Confirmation Sunday

Pastor Meyer's Sermon

Confirmation Sunday, May 7, 2006

We've all received gifts, whether it's a Christmas gift or a birthday gift and, for you, Class, confirmation gifts. What I would like to propose is there are different gifts. There are some gifts that are given, some gifts that are used, and some gifts that are treasured.

What do I mean by that? Well, gifts that are given, we're happy to get this particular gift because we're happy the person even thought about getting a gift but, come on, you know what I'm talking about. You're not so sure why this person gave you this gift and what you're going to do with this gift. I'll give you an example. You see here? I have a present and I have some gifts inside. Let me start this off. When I was on vicarage, I had a conversation with a man and, one thing led to another, and I told him I liked to fish. And so, when Christmas came, he came up to me and said, “I have a gift for you that will help you in your fishing.” So I went ahead and opened up the present and I was thinking in my mind it was going to be a fishing lure or it was going to be some kind of a fishing reel, you know, something to help me with my fishing. So I opened up the box, and I get this. Now, again, I would like to say I was very appreciative this person even thought of me, thought to give me a gift. But what was I going to do with this? And so this was a gift that was given. You can see by the dust on it that it hasn't been used very often. Gifts that are given, used, and treasured.

Gifts that are used, we get those every once in a while. We get those where we use them so much. In fact, there are some people who would say you can tell whether a gift is a good gift based on whether the person uses it quite often, right? Well, let me give you an example. I got an early birthday gift and it's a jersey. And it is a St. Louis Cardinals baseball jersey. I know the Wren family really likes the Cardinals and so everybody knows in the confirmation class that I am a Cardinals fan, and this is going to be used quite a lot. So, based on that criteria of whether a gift is used quite often determines that it's a good gift, well, this is a good gift. Gifts that are given, used, and treasured.

Gifts that are treasured. Gifts that hit you in the heart, that mean a lot to you. I got one. It's a very simple gift, and it's a piece of paper. And the drawing is very light on it so I have a copy of it on the screen. This was given by my daughter, Michaela. She came up to me and she said, “Daddy, I want you to have this.” Now, mind you, just a few moments before, my daughter, Michaela, and my son, Ben, were in the bathtub and I was giving them a bath and I left the room to go get a towel and come back. And when I came back, they had splashed water all over the bathroom. There were standing pools of water on the floor. Needless to say, I was very angry. So I went ahead and cleaned up the mess, quickly gave them a bath, got their hair dried, put their pajamas on, got them ready for bed, and Michaela needed to draw something. And so she drew this. And she gave it to me and said, “Daddy, I want you to have this.” I said, “What is it, Honey?” And she said, “Well, you see the circle on the left there, that's the bathtub. And you see the big person in the middle, that's you, Daddy, and you're very angry. And you see the two little people, well, that's Ben and me.” And I said, “Well, what's the scribbling there?” And she said, “That's the water we got all over the bathroom.” And she goes, “You see those two little people there? That's Ben and me and we're really sorry, Daddy. I want you to have this because we're sorry we made the mess.” Gifts that are treasured. And this is a gift that I treasure. Gifts used, given, and treasured.

God gives good and perfect gifts according to James and He would want us to use these gifts, not only to use the gifts but to treasure these gifts. And, in this particular box, I have some of the best gifts God has to give to us. The first one is a memento. It's says on the front, “Memento and Certificate of Baptism.” And if you open it up, you see this is my baptismal certificate. When you look at the certificate, it has the seal on it from Hope Lutheran Church in St. Ann , Missouri . That's in northern St. Louis . And it has the Great Commission on here from Matthew 28:19 and it says here, “This certifies that Kendall Lee Meyer was baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost on the 7 th day of July in the year of our Lord 1968.” The 7 th of July. That's my grandmother's birthday. And my grandmother said she had never received a better birthday present than for her to be there on the day I was baptized. And it was on that day in a small church in northern St. Louis that I was baptized, when water was splashed on my forehead and the name of God was spoken and I became a child of God. A new birth happened on that warm, sunny day. Faith was created, salvation given, Jesus' loving arms surrounded me with His forgiveness and protection. And almost 38 years later, I am still using that baptismal gift given to me, whether it's in worship, at the beginning of a new day, before I receive the Lord's supper, when forgiveness is announced by the Pastor, the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is spoken and it puts me back to that day in July when I became a child of God. And, once again, I am assured that, no matter what darkness crosses my life, God's light will never be darkened, eclipsed, or overshadowed. He will always shine brightly in my life. This is a gift to treasure, to give thanks and praise to God for. The new birth at baptism is indeed a good and perfect gift given, used, and treasured. And, at home, most of you have a certificate like this. Most of you may even have a Christ candle, a baptismal candle that shows Christ's never-ending light that shines in your lives. That day may not be the day of July like mine but still, the day where that water was splashed on your forehead and when God's name was spoken and you became a child of God, that was a wonderful day because you received the best gift that could ever be given to you. And on this day, today, your confirmation day, you will stand up and you will confidently state the faith you received at your baptism is the faith you confess today before all of us. So use it often and with love.

