We had a live sermon illustration after the sermon when the confirmands professed their faith in Jesus Christ and joined the church. That event brings with it lots of energy, particularly this year when many of the confirmands had been baptized as infants in the same congregation.
I try to personalize the sermon to the confirmands each year. In a technical way, I personalize it by calling them by name in the sermon. Thematically, I do different things depending on the year. This sermon grew out of some of the questions and challenges the confirmands had throughout the year.
I had originally intended to connect the Revelation passage's mention of Jesus as a witness with Peter saying they were witnesses, but that did not make it to the sermon. If I preached the sermon again, I would probably make note of the Holy Spirit reference in the Acts passage. Either of those changes might have strengthened the sermon yesterday.
“Now What” Revelation 1: 4-8; Acts 5: 27-32 April 28, 2019; Confirmation Sunday; St. Andrew Presbyterian Church, Richard B. Culp,
Acts 5: 27-32 When they had brought them, they had them stand before the council. The high priest questioned them, 28 saying, “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,[a] yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you are determined to bring this man’s blood on us.” 29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than any human authority. 30 The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.”
Introduction:
Greta, Claudia, Charlie, Jacob, Macy, Audrey, Hanna, Caroline, Annie
this sermon is for you as you finish your confirmation experience, and you do not even have to outline it!
Today completes your confirmation experience with you standing before the congregation and professing your faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and making a commitment to serve as his disciples in the world.
After standing up here, looking out at the congregation, and professing your faith in Christ, when you leave church today, you might ask yourself, “now what?”
No more sermon outlines; no more daily Bible readings; no more meetings with your mentor; no more reflection questions; so “now what?"
A question that has both concrete implications, as in now what are you going to do with the little bit of extra time each week; but also in more of a theological implication, as in “now what does it mean about God and God’s claim on my life?”
In fact, “now what?” is the question the early followers of Christ faced as they tried to figure out how to respond to the resurrection.
“Now what?” for them also had concrete and theological implications as well for them.
“Now what?” were they supposed to do in response to the Christ no longer being dead, but resurrected.
And “now what?” did it say about God and what God was doing in their lives.
The book of Acts, which is formally titled, “the Acts of the Apostles” reveals how those early followers answered the question “now what?”
So let’s look at for a few minutes at the passage we read this morning from Acts to get a couple of clues of you might answer the question “now what?’ maybe soon we’ll be writing the next book entitled, “the acts of the confirmands!”
Move 2: “We must obey God rather than any human authority.”
a. That’s what Peter and the apostles tell the council when they are brought before them and questioned as to why they are acting as they are.
1. they had been told not to teach in the name of Jesus Christ and for sure not to be teaching about resurrection.
2. I suppose they could have told fun stories about Jesus — remember that day we were walking to Jerusalem; or remember eating with all the people that day — but no teaching in the name of Jesus or talking about resurrection.
3. Those thoughts got people excited, got them riled up as they began to wonder about what God was doing in their lives; how they could be new creations with lots of possibilities; made them wonder what else God could do since God could even overcome death.
3. the religious authorities want to put to a stop to that kind of thinking, so they had told the followers of Christ not to teach in his name or talk about resurrection.
4. But Peter and the apostles had kept on teaching in the name of Jesus.
5. When challenged again, Peter is not particularly belligerent in his response. He is not trying to prove a point or seize power from the council.
4. He simply notes that their obligation is to follow God, not follow the orders of the council.
c. You profess your faith in Jesus Christ today.
1. Not in some generic way - but in his name.
3. You link your life with him.
4. As you profess your faith today and lay claim to your calling as a disciple of Christ, you are declaring that your ultimate obedience is to God, whom you have come to know through Jesus Christ.
c. that does not mean you no longer have to obey your parents.
2. Or that the rules at school no longer apply.
3. or that the laws that govern us no longer have authority over you.
4. Peter and the apostles were not trying to get around rules and obligations but were trying to explain how everything they did now grows out of their belief in the God who resurrects.
5. you will soon publicly declare your commitment to following Christ.
6. A commitment that when you make decisions about how you will act, or what you will for or not do, or what you want to do with your life, you also will see it as a response to the God who resurrects.
d. When we baptize infants in this congregation, we often note that the parents have all sorts of hopes and dreams for the baby, but in that moment they do not know what the future will hold for their child.
1. we do know that one desire of the parents and the community of faith is for the baby to grow up to profess Jesus Christ as his or her Lord and Savior.
2. Today you have grown up to that point.
3. YOu confirm the vows your parents made at your baptism.
4. Your parents may have a little bit better idea of how you are as a person (or maybe you have them more confused now than when you were a baby being baptized). Either way, your future is still uncertain.
4. There is still no telling what you might do or who you might become. Your future is full of endless possibilities.
5. But, today you announce to the world that you have decided whatever you do or become, God will be a part of it, and you will look to God for guidance and live your life as a follower of Christ.
Move 3: We also hear Peter tell the council, “we are witnesses to these things.”
a. Trying to figure out the “now what” question when it comes to “I professed my faith in Jesus Christ, now what?” can be rather intimidating.
1. That’s fair.
2. Choosing to follow Jesus Christ is a big deal.
3. That’s fair. Bring to figure out exactly what it means to believe in God or follow Jesus may be overwhelming to us.
4. It will certainly shift over time, so we continually have to rethink what we believe and how we see God at work in our lives and the world.
b. I think Peter gives us a great way of thinking about how we respond — we act as witnesses.
1. You do not have to have it figured out perfectly.
2. You do not have to have the one correct answer.
3. You do not have to convince anyone about who Jesus Christ is.
3. You can act like a witness who has seen something worth telling.
4. Like when you see some weird thing happen in the hallway at school and you tell your friends about it when you get to class. You may not know exactly what took place. But you know what you saw.
5. You may not know everything there is to know about God or following Jesus Christ, but you know how you have seen God at work; you know what it means for you that Christ is resurrected - so you tell others what you have experienced.
c. Witnessing, of course, is more than telling - it is how you live your life.
1. There is a story told about a Civil War chaplain (you all, of course, know that St. Andrew first started during the time fo the Civil War) who encountered a wounded man in the battlefield. “Would you like to hear a few verses of Scripture?” he asked. “No sir, but I am thirsty. Could I please have some water?” After giving him some water, the chaplain again asked about reading a few verses of Scripture. “No sir, not now, but could you put something under my head.” The chaplain did so and then asked again about reading Scripture. “No sir, but I’m cold. Could you cover me up?” the chaplain took off his overcoat and placed it over the wounded man. This time he did not ask about reading scripture and started to walk away. But the soldier called after him, “Look, chaplain, if there’s anything in that book of your that makes a person do for another what you’ve done for me, then I want to hear it.” Carlos Wilton, “A Witness for the Defense,” Theological Web Publishing, LLC,
2. Witnessing through action.
3. As I listened to you share your faith statements Wednesday night with the Session, I was struck how you each connected your belief in God with your own life - whether it be dancing, or your family’s history, or the stars in the skies, or camp experience, or your conversations with parents, or youth group, or mission opportunities, you showed how your beliefs showed up in the particularity of your lives.
4. how you live your lives, both your actions and your words, you do and say at school, on the soccer or football fields, at dance, in band, wherever you find yourself each day - will be your witness to what you believe God has done and is doing in the world.
Conclusion: Now what? Now you live into the incredible possibilities God puts before you - before you Annie, and you Greta, and you Charlie, and you Jacob, and you Hanna, and you Audrey, and you Macy, and you Claudia, and before you Caroline - as you all witness in the name of Jesus Christ.
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