The Sunday of the Passion/Palm
Sunday
Confirmation
"Following Jesus on the Palms/Passion/Suffering!"
Luke 23:44-49
Today's message is proclaimed in
honor of our confirmands;
Riley Ann Bickerstaff, Mitchell Tyler Caris,
Sarah Ruth Duncan, Scott Glenn Duncan, Ryan Jordan Geiser, Jennifer Lee
Wilkins, Ashley Ann Zappone.
Preached at
by Pastor Dennis R. King
The Grace and Mercy of our Lord,
Jesus Christ, be with you all. Amen.
Riley, Mitchell, Tyler, Sarah,
Scott, Ryan, Jennifer, and Ashley today you will be confirmed. In a few moments
we will have the deacons bring crosses forward and we will nail each one of you
to one of those crosses and lift you up before the congregation while you
repent of all sins you have ever committed in catechism class. We have
specially prepared nails for the occasion. Now if you think that is a true
statement you missed the most important point of your catechism instruction.
You see Jesus already died on that cross for you and for me. And certainly God
knows you are not perfect. But despite your imperfections, despite your hidden
sins, despite your shortcomings, God knew and knows exactly what you need.
In the early days of the automobile
a man owned a Model-T Ford. While he was driving one day, it stalled in the
middle of the road. He could not get it started no matter how hard he cranked
nor how much he tried to advance the spark or adjust things under the hood.
Just then a chauffeured limousine pulled up behind him, and a wiry, energetic
man stepped out from the back seat and offered assistance. After tinkering for
a few moments the stranger said, "Now try it!" Immediately the engine
leaped to life. The well-dressed individual then identified himself as Henry
Ford. "I designed and built these cars," he said, "so I know
what to do when something goes wrong." God, as our creator knows not only
what our needs are but also how to "fix" us when our lives are broken
by sin. You will want to stay close to Him.
May your confirmation instruction
remind you to call on Him often! May you remember The Ten Commandments, The Apostle
Creed, The Lord's Prayer, and those important things about Baptism, Communion,
and Forgiveness of sins all the days of your lives or at least during those
moments when you do not know where else to turn.
In our Gospel lesson for today as
Jesus is dying on the cross. Jesus prays. He simply prays, "Father, into
your hands I commit my spirit." This is not a deep, long, theological
prayer. In fact it is a simply Jewish prayer taken from Psalm 31:5 that Jesus'
mother probably taught Him as a little baby boy. "Into Your hands I commit
my spirit." The rest of the prayer is "Redeem me, O Lord, the God of
truth." As a small child Jesus would pray with His mother as night drew
near. It brought reassurance, hope, comfort, and peace. It reminds me of a
prayer I was taught and maybe some of you have learned it as well.
"Now I lay me down to sleep.
I
pray the Lord my soul to keep
If
I should die before I wake
I
pray the Lord my soul to take."
Jesus makes that simply prayer His own as He adds the word,
"Abba," father to the beginning of it. There would be no mistake into
whose hands Jesus was committing His Spirit. He was committing His Spirit into
His Heavenly Father's hands. Into whose hands will you commit your spirit? Into
whose hands will you, Riley, Mitchell, Sarah, Scott, Ryan, Jennifer, and Ashley
commit your Spirit? Will you trust your spiritual care to just yourself. Will
you say to yourself "I can make it on my own?" Will you let God
follow you down whatever path you should choose? Into whose hands will you
commit your spirit? Will you commit your spirit to the cards? Will you trust
your spirit to the luck of the draw? What will you get? Will you follow a path
that surely will fail? Into whose hand will you commit your spirit? Will you
trust your spirit to those who have a crystal ball? Those fortune tellers who
will gaze into that crystal ball and say, "Oh, Yes, Yes, Here it is! It is
coming in real clear. I can see them in the future!" (2011 State Softball
and Baseball Champions) Will you trust your life to the path of fate?
"Whatever will be will be?" If you are not careful you will find
yourself in the devil's hands. Into whose hands will you commit your spirit?
Colin Chapman in his book entitled "The Case for
Christianity" quotes a bishop from
Their faces were all
alight with an unmistakable glow and radiance. Before we could say anything,
one of them burst out: "Bishop, thank you for coming! I wanted to tell
you. The day I was arrested, in my prison cell, I asked the Lord Jesus to come
into my heart. He came in and forgave me all my sins! Heaven is now open, and
there is nothing between my God and me! Please tell my wife and children that I
am going to be with Jesus. Ask them to accept Him into their lives as I did."
The other two men told similar stories, excitedly raising their hands, which
rattled their handcuffs.
I felt that what I needed to do was to talk to the
soldiers, not to the condemned. So I translated what the men had said into a
language the soldiers understood. The military men were standing with guns
cocked and bewilderment on their faces. They were so dumbfounded that they
forgot to put the hoods over the men's faces! The three faced the firing squad
standing close together. They looked toward the people and began to wave,
handcuffed and all. The people waved back. Then shots were fired, and the three
were with Jesus.
We stood in front of them, our own hearts throbbing with
joy, mingled with tears. It was a day never to be forgotten. Though dead, the
men spoke loudly to the entire world, so that there was an upsurge of life in
Christ, which challenges death and defeats it."
The next Sunday, the bishop was preaching to a huge crowd
in the hometown of one of the executed men. Again, the feel of death was over
the congregation. But when he gave them the testimony of their man, and how he
died, there erupted a great song of praise to Jesus! Many committed their lives
to the Lord.
Will you, each of you commit your lives to God in Christ
Jesus, anew this day? Will you continue to grow in your understanding of God's
love and forgiveness for you? And will you share it with others? Will you never
forget Jesus? Will you always remember Him as the One who suffered and died for
you? The one who took upon Himself my guilt and yours, and in the taking, He
has freed us.
In His dying, Jesus has assured each of us a place in the
presence of a loving Father forever. In the words of Dwight L. Moody,
"Some day you may hear of my death. Don't you believe a word of it! At that
moment I shall be more alive than I am now. I will have gone up higher, out of
this old body into a house that is immortal, a body that death cannot touch,
that sin can not taint, a body fashioned like unto His glorious body." As
for me, I was born in 1949. I was born again by the Spirit on Feb. 21, 1950. I
affirmed that birth on Pentecost Sunday, May 26, 1963 and many other times
since then as well. That which is born of the flesh will die. That which is
born of the Spirit will live forever. May that knowledge free you as it has me
to commit yourself to the Lord and to truly LIVE the abundant life God has in
store for you in Christ Jesus.
Who knows what that might be? If you use the gifts and
talents that God has given to you, if you pray to Him, if you ask Him for His
help and guidance, you might be surprised what might happen.
Let me just tell you a story. In 1966 there was a
university that had a basketball team. I know how much some of you like to play
basketball. This basketball team had a reputation. They were small. They were
so small that the news media labeled them "Rupp's Runts." They played
for
It just goes to show you that God knows your needs. He has
given you gifts and talents. Use them.
Place yourself in His hands and live and unbelievable things will happen
in your life.
Please join with me in praying. "Abba, Father, into
Your hands I commit my spirit." Amen