i couldn't, though i'm beginning to

& somehow, i see / it's free

A sermon for the confirmation of Chase & Jack:

Chase, Jack, dear brothers in Christ, welcome to the faith!

Did that sound odd? I bet it did. I bet it did, but I want you to know I meant it. And, what’s more, the peculiarity of that sentence is no accident, either.

Herein lies your first lesson today: Faith is not intuitive. On the contrary, faith is counterintuitive. The more strange, the closer you are to that blessed and mysterious beating heart of faith. With any luck, you’ll find yourself saying, “How odd of God” many times. 

With that, we’ve come upon our second lesson for today: Faith is not a program. And faith is not a formula, either. Faith is not a way to hide from life. And neither is faith a guide to make the confusing twists and turns of reality fit into a predetermined mold. 

No, faith doesn’t tell you what lies ahead. Truth be told, real faith really wants nothing to do with that kind of chicanery. No, faith allows you to view the muddled past with mercy. And it helps you to peer into a dark future with hope, too. In short, faith doesn’t tell you what to do. No, it does something much better! Faith gives you the courage to actually live amid all the uncertainty! And honestly, that’s most of life.

Oh, dear brothers, Chase and Jack, live! Live! This is a big deal. I know it sounds obvious. But in the trenches of life, it is anything but.

The truth is, there are many forces that would hold you back from life. And should they have their way, you will review your life one day and realize you never lived a moment of it. Chase and Jack, believe me, this is common. The Bible tells of it. And newspapers are filled with this sad story, too.

And, just to be clear, often, these forces that would keep you from living while you live seem reasonable. And as good midwesterners, you will be trained to love nothing more than reasonability and pragmatism. Well enough. But do not let that become your god. It can’t deliver. It can’t deliver. But it can stop a life cold in its tracks!

…Chase and Jack, *this is, as the old prayer puts it, a wonderous life. Live it! Yes, this life can be frightening. And it can be heartbreaking, too. But nevertheless, do not disdain it!

Yes, you’ll take your licks. In fact, you’re old enough now. Aren’t you? You already know life isn’t always gentle.

Well, I’m here to tell you, that’s ok. It’s normal even. This is a fallen world. It’s not perfect. No one gets out alive. 

Trust me on this. And if you don’t trust me, fine. But *take a look around. *Sisters and brothers, please turn to Chase and Jack. Now, let me ask you, have any of you gotten through this life without a scrape or two?

They haven’t. Have they? Do you get it? It’s common! We all have tough breaks and sore spots, too.

*A quick aside here, Chase and Jack, you are part of the church. This means you are not in this alone. We are all your brothers and sisters. You are a part of a family.

And this family, it’s a big one, too. On account of your baptism, you are a member of the church universal. There is no church you don’t belong in. You can walk into any church, and they’re all over. And when you do, you can be assured you belong. There is now nowhere you can go where you don’t have a place you can land.

On that, if you ever see the church trying to put up walls, don’t let them. And please, if you ever see us doing this, don’t let us. Remind us of this moment. Remind us of that big, broad, and audacious mission of Jesus Christ, to make disciples of all peoples!

While we’re on it, let me say another thing about belonging to the church. It also means you don’t have to fashion your life out of whole cloth! The church offers the example of the saints. This family, it transcends even death! In Christ, the dead are not dead! And by the Holy Spirit, you can look to them when you’re unsure what to do next. 

You don’t have to make up your life. You have us here to help you discover the moves. And you have the rest of the church, too! You don’t have to invent yourself. God has already done that!

Chase, God has made Chase out of you! And Jack, God has made Jack out of you! Your job, if you want to call it that, is simply to be the wonderful you God has already made out of you! As Saint Irenaeus said, the glory of God is human fully alive.

…Ok. I think that’s everything about the church. But where was I? Oh yeah! I was talking about the rough patches of life.

Chase and Jack, when life goes sideways, the old satanic foe will want you to believe it means something is defective. But all it really means is you’re really living this life that sin has really monkeyed up. So when that happens to you, because it will, go ahead and lick your wounds. Lean on your friends. Take a day. But by all means, do not stop there!

For starters, ask for forgiveness if you’re in the wrong. The world will tell you never to do this. But that’s only because the world knows nothing of the Savior God raised from the dead. In Christ, you don’t always have to be right. Honestly, in Christ, you can be something better, a real-life, flesh and blood sinner. 

And yes, sinners sin. But in Christ, you have been redeemed! And on account of that, you need not be afraid! Chase and Jack, in Christ, you are free from sin! You are so free you can ask for forgiveness! 

So if the trouble is your fault, do that! Ask for forgiveness. And don’t be stingy with giving forgiveness, either! Make sure to play fast and loose with mercy! It’s the best! 

Don’t hold grudges! Forgive your friends. And forgive your enemies, too! As Abraham Lincoln once asked, “Do I not destroy my enemy when I make him my friend?” Chase, Jack, in Christ, you hold that power! Put it to good use! Got it?

But then, do the truly courageous thing! Carry on! Pray! And for God’s sake, get yourself in church! In other words, live! Live

Yes, I know that may not sound like much. But I’m here to tell you, it is! It’s heroic. It’s what makes the church tack saint onto your name. To put it short, it’s what life is really made of! 

Chase and Jack, I came here a young man. I was naive. I thought life was one adventure after another. I thought it was one success after another. 

