Your name: ______

CONFIRMATION 2 -- CHAPTER ONE MAKE-UP WORK

FIVE QUESTIONS TO ANSWER

This week, part of our class discussion involved water and the importance of names.

Water was extremely important to the people of the Old + New Testament. Especially in the desert, water = life. This is true here in the high desert of the Sierra as well; if we didn’t have Lake Tahoe or the Truckee River, Reno wouldn’t exist. Water was important to the Jewish people, by physically cleansing their bodies they ritually cleansed their spirits, and they believed it brought them closer to God.

Water is a symbol of life in every culture, so it makes sense that Baptism would be enacted with that element. We renewed our Baptismal Vows at the end of our session, and were sprinkled with holy water to remember our baptism.

  1. Please give one example from the Bible where water was used as death.
  2. Please give one example where it was used as life-giving.

Please look up Matthew 3: 11-17.

  1. Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist involved the same two symbols that we use today for baptism + confirmation: ______and ______.

Your parents named you when you were born, and reinforced it at your baptism. They took a great deal of time deciding this name, and it is special. Close friends and family may call you by a nickname, this is also special. Even Starbucks asks for your name and puts it on your cup, they want to make their relationship with you personal!

  1. How does it feel when someone calls you by your given name instead of a generic term?

There are many examples in the Bible where a name change signified a change of life/status/connection to God. Please look up the ones below if they are not familiar to you.

• Samuel was called by name by God in the night, and was called to deliver God’s message (1Sam. 3)

• Abram and Sarai become Abraham and Sarah - a sign of God’s new covenant with His people

• Jacob becomes Israel (Genesis 32:28)

• Simon becomes Peter (John 1:42) -- signifying the role he would play as the rock of the church

• Saul/Paul (Saul was his Jewish name; Paul was his Roman name, as he was also a Roman citizen. It was easier to talk to/be accepted by the Gentiles with his Roman name, so came to be called by that after his conversion experience.)

God calls youby name as well!

  1. You choose an additional name at Confirmation - the name of a saint to emulate, but that has meaning to you. Are there any names that you may have already thought about using as your Confirmation name?