Spiritual Anchors for Young Christians

Raising a child is hard… raising a Christian child is harder.

Why? Because to live a Christian life, a person must often ZAG when the world says “Zig,” DANCE when the world says “mourn,” and ABSTAIN when the world says “indulge.” It is also hard because there are a million things to do as a parent, and you may wish to give your children the gift of a robust Christian upbringing, bills need to be paid, careers need to be managed, homework needs to get done, and you need to get them to sports, arts, and other activities.

Faith Stepping Stones is here to help YOU.

Anchored by Christ’s ordained Sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion, this program provides seven crucial anchors to connect your child more deeply to the God who claims them as His own… and help you reconnect with the life of faith when life gets you off course.

1) The Sacrament of HOLY BAPTISM

The foundation of our life with God is not that we claim Him, but that He claims us. (John 15:16) Holy Baptism is God reaching out through activity of the Church that is His body (1 Cor 12:27-28, Eph 4:15, Col 1:18) to claim an individual as His own and united them to His Son Jesus Christ. (Rom 6:3-5) It is how the God’s goodness is applied to us as individuals. It is also a spiritual protection against sin, death, and the devil; an act of spiritual warfare. If you come from a tradition that viewed Baptism as a mere human activity done in obedience to God’s command, come in and talk to the pastor about both the Biblical and historical basis for understanding Baptism as God’s activity for us… a Sacrament.

2) Spiritually Healthy Child

Building on the foundation of Holy Baptism, we offer periodic classes to help parents create a spiritually and emotionally enriching environment in which to raise their children. What simple home practices support Christian identity and healthy growing up? What aspects of a child’s upbringing are the greatest predictors for future wellbeing? When and what kind of tech exposure supports a child’s identity instead of hindering it? These are the sorts of questions this stepping stone helps answer.

3) Backpack Blessing

Going off to school is a major milestone for children; it is often the first time children are in the care of a non-family member and is usually the first time they are intentionally under the developmental and educational influence of the same. While we believe that God is the author of all Truth, not eveything presented to us by an authority figure when we leave home is true, even when it claims to be. The school backpack is a powerful symbol of leaving home for the first time, and we bring them in for our students and families to present themselves for prayer and blessings as the great adventure of life and discipleship continues!

4) First Bible

As we note elsewhere on our site, while our faith in God is founded on Jesus Christ, God’s Word become flesh (John 1:1-5, 14), the Bible is what tells us about Jesus… it is God’s Word become ink. The Bible is God’s gift to us so that we may have eternal life. Jesus said, “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (John 17:3) We come to know Jesus Christ and the true God He represents through the Bible, so we give our children a Bible so that they can come to know Jesus and the God He teaches us to call “Father.”

5) Reception of First HOLY COMMUNION (the second Sacrament)

Jesus only gave His disciples two commands involving physical objects. “Baptize,” involves water. “Do this in remembrance of me,” involves wine and bread. On the night in which He was betrayed, Jesus turned already centuries-old Jewish meal of Passover into a commemoration of the way He liberates us from the powers of sin, death, and the devil. At Baptism, parents promise to bring their children to “the services of the Lord’s house” and help them fully participate in the life of the Church, which the Bible unblushingly calls “the Body of Christ.” Fully participating means partaking in Holy Communion through which we receive “the forgiveness of sins” (Matt 26:28) for the rest of their lives, until they meet the Lord Jesus in person. We help parents and children prepare for the first time they do this.

6) Confirmation

Arising during the medieval period, confirmation became for Lutherans the first adult step of faith, the first step taken without their parent, the step whereby they became a responsible member of the Christian Church. Roughly equivalent to the Jewish bar/bat mitvah, confirmation students spend two years learning the substance of the Christian faith at a much more adult level so that they can confirm that they embrace what God has done for them in Holy Baptism–the identity they have been given in Christ. Normally, these years of preparation occur during the 7th & 8th grade years of a child’s life, culminating in their stepping up to confirm their faith in the fall of their 9th grade year.

7) Commissioning

Of course, while God values and saves us for the sake of His great love for us, He also has a mission for us. The Church used to be called “The Church Militant” because we are engaged in spiritual battle with evil–everything that opposes God’s just and loving rule over creation and His people. When someone becomes an officeer in the armed forces, they are given a commission, which literally means that they are on mission with the President of the United States. Jesus gave His Church a commission: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matt 28:18-20) This final Stepping Stone is to our young people mindful of and empowered for a life of adult discipleship, bringing their faith in Christ into play in every aspect of their adult lives.