Text: Romans 12:2, Eph 3:17-19, Confirmation, Pentecost

Text: Romans 12:2, Eph 3:17-19, Confirmation, Pentecost

Introduction

Today on the Christian calendar is Pentecost – hence the red. Sometimes called the birthday of the church. We call it that because while the church is the body of Christ and his church, like the incarnation, the church itself is a born of the Holy Spirit. In the Apostles Creed we confess that we believe in the Holy Spirit who brings into existence the Holy Christian Church, which is the communion of saints. That apostle’s creed is the old Roman one – in this case it is so old we are literally talking about the communion of saints who lived in Rome and not the larger body we might think of today. The apostle’s creed in that old Roman church’s baptismal creed. And it has been used by the churches in the West for that purpose for 2000 years. The person themselves, or their parents and sponsors for children, are asked do you believe in God the Father almighty? Do you believe in Jesus Christ, His son, our Lord…? Do you believe in the Holy Spirit? According to that creed. And each one of those baptisms is a recreation of Pentecost. The Father promised to poor out his Spirit in the last days. The son promised rivers of living water, that we might worship in Spirit and Truth. On Pentecost that Spirit was sent. Those gathered Apostles were baptized with that Spirit directly. But already on that first Pentecost, those cut to the heart by Peter’s preaching pleaded with him, “What shall we do?” And Peter replied, “repent and be baptized…and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Same gift, by means, by means of water and the word. The God who can work in majesty directly, can also work humbly through means and by promise.

You will hear in just a bit the confirmands being asked some similar questions as those baptismal ones. In fact, the first part of the rite is a restating of what each of their parents and sponsors confessed for them on that day Anna and AJ don’t really remember. In that sense, confirmation is a making of their own, what others once said for them. They are confirming what those parents and sponsors did in faith in the power of the Holy Spirit, which has now started to come to fruition.

The second part of the rite asks some different questions. Now what? Now that this faith that has been handed to me is mine, what do I intend to do? Do I intend to live it? How do I intend to live it?

Trouble in the World

The answers to those two sets of questions are slightly different. The answers confirming are solid declaration. “I do. Yes, I believe.” They have grown. What God has started is being brought to fruition. The answers to the second half tend to be “I do, by the grace of God.” I intend to keep growing. I intend to live it. But in this world we are constantly harassed by the sin that lives in our members. I can’t do it by myself – but every day, every hour, I need the grace that God provides through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. That Spirit that has called me by the gospel and enlightened me with his gifts…I pray that He will also sanctify and keep me in this faith.

And that gets to a trouble with confirmation. Instead of treating it as a Pentecost baptism moment – a starting moment. We’ve tended to treat confirmation as a graduation moment – a funeral moment. To say, you know it all now, here is your crown of life. When it becomes a graduation moment, we shouldn’t be surprised when we only see graduates occasionally afterwards. To the extent that it is a graduation, it is a denial of our baptism, and not a confirmation.

Gospel

Let’s stop seeing this as a graduation. This is a baptism. We don’t repeat baptisms. One is all we need, because the promise of God has been attached to those waters through which we enter the church by. But what we often need is the reminder – “yes, I am baptized. Yes, I have been made part of the body of Christ. Yes, His Spirit does dwell in me.”

That is the gospel point of confirmation and that other remembrance of baptism – confession and absolution. And we do repeat those. Yes, by the grace of God I intend to live my life according to the Word. But what happens when I fail? Were you baptized? Do you still believe in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit? Go in peace, your sins are forgiven, and sin no more.

But what if I do it again? Were you baptized? Do you believe? Go in peace, your sins are forgiven, and sin no more.

Repeat, 70 times 7. That is the promise of Christ. That is what he worked on that cross. Gave us in those waters. And we confirm here today.

We gather to remind each other, to be the means by which God reminds us. To witness failures and restoration. To speak about what God is doing in our midst. To confess and confirm, yes, I am baptized. Yes, I intend to follow Christ. Through the Grace of the Spirit.

