I preached this sermon a week ago on the day confirmands professed their faith in Jesus Christ (one of whom was baptized) and joined the church. I wanted to suggest to them that as they lay claim to their faith on their own, they will continually be making choices for how they live out their profession of faith.
It preached a bit differently than it is written, but I can't really remember what changes I made in process, in part because I have waited a week to post the sermon notes.
It preached a bit differently than it is written, but I can't really remember what changes I made in process, in part because I have waited a week to post the sermon notes.
“Choosing What Fits” April 29, 2018, SAPC, Denton; confirmation Sunday
Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go toward the south[g] to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a wilderness road.) 27 So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28 and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to this chariot and join it.” 30 So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 He replied, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. 32 Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this:
“Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter,
and like a lamb silent before its shearer,
so he does not open his mouth.
33
In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who can describe his generation?
For his life is taken away from the earth.”
34 The eunuch asked Philip, “About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” 35 Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. 36 As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?”[h] 38 He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip[i] baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he was passing through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.
Introduction: Christian, Rylie, Eta, and Tristan. Sermon written for you. That means when I was working on this sermon had your faces in my head, knowing that I would be preaching this sermon on the day you profess your faith in Jesus Christ.
Sometimes I ask people to share about their confirmation experience. you should have lots of stories to tell.
One story I remember was an elder who had gone through confirmation in 6th grade. Back when he was confirmed, they had to memorize the Heidelberg Catechism. On the day he was to meet with the Session, he was playing baseball in the neighborhood and got his on the head with a baseball. Woozy from the knock on the head, he describes being dizzy as he met with the Session and not really knowing what he was saying, but somehow his rote memory kicked in and he was able to spit out the the first few answers of the Heidelberg Catechism, which was enough to satisfy the Session.
at St. Andrew, we want confirmation, that process leading to the day you profess your faith in Jesus Christ, to be more than some memorized answers that a dazed 6th grade boy could handle.
So last fall we invited you, it might have felt like a demand, for you to practice some of what it meant to be a disciple of Christ.
a. to pray regularly and at times in front of other.
b. to engage in Christian fellowship by being part fo the youth group and having a mentor walk alongside you in confirmation.
c. to participate in some hours of mission work
d. To read the Bible regularly and answer some reflections questions
e. To come to worship often and outline sermons as a way of engaging God’s word
f. You have also learned a bit of theology and some Presbyterian stuff too.
g. the you have done these things.
1. maybe not exactly as outlined last fall, but you completed these activities.
2. You have a sample of what it means to a disciple of Christ to choose.
3. And today you choose to profess Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
Being a Christian, a follower of Christ, fits with who you are.
Move 2: Choosing that Christ fits for you today is not the end, but the beginning of your journey.
a. You will continue to deepen your faith and have opportunities
b. You will choose what fits in how you live out your calling as a disciple of Christ.
c. Prayer
1. sometime you remembered; sometime you forgot and had to ad lib, or someone was not there and you volunteered to prayer in their place.
2. Prayer is open communication with God.
3. Sometimes you will be prepared as you turn to God, knowing what you need God to hear, or knowing where you want God to be at work.
4. sometimes you will be called on to pray unexpectedly; the situation demands a prayer, and you are the one who is looked to or agrees to pray.
5. You know God; you know that God invites us to pray; make prayer a priority and do not be afraid to offer yours prayers.
d. Christian fellowship.
1. You have been involved in community throughout the confirmation process: sharing with each other as you have gone through confirmation; being part of youth group; having a mentor.
2. Notice the how community shows up in the story we read in Acts.
3. Phillip gets sent by God to the Ethiopian eunuch - notice how God sends people to be in relationship with us, particularly when we need it.
4. notice how the Ethiopian opens himself up to community.
5. when Phillip asks if he understands, the Ethiopian says, “How can I understand unless someone guides me?”
4. he is willing to ask for someone else's insights.
5. He is willing to ask for help.
6. Instant community.
7. community shaped by those who can help joining with those who need help in the moment.
1. Of course, that kind of community means admitting that you do not have it all figured out. It also means you are willing to help someone else who does not have it figure out.
2. Acknowledging that someone else might know something that matters.
3. As you follow Christ, I hope you will welcome those God sends into your life as partners on your journey.
4. i also hope you will recognize when God is sending you into someone else’s life.
e. Mission
1. Today is a personal moment when you lay claim to your faith in Jesus Christ.
2. But that personal affirmation sends you into the world in a very puli way to serve others.
3. Your profession of faith is not a hiding place, but a jumping off point for your engagement of the world.
f. Bible
1. The Ethiopian actually has a scroll of Scripture.
2. Remarkable. Rather unusual. Probably points out his connections to power or wealth.
3. No pew Bible to read; or Bible the church gives; no Kindle or iPhone or iPad.
4. You have spent time reading Scripture. I hope you will keep reading.
5. It’s not always easy to understand, so study it, and when you can, study it with others and learn from them.
6. Spend a lot of time discussing how to interpret the Bible, but remember this - The Reformed tradition maintains that the truth of Scripture is discovered when it reveals God's liberating truth to us (see Faith Seeking Understanding, by Daniel Migliore, particularly his chapter on the authority of Scripture, pp. 40-55).
7. This does not mean that Scripture does not call us to accountability or act as a corrective in our lives.
8. We cannot read the prophets, for instance, and not recognize how God calls us to change our ways.
9. But it means that our interpretation of Scripture must reveal God’s saving grace, or we might have it wrong.
1. If we find that our interpretation is oppressing others (remember how slave owners used the biblical text to support slavery);
3. Or if our interpretation is beating others up (or leading us to beat ourselves up), we probably need to listen again.
g. sermons/worship
1. notice that the story about the Ethiopian eunuch and Phillip begins with the Ethiopian going to Jerusalem for worship.
2. worship is the place we find community, God’s Word, the push to go into the world - all in one place each week.
3. Keep coming.
4. talked with a confirmand a few years ago who had not been attending church since she joined. She told me she was going to start coming back. Ah, she figured it out. confirmation must have stuck to her. then she told me she had her license and her parents told her she could take the car to church.
5. Today you will profess your faith in worship
6. Eta will be baptized in worship.
7. This is where we discover the God who is alive.
8. Worship is the place where we meet the God who joins with us in the messiness, the joy, the up and down of our lives.
You choose Christ today; and again and again you will choose how and with whom you live out your profession of faith.
Move 3: A final thought God has chosen you and this congregation chooses to stand with you.
a. Literally, the congregation will stand as you profess your faith - a visible sign that they will stand with you day after day.
b. God has chosen you.
And today you profess that God’s choice fits who you are and who you want to be.
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