Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again! Alleluia. Amen.
Acts 1:8
You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Dear friends in Christ, especially you, the 2017 Confirmation Class:
The verse chosen as your class confirmation verse contains some of the last words Jesus spoke before he ascended into heaven. They are words that outline a staggering task for his first and future disciples.
Imagine what it must have been like. Imagine living in the city of Jerusalem at the time of Christ. Imagine if you actually got to meet him. This guy was something else. Jesus could do things no one else could do. He walked on water, fed thousands with next to nothing, healed the sick and raised the dead. Could he possibly be the long-Promised Messiah? Lots of people began to think so, but then Jesus got arrested, tried and convicted. He was sentenced to death. He was crucified. But then three days later he rose from the dead! There were eye-witnesses accounts. And then for about a month Jesus walked, talked and ate with them. But now it was time for him to return to his father in heaven. But before he left, Jesus told his disciples that they were to be his witnesses to the world. And after he said that, he ascended into heaven.
Imagine what that must have been like. Imagine this small group of followers returning back to the upper room in Jerusalem, all the while trying to process what Jesus had just told them to do. They were to be his witnesses to the world. Talk about overwhelming! This wasn’t going to be easy. How could so few of them make a dent in the world? Not only that, butthere would be opposition. They easily could be arrested and put to death for doing this. I’m sure those first disciples were shaking with fear. At the same time, I’m sure there was anticipation and joy. They had a great story to tell.
Imagine the disciples now looking at and talking to each other. Soon consensus is reached. They said to each other, “It’s now up to us. We’ve got to go tell the world about Jesus. If we don’t do it, no one will. This is the Lord’s plan. There is no other plan. We’ve got to do this.” Can’t you hear them? “Ok, we do as he said. We start in Jerusalem, and then rest of Judea. Then we head north into Samaria, and we don’t stop until every nation, tribe, language and people has heard the Messiah’s name. Are we agreed? Everybody in? Good. Let’s go.”
As we gather together this Confirmation Sunday, as modern day disciples of Christ, we find that we too have been commissioned with a tremendous task. We too have been given the command to go into all the world and share the gospel message that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. Scary? Yes. Exciting? Also, yes. That’s because we know we’ve got a great story to tell. To aid us in this task, today we gain twenty-one new recruits. Sharing the message of Christ is a big responsibility. This is not something to be taken lightly. Therefore, you need to know this: until Jesus comes again, or he calls you home
You Will Be His Witnesses
- You have been enabled to know
- You are now empowered to go
Those first disciples had been together for three years. In that time, they witnessed Jesus do amazing things. They sat at Jesus’ feet and listened as he opened the Scriptures to them. As a result, the Holy Spirit led them to believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God and Savior of the world. Yet even though they had all the pieces, they still hadn’t put the puzzle completely together. Jesus’ disciples, along with their countrymen, still envisioned the Savior as someone who would free them from the oppression of Rome and would re-establish Israel as the mightiest nation on earth.
Although they had been taught, the disciples still didn’t get it. But soon they would. Ten days later, at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit would open their minds and they would fully understand. Soon after that event, the disciples would carry out their task. With incredible speed the gospel spread throughout the entire world.
Now it’s your turn. You are baptized souls and heirs of eternal life. By the grace of God, you too have been enabled to know who Jesus is. You learned about him at an early age, whether it was here in worship, or in our elementary school or our Sunday School. You know Jesus to be the Son of God and Savior of the world. The Holy Spirit has also opened your eyes to the words of Scripture. You know all about Jesus’ suffering and death. You know about an empty tomb. You believe the eye-witness accounts of a resurrected Christ. And now you cling to Jesus’ promise that one day you will live forever with him in heaven. You know it. You believe it. It is the truth. Blessed with such a faith, you are now empowered to go. You are to be a witness for Christ.
Once again, imagine those disciples huddled together in the upper room. Convinced of what they had to do – convinced that their efforts would be blessed, every hand went in. “Let’s go.”
As the huddle broke and the disciples went out, many of their fears were realized. There was opposition to the message they shared. Life as an apostle in the New Testament Church was dangerous. We believe that all but John lost their lives for the sake of Christ. Yet empowered by the gospel, they went. And by the grace of God, their efforts were blessed. The gospel message of Jesus Christ quickly spread throughout the world.
Since you too have been enabled to know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are now empowered to go. You are to be witnesses for Christ.
Here we are, huddled all together under one roof. Sharing Christ in here is pretty easy, isn’t it? In here, we don’t have any problem talking about Jesus. We’ll talk about him all day long. That’s because we’re talking to our friends and family. That, of course, is very important. However, Jesus wants us to leave here and go out there, beyond these walls, and be his witnesses.
Suddenly everything gets a little harder. If we take the gospel of Christ outside these walls, we may run into opposition. Out there, you can get laughed at for believing in Jesus. Out there, you can have people ridicule you. Out there, people will question your beliefs? “So, you really believe the Bible is verbally inspired, true in every part?” “Are you telling me that you actually believe that your God created the world in six normal days, when nearly the entire scientific world believes the world has evolved over time?” “You really believe what the Bible says about sex, marriage and family? Really?” In the face of such opposition, the temptation is to keep what you believe to yourself.
