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Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the text for this celebration of the sixth Sunday after Easter, as well as confirming our seven youth this morning, comes from the Gospel reading. You may be seated.
What we started last August, we finished this morning: almost a Sunday in, Sunday out review of the small catechism and the chief teaching of the Scriptures about the Christian faith—not the Lutheran faith, but the Christian faith, that which the church has taught since the beginning. These teachings are the only foundation upon which these young people and you have built your faith. As brothers and sisters, we’ve agreed that these things ought to be taught to our youth. I’m thankful for that.
But this is also what we’ve agreed to as a parish family: that we would teach these things so that they would approach the altar of God and participate with His very flesh and blood in confidence and in joy of their forgiveness and of what they believe to be the only true faith, the Christian faith.
Now these parents that you see next to their children or near their children… They’ve been praying anywhere between 12 and 14 years for their confirmand, who is in a white robe and looking as handsome or as beautiful as ever. Just like you were prayed over when you were confirmed, whether you were confirmed as an adult or whether you were confirmed as a youth.
But one thing will become clear to these parents, as it was clear to you and as it was clear to your parents, is that you are a Christian. Your ability to influence your young person is quickly fleeing. Soon they will be spreading their own wings and starting their lives separate from us as parents, just like we did from our own parents.
At one time, it’s exciting, just like it was for you when you left the nest. And then it becomes hard when your own child leaves the nest because that’s what you’ve completely surrounded your life around: raising those babies. But Jesus makes it very clear of this very intimate union that he has grafted your baby, your young man or young lady, as he grafted you. This intimate union between himself and you all began at their baptism.
As we grow older, we kind of become aware or come to realize that we’re getting to be that generation. And you know which one I’m speaking of. The one in talking to my parents when they said, when their parents died, my grandparents, they realized and said, “Wow, you know, we’re now that generation. No one’s older than us.” And in fact, they said, “You know what? We’re now orphans, aren’t we?”
As we grow older, we begin to realize the transientness of this life and how we’re that generation. And isn’t it interesting that Jesus’ words that he used in this morning’s text? He uses that word orphan, which means without a parent, without someone to care for you. And no matter how old you get, isn’t it a wonderful thought to know you get to see your mama and your daddy one more time in heaven for eternity? Because no matter how old we get, that relationship with our mama and our daddy never ends, even when we’re that generation.
That’s part of why that generation to enter upon is scary: because you’ve got no one else to look to for advice. How did they handle that? What did they do? And what is in store for us? Jesus says, “I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you.” Thank you, Lord, because as parents, we give thanks to God for the gift of Him never leaving our children after we’ve gone as orphans, when they become that generation. Just as He will never leave you and me after our parents have died, and we’ve become orphans and are of that generation.
Jesus’ words are very comforting. And isn’t it an interesting concept, this whole gift or calling that God has given to mothers and fathers as parents? The reason I say it’s an interesting vocation or calling is because, well, you know, your whole life is consumed ensuring that your baby grows up healthy, happy, and joyful, trained up, and all these things that you do. And then you think, and I think in our minds, that when they sprout those wings and fly away, the worry that we had as mothers and fathers when they were little will also fly away with them. It doesn’t, does it? It changes the worry. It changes the concern
