Blessings in Preparation

I spent yesterday couched over my desk getting writer’s cramp preparing for the confirmation and reception of twelve young people into the church this Sunday. It’s a holy task I don’t take lightly. For each of the confirmands, I sign a certificate of confirmation, write a personal note of encouragement in their Bible, and sign a handcrafted wooden fish. It’s a tradition that has grown with me through the years—part symbol, part keepsake, but fully a testimony to the Gospel we share.

The fish itself comes from my very first pastoral assignment on the Timblin Charge. I asked a woodworking friend at Porter United Methodist Church if he could make something tangible to give new members—a sign of their faith and their welcome into the body of Christ. With quiet skill and humble reverence, he took scrap wood and fashioned the first fish. I used India ink to carefully write each name and blessing, and thus a tradition was born—one that’s followed me from one appointment to the next.

The fish is no random shape—it’s one of the earliest Christian symbols. In Greek, the word for fish is ἰχθύς (ichthys), and early Christians used the letters of this word as an acronym:
Ι – Ἰησοῦς (Iēsous) – Jesus
Χ – Χριστός (Christos) – Christ
Θ – Θεοῦ (Theou) – of God
Υ – Υἱός (Huios) – Son
Σ – Σωτήρ (Sōtēr) – Savior

So the fish, discreetly drawn on walls or etched on doorways, meant far more than a simple creature of the sea. It boldly yet secretly declared the foundational confession of the Christian faith: Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior.

I’ve been blessed to carry this tradition forward, first at Lakeside United Methodist Church and now at St. Marys Methodist Church. Over the years, the tools have improved, the craftsmanship has grown more refined, and the designs of the fish have become more sophisticated. But the heart of the tradition remains unchanged. At the core is a simple, powerful truth: Jesus, the Son of God, laid down His life that He might be our Savior.

God loved us long before we ever knew it. He sent Jesus for us—before we could ask, before we could understand. The joy of confirmation is that we get to celebrate twelve young people who are now saying yes to that love. They are standing before God and this congregation to say, “I believe Jesus really is God’s Son and my Savior. I know He loved me before I knew Him, and today, I choose to love Him back.”

Having given out hundreds of those wooden fish through the years, my hope today is that many more will come and say yes to Jesus. If you have already said yes, may this story bring you joy and remind you to pause and say thank you for your blessings. And if you have never said yes to Jesus, I hope this is the day you’ll trust Him as your Savior. Because God really loves you—and God wants you to love Him back.

Until next time… Grace and peace.