Charge and Blessing

Confirmation verses are an old tradition. When they got started, they were part of the Bishop’s blessing. Bishops, formally in charge of all instruction, would preside at Confirmations. And they would give a charge and blessing to each confirmand. At some point we lost that sense of charge and blessing, and we let the confirmands choose their own verses. That never set right with me even when I was choosing mine. I wanted the charge and blessing. I’d wrestled with Pastor Brinkmann for two years never letting go, “you, give me a blessing” like Jacob wrestling with God. He still made me choose one.

Sorry Anna and AJ, I’m giving you a charge and blessing. (They will be on your certificates.)

AJ, you first. The verse I selected for you is Romans 12:2. I’ve coached you in baseball as well as taught you for the past couple of years. AJ, you have never been shy about asking good questions. The one thing I wish I could have done better both on the ball field and here is directed that in more complete ways. You deserved a better coach. But confirmation is a beginning and not an end, that is why I’ve chosen Romans 12:2. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of the mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God – what is good, and acceptable and perfect.”

AJ, we don’t have to worry about you conforming, or that you will stop testing. Those are gifts that you have. What I hope your verse will encourage is a path. By your baptism the Spirit is resident in you effecting the renewal of the mind. The mind of Christ is in you. Don’t stop asking question. Don’t settle for whatever is just provided, but use those gifts in the right direction. Toward the will of God. And what is that will of God? Whatever is good. And that word isn’t as bland as it sounds. Wrestle with it. What is truly good. Find that, and do it. What is acceptable. I would have preferred the translators to be less squishy. Whatever is pleasing. There are lots of acceptable things. But that is not the charge. Find the pleasing things. Not the pleasing things to our sinful nature, but the pleasing things to God and that Spirit that dwells within you. Find the pleasing things and do them. Whatever is perfect. Again the language has drifted a little. Better would be whatever is mature. Confirmation, AJ, is like handing the keys of a New Camero to a 16 year old. Here’s the faith kid, take it for a spin. Just like that 16 year old, you are going to put a few dings it in. Remember you are baptized. Remember to do the good. Remember to look for the pleasing things. Do that enough, with a little grace, the car will still run. You will arrive at a mature faith. A faith that has not been conformed, but has transformed you. A faith that enables you to stand when everything else is falling. A mature faith that bears much fruit.

AJ, may the Lord bless and keep you on the good, the pleasing and toward the mature faith.

Anna, I chose for you Ephesians 3:17-19. Ephesians is my personal favorite book of the Bible. And this passage is from Paul’s prayer. He gets rather dramatic saying to those Ephesians “I bow my knees to the father” and then he strings together a bunch of phrases. The prayer comes tumbling out. And then he gets to the purpose – he praying in order that “You, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

Your mother and I have attempted in our life at home, here in church through confirmation and Sunday school and everything else – what we’ve attempted to do is root and ground you in love. You know, from a cloud of family witnesses that God is love. Christ is the sure foundation. We have been building on the rock. We have planted you in good soil. And we have done this for what Paul is praying for.

So that you may be strong enough to make your own – with all these saints – with the saints that have passed through here for over 110 years, with the saints that have made this faith their own for 2000 years. And in making it your own, you might find out how big this house is. We pray that you might explore this mansion of Love the Lord has built for us – its breadth and length and depth. That you might realize that this mansion of love doesn’t end. That you would come to know the surpassing-nature of the wisdom of the love of Christ. The world will try and convince you this house is small place and quite stupid. Don’t believe them. If you have the faith and courage – if you are strong-enough, and you are because you are baptized and the Spirit of God dwells in you. If you are strong enough, and you explore this faith enough, you will come to know just how great is the love of Christ.

And when you reach that point. When you know it deep in your bones. Then you may be made full in the fullness of God. A life rooted and grounded in Christ, that grows and matures in all directions exploring the vitality of his love, is a life that will never be empty. “Out of her heart will flow rivers of living water. (John 7:38)”

Anna, may the Lord bless and keep you, making you strong to know the length and breadth and depth of the wisdom of Christ’s love, that you might be made full with the fullness of God. Amen.