Take my life

In my 20 years of ordained ministry, I have attended many Confirmation services, and brought many young people to the Bishop to be confirmed. I have great memories of those services, including the joy of seeing each young person confirm their baptismal vows before receiving the laying on of hands by the Bishop.

Also, at many of these Confirmation services, the music was just glorious, and sometimes included a hymn which I consider to be one of the best hymns ever. And that is Hymn #707 in the 1982 Hymnal written by Frances Ridley Havergal:

Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee;

Take my moments and my days, let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take my hands, and let them move at the impulse of thy love:

Take my heart, it is thine own; it shall be thy royal throne.

To me, this hymn expresses dedicating one’s life to the way of Christ, which is similar to what confirmands do when they confirm their baptismal vows, affirming their adherence to the faith of Christ and living out that faith as vibrantly as possible.

I have started Confirmation classes for youth at St. Andrew’s on October 14 and will continue through April 2019. The confirmands are being prepared through studying the Baptismal Covenant (BCP, page 304), Episcopal Church history and learning what it means to be a Christian in their church and in their communities.

Please pray for the confirmands and for the adults who will be taking part in preparing them to present themselves before the Bishop, the Church and God.  The confirmands are:  Grace Duregger, Rachel Klinger, Caitlin Knapp, Alex Rous, Vanessa Smock, Libby Wharton, and Bobby Wharton.

The Rev. Lorna H. Williams

Associate for Children and Youth