Pentecost 8
Confirmation of Robert Douthwaite
and Michael Roark
“The Beating
Heart of the Christian Life”
Text: Zechariah
9:9-12; Romans 7:14-25a; Matthew 11:25-30
Grace, mercy,
and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ. Amen.
Behold,
your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation.
We hear those
words at the beginning of the Advent season every year, as we remember that our
King came to us in human flesh, wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a
manger.
We also hear
those words every year on Palm Sunday, as we remember that this very same King
now enters Jerusalem in as humble a fashion as when He was born, riding on a
donkey, to lay down His life for us on the cross.
And as we hear
those words today, it is to remember yet another coming of our King for us and
for our salvation. We remember His coming to us here, in the Divine
Service, where each and every Sunday our King comes to us, still with human
flesh and riding in humble words, water, and bread and wine, righteous and
having salvation. He comes for the very same reason He came at Christmas and
entered
And so I
cannot think of a more appropriate Scripture for a Confirmation Sunday. For our
King coming to us in the Divine Service is what the catechism is all about.
Catechetical instruction and confirmation are not about achieving a certain level of intellectual knowledge and
being able to pass a test. They are not
about memorizing certain things and being able to voice all the right answers.
They are not a type of graduation. Catechetical
instruction and confirmation may have become
all those things in recent years, but they were never intended to be so.
Rather, the learning that takes place and that leads to confirmation happens
for one reason and with one goal only: worship. The catechism teaches what
we do in the Divine Service, and why we do it. It teaches what it is that we
are receiving here, from whom, and how to be a part of it. From the
catechism, we learn how to worship.
That’s why
confirmation is not at all a graduation! Because having learned about this
Divine Service, Robbie and Michael will now enact what they have learned for
the rest of their lives. Being confirmed and then never coming back to church
makes as much sense as learning how to drive a car and then never driving it!
And so what they have learned through their participation as youth, and then
learned in formal catechetical instruction, they will now live for the rest of
their lives, growing up in their salvation as they grow into the Divine Service
and it grows into them. As they come and receive the gifts of God offered here.
Now perhaps it
sounds funny to say that they – and we – need to learn how to worship! But its true. For what happens here is unlike what we do
anywhere else in the world. We use different words. We act a different way. We
have a different way of doing things. We bow, we sit, we stand, we kneel, we
cross ourselves, we turn, we come forward, we speak
together. These are not things you do in your living room on a typical night! And we do them in the presence of our
Saviour King, who is here for us! And so we must learn. The culture of the
church and the liturgy isn’t natural for anyone – we all must learn it. That’s not a bad thing. That means it doesn’t
belong to any one group of people. It belongs to us all. We all become here a
part of something bigger than any one of us. And so we must learn. What do
these words mean? What is this order of service? What are these gifts? How do
we participate in the life of God given to us here? And that’s exactly what the six parts of the
catechism teach.
First, the Ten Commandments show us our sin and teach us how to confess. Then
second, that we not be left in the despair of our sin, the Apostles’ Creed teaches us of God, who He is, what He has done for
us and is still doing for us, as our Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier. Then,
like all disciples, we need to learn how to pray (Luke 11:1) – how to speak to our God and call on
His promises. And so next we learn of the Lord’s
Prayer. Then come the gifts of God – how He gives us the forgiveness, life,
and salvation He has promised to give us. First is the gift of Holy Baptism, by which we become
children of God, and in which we live every day of our Christian lives. Then in
Confession and the Office of the Keys
we learn of the authority that Christ has given to His church on earth to
forgive sins, and of the pastors He gives to His church to give these gifts in
His stead and by His command. And then finally is learned the Lord’s Supper, the culmination of every
Divine Service and of the catechism as well. That each week we are privileged
to receive not mere bread and wine,
tokens of an absent Saviour – but the
very body and blood of Jesus, really here
for me, placed into my mouth and poured over my lips.
And so what we believe
(as outlined in the catechism) is enacted
and lived (in the Divine Service). It is one and the same. For if doctrine
is not lived, it is of no value. If doctrine is dry, dead stuff in a book, it
will quickly be forgotten. If doctrine is just the stuff of pastors and church
professionals, then it is not for me. .
. . But I pray that what I’ve taught
you, Michael and Robbie, is that it is
for you. For Christ is for you. Doctrine matters because Christ matters.
And so I pray that you will live what you’ve learned
all the days of your life. For the Divine Service is the beating heart of the
Christian life. As the heart keeps pumping blood to keep the body alive, so the
Christian keeps coming back to the Divine Service to keep the soul alive. To
receive the faith and forgiveness we need, and then take that faith and
forgiveness out into the world. A world which is not an easy place to live as a
Christian. To live a life that will be filled with struggle, doubts, fears, and
questions, as we heard
But so is your Saviour, who came to die your death
and be consumed on the cross, that in His resurrection you have His life. And
to that life and victory Jesus called us today, when He said: “Come
to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my
yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you
will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
And so as you have done so often through your
childhood days, so you will now continue to do – come to your Saviour Jesus
here, in the Divine Service. You will come heavy laden with your sins, and He
will remove them and give you rest. You will come and learn of Him, for your
learning is not over, but just begun. You will come and find rest in His gifts
and promises. You will come and find a gentle, lowly Saviour, who knows all
your struggles. You will come and find a Saviour who frees, feeds, and forms,
and has promised to always do those things for you. And you will come and find
others just like you; your family of faith here. They are here for you and you
for them. You, and each one of them, carefully chosen
and brought here by our Saviour, in this time and place, not by accident, but
for a reason. They will support you, comfort you, rejoice with you, cry with
you, and receive the body and blood of our Lord here with you. The church, and this church, are gifts of God, for you and for
us all.
For here, Behold, your king is coming to you;
righteous and having salvation. Coming to you because He loves you.
Coming to you because He wants to be with you, and wants you to be with Him
forever. How awesome is the place the King comes to dwell; where He comes not
to accuse but to forgive; where He comes not to be served, but to serve and to
save. Robbie and Michael, come now and confess this
King, and the faith you have received from Him. Come now and join us at the
King’s Table. Come now, and always, for your King is here for you.
In the name of
the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Now the peace of God which passes all
understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus, our
Lord. Amen.