And by the time you can drive you will be too embarrassed to come back because you will value your pride more than your relationship with Christ and us. • What is going to hold you close to church and ministry? • When are you going to love Jesus Christ with all your heart and mind, soul and strength?