And sure, I figured there’d be struggles, too. But I thought the struggles would just be the backdrop to real action. Well, let me tell you, nothing could be further from the truth! The truth is, the real deal is dusting yourself off, limping back to church, and keeping up heart and hope. 

The world will try to drain this out of you, too. And if you let it, you will have settled for a shabby imitation of life. You will know nothing of tenderness and mercy. And you will not know the joy of receiving these miracles, either.

…Listen, I know I’m laying it on thick, but this is serious business! Chase and Jack, your life is not a project. And neither is it something to optimize. And should you try, you will begin to die though you live.

I don’t want that for you. Neither do any of us. And neither does your mother, Sarah. But most importantly, God isn’t holding back from you. God has laid this life before you so that you might have life, and have it abundantly!

In Christ, you have the goods! And furthermore, by the Holy Spirit, you have what gives the verve to dare to take hold of the goods, too! I’m talking about, of course, faith. Yes, faith. Faith is turnkey to life.

If you don’t remember anything else, remember this: faith doesn’t shrink from life. No, it takes the next step into it. Faith clings to God through thick and thin. As Martin Luther said, “Faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace, so sure and certain that a believer would stake their life on it a thousand times.”

Yes, we often do this with no small amount of trepidation. I have “with fear and trembling” tattooed on my arm. And the great Danish Lutheran philosopher and theologian, Søren Kierkegaard, wrote a book describing fear and trembling as the disposition of faith itself! But the point is, faith doesn’t remove worry. Faith just doesn’t let fear have the last word. That belongs to God, and God alone.

Chase and Jack, that is the art of faith. And I use the word “art” intentionally. Faith is not a science. It’s more like a dance than a march. And the trick of it is getting the rhythm.

Let me tell you, it’s a lovely rhythm. When you catch it, you get amorous for it! There’s nothing better! But the important part, the essential thing, is that by the baptism your mother carried you to, you have been brought into this party! 

Chase and Jack, you are free! You are free from all the forces that deny the dance. And still more, you are filled with the power of this sacred celebration, too: Christ’s Holy Spirit! That’s right, the Holy Spirit! Don’t forget, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit at your baptism.

…The Holy Spirit is not some amorphous thing, as some Christians suppose. No, the Holy Spirit is, as we are confessing right now—but not right now, as we’re using the Apostles’ Creed for your confirmation—but, as we say in the Nicene Creed, the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit, then, is the spirit of love between the Father and the Son!

And this Holy Spirit of love is so strong and living that it overflows itself! The Holy Spirit is the bond of love between the Father and Son that’s so strong and living that it overflows itself and embraces you and me! And that’s not all! The Holy Spirit is so strong and living that it overflows itself to embrace you and me, and this embrace leads us to embrace God, too! 

But still, there is more! The Holy Spirit of love between the Father and the Son is so strong and living that it overflows itself and embraces you and me. And this embrace, it leads us to embrace each other! And not just each other! No, the Holy Spirit is so strong and living that it overflows itself and embraces you and me, and this embrace leads us to embrace the rest of God’s creation, too!

And that’s not all! The Holy Spirit of love between the Father and the Son is so strong and living that it overflows itself and embraces you and me. And this embrace leads us to embrace even ourselves! In other words, the Holy Spirit of love between the Father and the Son is so strong and living that it overflows itself and embraces you and me. And this embrace leads us to embrace life in all its fullness! And blessed be, is it ever full!

…But that’s another sermon. The truth is, this is all just the tip of the iceberg! Chase and Jack, time would fail me to tell you of all the riches of the faith. So let me leave you with two things. 

First, this world is obsessed with time. For many, time is a god. But here’s the thing: time, too, is a creation. God isn’t confined to time! No, God made time!

And that’s not all! Chase, Jack, God takes time for you. You are not a burden to God. God has all the time in the world, and more, for you!

Secondly, Chase, Jack, dear brothers in Christ, welcome to the faith.

I’m sure that sounds odd. I presume you’re used to being referred to as Jack and Chase. But in Christ, the last are first, and the first are last. That’s what Hannah’s song is all about in today’s Scripture. 

In Christ, there is no pecking order. We all are one. That is why I refer to you as brothers today. You are now equals with the rest of us. 

None of us can claim superiority over you or anyone else. And neither can you claim superiority over others, either. We all are one, gathered around the feet of Jesus in need of mercy. This is what the faith is all about. Welcome to it. 

I’m sure that sounds odd, too. After all, here you are, being confirmed! But your confirmation is not the conclusion to your faith journey. No, it’s just the beginning!

And here’s the last secret: You never get any further than the first day of faith. In Christ, every day is a new beginning! Faith isn’t about making progress. No, faith is simply about coming back to square one. And it’s about coming back again and again.

Christ’s love is so deep and wide, there’s no limit to it! And there’s no end to it, either! You can’t exhaust it! You can only draw nearer to it. 

And in Christ, God doesn’t hold back from you. And in the Holy Spirit, God draws you closer and closer into this never-ending, life-giving, death-destroying love! It’s what faith is all about! And it’s all yours!

…Jack, Chase, may it make Christians, which is just to say humans, out of you. It’s done so for us. And it’s done so for the church throughout the ages, too. It’s the foundation of faith. It’s the rock we’re built upon. 

Our Hymn of the Day is hymn number 652, Built on a Rock. Hymn number 652, Built on a Rock. Let’s sing!