Confirmation Day

April 27, 2008

“Remembering Your Confirmation”
1 Peter 3:13-22

“Christ suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he
might bring us to God.”
What a wonderful day at PWC—
It is A Day of Celebration—
for it is the Day of Confirmation—
A day that marks the Culmination—the end of three years of
study from the catechism and Scriptures for five young Christians.
Prayerfully, it is NOT a day of GRADUATION—though some
Christians think of it like that—but rather a day that provides
inspiration and even greater motivation to continue to live and learn the
Christian Faith.
Yes, today is a memorable day—A day that these five young
people will look back on remember fondly throughout their lives. But in
case they need help they will have pictures, and a keepsake communion
cup and a prayer book and other gifts.
Those of us confirmed in “The Good Old Days” probably didn’t
get all of this memorabilia. We might have received a bible or a cross—
but we still have fond memories. What do you remember from your
confirmation? Do you remember your pastor? I do—his name was
Willis Schwictenberg. Do you remember some of your classmates? I
had Dean Krizan and Sharon Flater and Marty Wilson. Most
importantly, do you remember what you learned? Do you remember
the explanation to the petitions of the Lord’s Prayer? Do you remember

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any of your bible verses? Do you remember any of the lessons the
pastor taught you? I remember Pastor S. teaching us many things—one
that sticks out is the meaning for the Second Commandment—do you
remember the second commandment? (Thou Shall Not take the Name
of the Lord Thy God in Vain). He used an illustration of pounding a
nail with a hammer—and missing the nail and hitting your thumb
instead—at which time one would likely utter a bad word. And then he
said—“think about what you are saying. You are asking God to take
that hammer and condemn it to an eternity spent in hell. See how silly
that is?”
Most of us have memories of our confirmation—but there is a
more important question than “What DO you remember”—it is “What
WILL you remember?” Based on the lesson for today there are FOUR
essentials that we should each remember—
First—The Word of God. The Word of God that we heard not
when we started into catechism instruction—but that we heard when we
were little. The Word, which, like John the Baptist, we heard in the
womb. The Word which, as Paul reminds Timothy, is able to make us
wise unto salvation. The Word that we do not stop learning, hearing, or
loving when we are confirmed, but that we continue to read, mark,
learn and inwardly digest every Sunday, yes, every day of our lives. It is
this word that reminds us of what is TRULY important on this
confirmation day—not us, but Jesus. And that is the second thing to
remember.
Read verse 18. We tend to think that confirmation day is about
the children being confirmed. It’s a mistake that Christians generally
make—thinking that the faith is about US—that there is something WE

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have done in order to come to faith, or deserve salvation. Actually, it’s
not. It’s about Christ. This verse makes this clear;;
“CHRIST died for sins . . .
CHRIST was brought to life . . .
CHRIST has brought us to God.”
The Christian faith is about us only insofar that we are sinners—the
unjust, as Peter says here—and that we have been brought to God by
Christ through baptism.
This is the 3rd essential point—made here in verse 21—(read) We
are to remember our baptism. Here is a question I like to ask: “What
did you do to be born?” The answer is obvious—nothing. And here is
another similar one—when you were a baby, who fed you, changed you,
taught you, took care of you? Again, a very easy answer—Your parents.
Now apply those questions and answers to the Christian Faith.
What did you do to be born—again? Nothing. God gave you new birth
through the working of the Holy Spirit through the Word in baptism.
That is what the book of Titus so clearly tells us. And who took care of
you when you were a child in the faith? Who prayed with you, brought
you to church and Sunday School, and MADE you come to
confirmation? Probably your parents—but they were doing it on God’s
behalf. And thank God that they were. But now you are assuming that
responsibility—not for your salvation—your justification--that will
always be God’s doing—but for your ongoing growth and nourishment
in the faith—it’s called sanctification. And it leads us to the last point:
Found in verse 15—(read) Remember to live as Christians. There
are two key words here—one is sanctify—It means Holy. Christ has
made you Holy. And because He has you are to live holy lives. This is

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true throughout your Christian life—but is especially important now as
you are preparing to enter a time of testing. There will be all sorts of
temptations to lead you away from Christ and the faith. The old sinful
nature in you will sometimes desire to be led away. But be mindful that
you, your bodies, your lives, are not your own—you were bought with a
price. You belong to Christ. Therefore you are to daily sanctify Christ
in your hearts. The second is Confession.
You are called to MAKE a defense for the hope that is within you.
You have been trained and taught the Truth. As you go through life you
will be given great opportunities to share that truth with others in both
your words and actions. You will have opportunities to tell others what
you believe—don’t be afraid of not knowing what to say—because you
have spent years learning it. For example, you can use the outline of the
Apostles Creed as a means of clearly confessing your faith to others.
You can rely on the Holy Spirit working through the bible passages that
you have committed to memory—right?—to give an answer to one of
your friends who needs help and guidance from God. You can
remember your confirmation verse—which will prove to be more than a
mere decoration, but rather an essential tool in giving an account for the
hope that is within you.
It’s hard to believe, but someday you will be old, like me and your
parents. And when you are you will look back with fond memories of
your confirmation—and maybe of your pastor. I hope that you will do
that frequently—like almost every Sunday—as you are sitting in
church, hearing God’s Word, remembering your baptism, and receiving
His precious gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation. That is what’s most
important for life!

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Amen.