Confirmation Service 2005

Pastor Burcham's Sermon

Confirmation Sunday, May 1, 2005

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

It was Confirmation Sunday 1975. All of the young men and women were gathered in white robes much like you are. They had their little carnations pinned on, and they were sitting at the front of Trinity Lutheran Church. I suppose the class size was probably about the same size as the class we have gathered here this morning. Most of them sat there nervously. They probably didn't hear much of the first part of the service at all, just as I suspect that each one of you is sitting there fidgeting with your robes and wondering what to do and nervous about what's to come. I would venture to guess that not one of them really heard or remembered the sermon from that morning. This is where the similarity changes to today.

All of them got up and went through the Rite of Confirmation and received the blessing. They took communion. They sang the last hymn. They had a last minute photo shoot with their parents, and then they were off. They were off to lunch. They were off to confirmation parties. Pretty typical I would say. It was a typical confirmation Sunday, probably not much different than this morning.

All of you are gathered here. You're nervous. You're wondering what's going to happen. In a few moments, you're going to go ahead and have the Rite of Confirmation. You'll take communion for the first time, and then you'll head out to some last minute photo shoots by Mom and Dad. They'll promise it's only one. It will be 20, don't worry. And then there will be a confirmation party. Pretty typical.

Back in that class 30 years ago, there was one individual maybe that typified the whole class. It was a young man who went through the whole confirmation schedule. In fact, he was pretty much your average student, listened in class, turned in his memory work, sometimes even on time, handed in all of the assignments, listened to what the pastor had to say and believed every word the pastor spoke and he took it to heart. Now unbeknownst to his family or anyone else in class for sure, he prayed diligently every day. It was a proud moment when he got up and had the Rite of Confirmation and took communion. And like everyone else in his class, a last minute photo shoot, off to lunch and a confirmation party. But then something changed for this young man. After he walked out of the building on Confirmation Sunday, all of a sudden, church didn't seem to be that important anymore. He didn't bother coming to worship anymore. Christmas Eve and Easter he would show up. He tried the youth group once and wasn't real sure. He tried it again and made up his mind definitely that was not for him.

Now mind you, it wasn't that he was against God. No, he had faith in his heart. And it wasn't that he was against the church. He just didn't see it as being really relevant. Really more than that, what you need to understand about this young man that may typify all confirmands is the fact that he had ideas and plans for his life. Even at the young age of 13, this young guy knew where he was going and he had a goal he wanted to accomplish and he was going to go after it. He had plans for his life. But the one thing he never considered was that God had plans for him. The one thing that never crossed his mind was maybe God had plans.

Each one of you is going to walk out of here this morning, and you're going to be filled with lots of choices and decisions. And I would guess that you have plans for your life. Maybe you don't know what career you're going to go into. You don't know what college you're going to attend or if you're going to attend college, but each of you probably has some ideas in your mind. What are you going to do with those free Wednesday nights? What are you going to do to occupy your time during the sermons now that you don't have to take notes and you don't have to memorize the catechism? I'm guessing you have some ideas and some plans for yourself of what you're going to do with life now after confirmation. But have you considered, have you even thought about the point that God has plans for you?

Confirmation Sunday is not the end, but Confirmation Sunday in a real way is the beginning. It's the beginning of God continuing to unfold His plans for you. Have you considered that God has plans for you?

Let's jump back a couple thousand years because there was a group of people that didn't think God had plans for them. And God spoke to them through the prophet Jeremiah and Jeremiah said on behalf of God, “I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you, plans to give you hope, plans to give you a purpose and meaning in life,” God said to them. And I believe God is saying that same message to you this morning. In fact, I think He's saying it to all of us this morning. He's saying He has plans for us. Now I can just guess what you're thinking. “How in the world can something spoken a couple thousand years ago to some people living in Babylon of all places because of some King Nebuchadnezzar”—what's with the name Nebuchadnezzar anyway, what was his mother and father thinking? What do you call him for short? Nebby? I don't know. So how could that ever relate to you? Let me attempt to connect the dots for you because I believe the message God spoke through Jeremiah He's still speaking to you this morning.

But you have to understand a little bit of the history behind it. I know you probably don't like history, but bear with me because this is important, okay? You have the people of Israel. We know them from the Old Testament, right? And they're living in their land. All of a sudden, this guy in Babylon named Nebuchadnezzar, let's call him King Nebby, decides he's going to invade Israel. He's going to invade Israel, and he's going to take over the entire land. And just to make a point and to make sure the people stay in line, tow the course, he takes a whole group of the population out of Israel and he transplants them in Babylon.