Thankfully, in our country, we still have religious freedom. However, that is not true everywhere in the world. According to the United States State Department, Christians face persecution in over sixty countries. Each month, 322 Christians are killed for their faith, 214 churches and Christian properties are destroyed, and 772 forms of violence are committed against Christians (opendoorsusa.org). It’s scary to go out there.
I’m sure those first disciples questioned if they were really ready to be witnesses for Christ. I’m sure you do too. Imagine how these twenty-one confirmands must feel. Are they really ready to be witnesses for Christ in Brillion, Wisconsin, the United States, and throughout the world?
When I look at these confirmands, the first thing that comes to mind is wet cement. That’s what these young people are, wet cement. Let me explain.
Object Lesson
Bring out a wheel barrow with a bag of cement, rebar, and a piece of concrete.
When you first came to us, you were like this bag of cement, a powdery mixture of ingredients: calcium, silicon, aluminum, and iron. If you mix what is in this bag with water, you will get cement.
I look at you now, and I see that all the ingredients are there. You are baptized children of God. You’ve attended our Lutheran elementary school or our Sunday School. Rebar has been added to the mix, which has strengthened your faith. You’ve taken two years of confirmation classes under the instruction of your pastors. This past Wednesday night, you shared your knowledge of Bible truths. And in a few moments, you will stand before this congregation and publicly confess your faith and pledge to remain faithful to Jesus Christ for as long as you live. Despite all that, you’re still wet cement. And you will be for some time.
It takes twenty-eight days for cement to cure. It takes time for the mixture to harden and become concrete – solid and strong. In the same way, it is going to take time for your faith to “cure.” It will take time for your faith to become solid and strong. The question is, “Will you remain wet cement or will you become concrete?”
Here’s why I ask. According to a survey conducted by Lifeway Research, and then supported by two other surveys conducted by the Barna Group and USA Today, nationally, 70% of young people age 18-22 fall away from their faith and their church. 70%. To help you understand, would all of you confirmands please stand. There are twenty-one of you. (Count out six confirmands) You six remain standing, the rest of you sit. According to the national average, beginning in just four years, only six of you will remain faithful to your confirmation vows. After reviewing our own records, over the years, Trinity’s averages 34-38%, so that means we would lose seven of you. Either way, that’s unacceptable.
When asked, young people give a number of reasons for why they fall away from the church. They say they are too busy. They go on to school or move out of their parent’s home. They want more time with their friends. Or, they don’t feel connected to their church. However, the survey also reported that when both parents are faithful and active in church, 93% of young people remain faithful in worship. When one parent is faithful, 73% remain faithful. So, what does that tell us? To me, that says two things: First of all, apparently,it ismore than just the young people falling way. Secondly, by God’s grace, we’ve been given the formula to reverse those numbers.
These young people are still wet cement. They haven’t cured yet. They still need a little help, a little guidance, a little watering. They don’t have the life experiences that many of you have. Parents, grandparents, godparents, and the rest of our church family, you need to witness. You’ve seen God at work in your lives. You’ve seen how he’s helped you in times of trouble. You know what it’s like to wrestle with God in prayer. You’ve weathered storms of worry and doubt, health problems, and relationship issues. You’ve been through the wars. And you’ve seen God do amazing things.
You know what is ahead for these young people. You know the road won’t always be easy, smooth, cheerful or fun. The difficult years are just ahead. You need to be their eyes and ears. You need to be the calming, encouraging, yet firm voice. You need to keep them watered until they cure. We all need to help them until they become concrete.
However, they are not there yet. They are still wet cement. That much we know. Come to think of it, when some of you look at your own lives, maybe you’re still wet cement too. You know what? That’s ok. All the ingredients are there. The Holy Spirit has been working inside you, ever since your baptism. You’ve been enabled to know who Jesus is and what he’s done for you. So whether you are wet cement or solid concrete, or somewhere in between, we have still been empowered to go and be witnesses for Christ.
I hope you noticed, Jesus instructed his disciples about how to carry out their task. They were to start in Jerusalem, then Judea, then Samaria, and then to the ends of the earth. They were to start in Jerusalem. Jerusalem was home. Then they were to expand into other neighborhoods (Judea), then to the north (Samaria) and finally to the ends of the earth.
Be a witness for Christ and start in your own home. Parents, you are a witness for Christ when you bring your family here. And confirmands, you can also witness in your own home. You can say, “Mom, dad, what church service are we going to this week: Wednesday night or Sunday morning?” And then you can expand to your friends, from there into high school, to college or the work force.
Know that your church family is here to encourage you to remain close to your Savior and your confirmation vows. We want you to turn from wet cement to concrete – to have faith that is solid, strong and true. And then we want you to remember the command you’ve been given. Until Jesus comes again, or he calls you home, you are to be a witness for Christ.
May God continue to enable us all to know and empower us to go. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
And now may the faith created in us at our baptism, and affirmed through our confirmation vows, strengthen us now and always. Amen.