Now there's another gift in here and that is my bible, the word of truth, God's word. Paul calls it in Ephesians 6 the sword of the spirit. And it's a good and perfect gift. It's a gift to be used and treasured. All scripture is God-breathed, God-given the apostle, Paul, says in his second letter to Timothy and it's useful for teaching and rebuking, restoring, and training in righteousness. This word of truth is a treasure beyond our imagination. In it, we see God at work as our loving Father. In it, we also see the darkness we have brought into His world. In this book, we watch as sinful human history unfolds from the moment He creates the universe. And we see over and over again and again that temptation combined with our evil desires gives birth to sin. And sin results in death. All human history, including our own, follows that pattern. Evil desire, sin, and death. Over and over again. Again and again. Right into our very own lives. But in this book of truth, we also see God reach into human history over and over again and again because the light of His love cannot be extinguished no matter how much darkness there is in this world. At Christmas, we see the greatest gift in a manger, a baby promised so long ago for our salvation. In this word of truth, we see Jesus reach into people's lives with compassion, with healing, and love. And we see Him hang on a cross bringing that treasure beyond treasures, forgiveness of sins and our sinful desires. And then we see Him burst out of that tomb on Easter morning giving a present we will use forever, life instead of death, heaven instead of hell, a loving Father instead of loneliness and fear and separation. Yes, this word of truth, this sword of the spirit is useful every day you open it up.

At this time, I'd like for the confirmation class to reach under their chair or in front of them if you're in the second pew to get the gift I have given you. And I'd like for you to go ahead and open it. And, as you open it, you will find a bookmark and this bookmark, on the end of it, hangs a sword. Remember, Paul calls the bible the sword of the spirit. And also, if you remember, from our time together in confirmation, I said you can't have a growing relationship with Jesus Christ unless what is open in front of you? You guys remember? The bible. Right. It is my prayer, in the years ahead, you will use this to mark where you're reading in scripture and to remember this scripture is a gift not only given, not only to be used, but also to be treasured. Because there are going to be some times where your heart and your minds are going to accuse you. They're going to look into the past. They're going to talk to you about different things you've done. And you're going to sit and wonder, “Why does God even love me? Why does He even care for me?” If you have your sword, you read in there, whenever your heart accuses you, just remember God is greater than your heart.

There are going to be times when you're going to feel lonely, when you're not going to have anyone around. You have no one to talk to. But the word of truth also says, “I am with you always.” And there are going to be times when life is just going to drag you down, when you're going to feel the responsibilities of life, whether it's at school or at home, just driving you down, weighting you down. You're going to feel weary. And if you use the sword, you'll find Jesus says, “Come to me, you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

This sword is not only given but use it and treasure it because it is here in this bible that you see a Father who loves us deeply and gives you a gift to be used and treasured beyond compare.

And now there's one more gift in this box this morning. But it's really not even in the box. It's outside of the box because you see this box doesn't have a bottom. But, as I look through here, I see the confirmation class of 2006. And this box reminds me that each one of you was God's gift to me because, being a Pastor, this is the first confirmation class that I've taught. And I've learned so much from you. I've learned about what makes you happy. I've learned about what struggles you have. I've learned about what concerns you deal with. And I've grown as a Pastor because of that. But also, as I look through here, I see the rest of the brothers and sisters in Christ. Those who are the families, the sponsors, the parents, the friends. Look around, class. Look around at everyone in here. Look around at everyone who is here. They are God's good and perfect gift given to you so you will not feel alone, never without others who can share God's compassion, His comfort, and His strength with us. Thank all of you for being outside of the box for us.

The best gifts are not only given. They are used and treasured. James said, “Every good and perfect gift is from above from the Father of light.” A baptismal certificate. The bible. And a box with a hole in the bottom. Thank you, Heavenly Father, for such good and perfect gifts. Amen.