For instance, let's say the Canadians stop playing hockey for a while and they decide to invade the United States. And, on the very off chance, they take over the United States but just to make sure the rest of the citizens keep in line, they take the entire population of Iowa and they transplant it to Quebec. That would be pretty strategic, would it not? If they took one of the Dakotas, who would notice? But they take all of Iowa and transplant it to Quebec. All of the country would think, “My fellow countrymen are living up in Quebec. I want to stay in line.” Now meanwhile, all the people in Quebec are going to want to come back here and live in Iowa because everyone wants to live in Iowa. That's what happened a couple thousand years ago. Nebby came in, took a whole group of people out of Israel, and transplanted them over into Babylon. Jeremiah then, speaking for God, comes to the people in Babylon. And he writes them a letter, a message from God, and the message that God has to them is, “I have plans for you.” People who are several hundred miles away from their homeland, separated from family and friends, and God says, “I have plans for you.”

The first thing you need to realize is sometimes it's hard to see God's plan for your life. It's extremely hard to see God's plan for your life at times. It was extremely hard for those people living hundreds of miles away from their homeland to see and believe God had a plan for them. It just didn't seem real. This was part of the plan? I'm not going to live in my homeland? This is part of the plan? I'm going to be enslaved by some guy named Nebuchadnezzar? They couldn't see or understand God's plan.

There will be times when you will not be able to see or understand God's plan for your life. There are going to be those instances where you're not going to believe God really has a plan. When everything is going the way you want it to go, when it's going according to your plans, yeah, then you can see God's plan. It's pretty easy. But when things start to unravel, when things start to fall apart, everything goes wrong, then it's pretty hard to believe God has a plan.

It's going to be hard for you at times to believe God has a plan. Next year you're going to go off to high school. Maybe you're the star athlete this year in 8 th Grade. You go up to high school and you don't even make the team. God has a plan for you in this? Maybe you try out for the cheerleading squad and you don't make it. Maybe you try out for Show Choir and all of a sudden they say, “Not this year but maybe next year.” Maybe all the friends you're hanging around with today meet new friends in high school and they stop hanging around with you. Maybe something tragic happens in your family or to someone you love. You're going to have a hard time seeing and believing God has a plan for you, that God is carrying out this grand plan because you're not going to see God in all of that. And that's when the temptation is going to come in. The temptation is to live your own plan, to have your own ideas, follow your own course that you set out, and not pay any attention to the plan God may have.

The second thing you should realize is this: It's not easy to follow God's plan all the time. It's not easy to hear what God's plan is and to follow that plan. Can you imagine 70 years? That's what He told the people in Babylon. “You're going to stay there 70 years.” “Seventy years? You must be nuts. That's a plan? God, you call this a plan to stay here for 70 years? You must be kidding.” That's pretty hard to follow God's plan. “Honor my father and mother? You must be kidding.” They don't have a clue, do they? Don't shake your heads. They're watching. They still treat you like you're in 5 th  Grade I'll bet. They won't let you do anything. All your friends get to do everything, but they don't let you do anything. Honor your father and mother? You must be kidding. “Don't do what all the other kids are doing? Come on, do you want me to stick out like a sore thumb? You don't want me to be cool?” Sometimes it is not easy to follow God's plan. And the temptation for you is to follow your own plan, to set your own course in life. You have your own ideas. You think you know what's best.

The problem is this: If your plans don't include God's plans, they'll fail. I know that sounds harsh but if your plans don't include God's plans, they'll fail. It happened how many thousands of years ago in a place called Babylon, and it still happens today. You will always find people who will tell you what you want to hear and tell you that your plans are right and you don't have to pay attention to God. They had it back then. Back in Babylon, they had a whole slew of prophets that said they were speaking for God. And they said, “Seventy years? Oh, no, God's going to rescue us. Two weeks at the most and God's going to rush in here and take us back to the homeland.” You know what happened in two weeks? Nothing, so they're disappointed. So they come back and say, “No, I didn't mean two weeks. I meant two months.” Two months passed by and you know what happened? Nothing. The people were let down again and again and again and again until finally they were so beaten down they had no hope. They couldn't even see the future. They were hearing what they wanted to hear, but it wasn't God's plan.

You will have people that will tell you what you want to hear. They will gladly tell you exactly what you want to hear. “What do you mean your parents won't let you do that? They don't let you do anything? They'll never know. It's okay.” “One beer? What's one beer? One beer never killed anybody, fella. It's okay. You're at a party. Have fun.” “Look, we're not hurting anyone else. This is just between the two of us, so why should this be wrong?” They'll tell you what you want to hear, but they'll be wrong. One beer may not kill you, but the six of the kid who's driving will. Just because everyone else is doing it, that doesn't mean it isn't wrong.

You have to have the courage to stand up for what you know to be right and to listen to God's plans because God's plan involves only the best for you. I say that from the bottom of my heart. God's plan is the best for you, because God wants the best for you just like He wanted the best for His people back in Jeremiah's day. God had a plan for them. They couldn't see it. They were stuck in the middle of it. They could only see the next day, but God saw all of time and He saw Him unfolding His whole plan of salvation and how He was going to use each and every one of those citizens who were in Babylon. God has the same thing for you, for each and every one of us. God sees all of our lives, not just a moment in time, not even just a week. He sees all of time, and He sees how you will fit in uniquely, distinctly with the whole history of mankind. God looks at it all at once, and God wants what's best for you. In fact, God has wanted what's best for you from the beginning of time.

