Responding to the Risen Lord
John 15:9-17
May 4, 2014[1]
Although
today’s sermon applies to all of us, I hope you will understand that I am
directing my remarks in particular to the members of our Confirmation
Class. It has been such a joy to work
with these young people and see them grow and develop in their spiritual
journey. So, Confirmation Students, this
is for you!
Today
marks an important day in your lives. It
is important enough that I have a dream for you—not a dream like you may experience
while sleeping, but it is a hope, a longing deep within me. I dream that you will remember this day
forever.
I
have this dream not because of anything special that I plan to say—I am much
more realistic than that!
I
don’t have this dream simply because many of you will be celebrating this day with
your families and friends. Today is, of
course, a day for celebration, but that is not the reason for my dream.
I
have this dream because one day the day will come when you need to remember who
you are. Who are you? You are a child of God.
It
may have seemed like this was just rote repetition—hoping that if we repeat the
same thing over and over again, it might begin to stick. There may be some truth in that. But there is a reason that I think it is so
important to make sure you remember this message.
Someday,
you are going to need to remember those words.
You
will need to remember those words when temptation hits. When something—something that you know is not
God’s best for you—calls out your name and tells you that it isn’t all that bad,
you need to remember who you are. Temptation
doesn’t announce itself as something bad—rather, it appeals to us as something
that is alluring, desirable. Just as it occurred
in the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden, temptation tells you (whether in
the form of the fruit of the forbidden tree or otherwise) you can go ahead and
try it—surely you won’t die. Temptation
tries to convince you that Someone is just trying to control your
behavior. I hope that at those moments,
when you begin to waiver, you will remember that God created you in His image,
that you have been baptized as a Child of God, and you are one of God’s own
forever.
You
will need to remember those words when doubts arise, when the questions raised
by a materialistic world challenge you to forget the spiritual lessons that you
have learned. I hope you will always
remember that it is okay to ask questions—after all, God gave us brains so we
can think. But God also gave us a part
of Himself to think and feel and love. I
hope with great yearning that when those questions come up, that you will hear
that mystery that we call the Holy Spirit reminding you that some of the most
important parts of our lives are not material but spiritual, reminding you that
you are a Child of God.
You
will need to remember those words when you need forgiveness. I wish I could say that you will never make a
mistake, but I don’t think that would be very realistic. The day probably will come when you do
something wrong and need to seek forgiveness.
I hope that on that day, you will remember the story of the Loving
Father, looking at a distance for his Prodigal Son to come home—that you will
remember that the Father was looking for His son long before the Son knew he
was lost. We call that loving act of the
Father "prevenient grace." And we call
that Father’s act of forgiveness "justifying grace" (Luke 15:11-31). Your Father in heaven is like that, and you are His child.
You
will need to remember those words when you need comfort. I wish I could tell you that nothing bad will
ever happen to you, that you will never have to deal with issues of life and
death; but if I did, I would be lying. I
can tell you, however, that because you are a Child of God, you will never be
alone. The Risen Christ is there beside
you, even when you are required to walk through the valley of the shadow of
death” (Psalm 23:4). Even in those darkest of days, you are a Child of God.
But
there is one more reason that I hope you will remember this Confirmation Sunday
and the message of who you are. That
reason is that you have a job to do.
You
have been called and appointed by Jesus Christ himself to do this job. We heard that call in the Gospel Lesson: “You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit,
fruit that will last…” (John 15:15-16a).
How
do we bear fruit like that? By following
the two greatest commandments: Love the
Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind and strength, and love your
neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:29-31). Love one another, just as Jesus has loved us
(John 15:12). Jesus showed us His way of loving—a way that
lead Him to a cross, a tomb, and a stone that was rolled away, demonstrating
that not even death itself can overcome the power of God’s love.
I
don’t know exactly what God’s plans are for you on how you are to live out this
call. But I know that God has plans for
you. And when you feel that heavenly
nudge, when you hear with your spiritual ears the whisper of God, I hope that
you will remember that you are a Child of God.
And
as you continue through your life’s journey, I hope you will remember one more
thing. The same Risen Lord who calls you
His child also promises to be with you forever, even to the “end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). He calls you, and He waits for you to
respond.
I
hope you will always remember, and that you will respond, “Yes!” May it be so!
Copyright
© 2014 by Thomas E. Frost. All rights
reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment