Start at the Very Beginning

27 Oct 2023 • Articles

"Who made God?" "If God made the world and said it was good, how did suffering start?" "Who was Jesus Christ, is he still alive, where is he now?"

These are some of the questions which people often ask when they are preparing to be baptised or confirmed. Asking questions is good and always to be encouraged: sometimes a question has no certain answer, and sometimes the answer needs a lot of thought, but the discussion prompted by an enquiring mind deepens everyone's understanding and helps us to know God better.

Baptism has been the sign and symbol of becoming a member of the Christian Church since the time of Jesus. Christian parents naturally want their children to be baptised as soon as possible after they are born, receiving the blessings of God's grace, and they choose godparents to help them to pray for the children and bring them up with real faith in God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Later, if the young people's thinking has been stimulated by the adults around them, they will have lots of questions and one answer will usually prompt a dozen more to ponder.

A confirmation course is a good time for asking questions. "No experience is necessary," as they say, and churches welcome enquiries from people who may not yet have much knowledge or even much certainty about faith. It is a journey of exploration, starting where you are now and leading along whichever path is relevant.

One thing is certain: God is relevant to the modern world and he cares about it, just as in the beginning. So if you have any questions, bring them to church!

May God bless you, wherever you are in your Christian journey,

Ann