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THE RITE AND THEOLOGY OF CONFIRMATION

Worship
Acts 8:14-17
William J. Rauch
THE CHURCH IN CELEBRATION ...
Does the above portion of Scripture describe a sacrament? Protestants have said "No," while Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox have said, "Yes." Protestants feel that this Scripture passage describes a unique occurrence in the early church not found in later times. Furthermore, there is no direct command from Jesus (or even from the apostles) to repeat in the church this practice of laying-on-of-hands for the Holy Spirit. In fact, even Catholic scholars agree that confirmation was found in the early church in the form of the sealing prayer given at baptism.
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Object: This is a role play activity for the children. You will want a container of some kind of treat to give to all of the children.

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* * *

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The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:
Jesus knew the importance of humility and used a banquet to teach people about it. As we feast on him today, let us make sure we come to him with unassuming spirits.

Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, sometimes we are unaware of our own arrogance.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes we spot other people's haughtiness but fail to recognise it in ourselves.
Christ, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes we are so humble that we become victims of inverted pride.
Lord, have mercy.

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Stephen P. McCutchan
Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.
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Verse 10 rehearses what was, and is, the most basic confession of faith for followers of the Lord. God speaks and says, "I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth and I will fill it."

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There are three words I hope you will take home from church today. The words are "Only The Lonely." As you think about these words, the assurances of God's Word will comfort and strengthen you. But I'm getting ahead of my story. Before we get to these three words, we need to look at the full text of Luke 14:1, 7-14. That involves looking at three other words: humility, hospitality, and hope.

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In this be confident: that the grace of God is active enough to forgive, and the love of God is powerful enough to transform.

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