Dear Confirmand,
Far be it from me to tell you exactly what to write in a thank you card for a confirmation gift or card that you’ll receive. There’s no rigid formula and no specific rule that you’re expected to follow.
However, I have a few thoughts to consider as you write your confirmation thank you cards:
- Realize who gave you the card or gift
I’m not talking about addressing your confirmation thank you card to the right person—though that’s important too—I’m talking about the fact that whoever gave you a card or gift for your confirmation is your family. Maybe this person isn’t related to you by flesh and blood, but just like you, this is a fellow member of God’s family.
Write each card as though you were writing to a dearly loved family member—which you are!
- Realize what you’ve been given—and why
By definition, gifts aren’t earned or deserved. No one has to give you anything. (You know from catechism class that forgiveness, life, and heaven are ours—not because of what we’ve done but because of what Jesus has done for us!)
In a similar sense, whatever you’ve received for your confirmation day was freely given. (No one forced people to give gifts to you—then they wouldn’t be gifts!) Are some of those gifts “more” or “less” than others? I’d encourage you not to think about gifts that way. Instead, remember that whether great or small, those gifts were freely given to you by family members because they wanted to.
Then what makes people—some whom you’ve never even talked to before—want to give you confirmation gifts? Love. First John 4:19 says, “We love because he first loved us.” The love that God has for us, his children, creates love in our hearts for our fellow family members. At your confirmation, one of the ways for your brothers and sisters in Christ to show their love for you is by giving you . . . gifts!
Write each card with genuine love for the gift you’ve been given.
- Realize that the real gift you’ve been given goes far beyond the card or gift
Things don’t last. You know that already. You spend money, and it’s gone just like that. Jewelry tarnishes and decorations get broken. The real confirmation gifts that you’ve been given are the words written in the cards themselves—comforting Bible verses printed on the front and inside and handwritten thoughtful encouragements from fellow believers in Jesus.
Don’t brush past those words. Hold on to them. They’re the real gifts because they’re a reminder: Dear Confirmand, you are not alone.
You have a family who loves you at your church. A family who is praying for you; a family who is here for you. A family who is encouraging you to stay rooted in God’s Word and grow in your faith. (And you have opportunities to do the same for them—because they need you too!) That means something.
But more than reminding you of your relationship with your church family, those words are a powerful reminder that you have a God who loves you so much that he gave up everything—including his own Son—so that you could be with him in heaven. That means everything.
Write each card with heartfelt thankfulness for the encouragement from your church family.
Dear Confirmand, keep those three things in mind as you write your confirmation thank you cards, and you’ll do just fine.
Your brother in Christ,
Alex Brown
Alex Brown is the marketing and content copywriter at Northwestern Publishing House. He has his Master of Divinity degree from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and enjoys reading, writing, and spending time in God’s creation.