Scripture tells us that before time began, God had plans for you. And God decided He wouldn't let anything stand in the way of Him fulfilling His plans through you. When Adam and Eve were in the garden, they fell to sin. God wouldn't even let sin stand in the way of Him fulfilling His plan for you because God immediately made another plan, a plan by which He would take care of that sin, by which He would bring forgiveness to all of His people so we could live out the plans He has for us.

What you're going to profess this morning is that you believe in that promise, that you believe God sent His Son, Jesus, into the world, that you believe Jesus lived and, though He was innocent, He became guilty for you, though He had never sinned, He took on your sin and because He was willing to do that on the cross, God has forgiven you. You can stand before your Father in heaven just as holy as the day of creation that Adam and Eve were. God has wiped out all of your guilt, all of your shame. He's restored your relationship with Him. He would stop at nothing, not even sacrificing His own son so He could fulfill His plans in you.

And God has great plans for you. I don't know what those plans are. Couldn't tell you. But I know He has plans. He said to Jeremiah, “I have plans to prosper you, plans to bring you good, not harm, plans to give you joy and hope.” You see, God's plan says there's a purpose to your life, there's a point in your life. And what I want you to hear this morning is to take your plans but make sure they're in line with God's plans, that God's plans guide your plans. You see, it doesn't mean you don't have your own ideas, that you're just some robot God wants to move around, a pawn on a chessboard. No. God wants to incorporate your desires, your gifts, the things you enjoy but have those be guided by God's plan. Because God's plan means only the best.

Now is part of God's plan saying no to certain things? You know it is. You bet God says no to certain things, but He says no to those things because He wants to protect you and He wants to take care of you. He doesn't want to see you be hurt. And God's a whole lot smarter than any of us, so does God say no? Yes, he says no. But not to spoil your fun. He says no to protect you, and He says no because He loves you. Does God say yes? You know He does. He's going to open up doors in your life. He's going to open up in ways you can't even imagine. Let God's plans guide your plans.

When you walk out of here later on this morning, you're going to have so many choices, so many decisions you have to make. In fact, all of us have those same choices and decisions. Are we going to let God's plans guide our plans? Or are we only going to listen to ourselves? God only wants the best for you, and God sees your entire life. And He wants to bring blessings into that life. And He wants to know you have a purpose and there is a meaning to your life. The same thing is true for you. In fact, it's kind of like an open book right now. Confirmation isn't the end. It's the beginning. And if you would look underneath your seat and I think it would take too much time, but what you're going to find after the service is you're going to find one of these. It's a calendar. It's going to cover the next 18 months. You'll notice all the pages are blank in your calendar. It was really tough for me not to fill in the service times on Sunday each week for you, but I didn't because now the choice is yours. How are you going to plan out your next 18 months? What's going to be a priority for you? What will you put in here in ink and what's going to go in here in pencil so it can change? Will God's Word take a priority for you? Will worship take a priority for you? Will coming around Christian friends take a priority for you?

You see, the years of training you've had are just the beginning. It's just the start. And they've been all great. But if you want to know God's plan for your life, God still has much more to reveal to you. In fact, it never stops. God never stops revealing His plan for us, all of us, no matter how many years ago we were confirmed, no matter what the last time is we came to church. God has a plan for you, but the only way you know that plan is to continually hear about how it's revealed. And no matter how many times you read the scripture, each time you read it again, it's new and it's fresh and it applies to you. So how are you going to spend your time? What's going to go in ink and what's going to go in pencil?

I know God has plans for you. And some of those plans are going to surprise you, the things He's going to do through you and the things He's going to do for you. You see, our faith isn't just about some distant future of when we go to heaven. Certainly, that is a hope God has given to us. But our faith says things happening right here, right now today and God has blessings He wants to bring into your life and He brings those blessings when He guides our plans with His plans. And I can't wait to see the plans God has for you and see the surprises He has in store for you.

I don't know too many of the surprises of that class back in 1975. I don't know what God's plans were for all of the students in that class, but I do know for the one student. That young man who had his own plans, even at 13 had a goal ahead of him that he was going to accomplish, didn't even consider God may have a plan, in fact, probably even resisted God's plan. God surprised him pretty good. You may have guessed, 30 years ago it was me sitting where you are. In 1975, it was my Confirmation Sunday and I was wearing this cross, the cross I wear every Confirmation Sunday. Let me tell you, God surprised me. I never thought I'd be standing up here, the privilege of sharing God's Word. That wasn't in my plan. I never thought I'd have the honor of having confirmation classes like you, the privilege of watching you mature in the faith, the honor of presiding and officiating the Rite of Confirmation, never thought any of that. And yet, God's plan for me has been incredible. God's plan for you is incredible. Amen.

Copyright 2005 Gloria Dei Lutheran Church