Out and About

by Phil Johnson

Reconfirmed — Founders’ Day, Feb. 5, 1993

John Weborg was in town to preach at Founders’ Day. I might have skipped this year if it were not that John was speaking. I have been to quite a few Founders’ Day Meetings at Salem Covenant Church. I am sure I have been to at least five. In fact, I have reported on several of them in this column.

Some people may be attracted by the choir, some by the hymn singing, some by the chance to see old friends and acquaintances again, some by the speaker, and some by the offering explanation and announcements by Ted Franklin. For me, it is the last two.

Ted Franklin did not disappoint me. Over the years he has clarified the need for the offering, which is to replenish the coffers of the Twin Cities Ministers Association to help toward covering their obligations and ministries. In the past he has told us that, among other things, the offering helps cover for some of the brothers and sisters who are delinquent in their dues. On this evening, he told us of the IRS man who stopped by to ask the pastor, “Did Sven really contribute $5000 to your church?” The pastor responded, “No, but he will. He will.” Maybe you have to be there to appreciate Ted’s touch. It has been a highlight for me.

John Weborg did not disappoint me either. Luther had the ability to get the hay down where the goats could get it. Wild though he was, when it came to the practical basics he was no-nonsense. He urged pastors to teach the creed, the Lord’s prayer, and the ten commandments and forget all the fancy stuff. John, like Luther, is capable of plenty of fancy stuff and John is a no-nonsense person, as well.

For example, at specified points during the sermon, John had us recite an article of the creed and read Luther’s explanation together. If you haven’t read Luther’s explanations lately, you may have forgotten, as I had, how earthy and basic they are.

Afterward, one friend said to a group of us, “We should have had John Weborg for confirmation.” I said, “I don’t think we covered Luther’s catechism in my confirmation.” But then, I realized that I might be wrong. We did have to memorize some answers to questions which I can no longer remember. My still dear friend, George Wold, was our pastor. Though we were a most unpromising crew, George plugged away with us.

The purpose of confirmation in our church was to take advantage of a special opportunity to teach us about the Bible and the Christian faith. It was not to confirm our baptism, because few, if any, of us had been baptized yet. I got baptized later. From a traditional sacramental point of view, these rites were done out of order.

This could be a source of personal theological confusion, but I don’t think it made much difference. Everything worked out fine and I now have the bases covered — in each instance by my own choice. I suppose, though, that confirmation was not much of a choice. Baptism was a choice. My folks and pastor were committed to personal choice in that, but I doubt I would have been successful should I have chosen not to go through confirmation. Mother would have said, “You must go,” my Dad would have backed her up, and that would have been it.

As an alternative, perhaps, my friend Reuben and I were intentionally late by a half-hour to 45 minutes every Saturday morning. In the spring, we rode our bikes from the Falls to Holler, along Highway 53 most of the way. The Falls is a pretty flat town, so even a small hill was a lot of fun. Both Reuben and I were very good on bikes. I think Reuben was a little better than I. Though we were a bit competitive about it, it did not make any difference in our relationship or get in the way of having fun.

Anyway, half-way to church (about a mile ride) there was a rock big enough to be a hill. Some folks had criss-crossed it with two paths. Up and down we rode until we knew we were plenty late. Then off we would go to catch the last few minutes of confirmation. To our knowledge, George never told our parents. He was always kind and more than fair with us, and a very dependable friend.

You can see that confirmation was a significant experience for me, but it was so without any lasting knowledge of Luther’s Catechism. Thanks to John Weborg, the gap has been filled.