Advent with Confirmation

Traditions are good for teaching, but apart from the content of what is taught, they have no innate value beyond the sentimental. I'm not against traditions, I hold them very dear. I just believe that they are not so sacred as to be above change, omission or skipping for a time. This year we did something different at Zion. It kind of just fell together and wasn't planned out as much as it was an accident that worked out just fine.
On the first Sunday in Advent we used "Red" paraments!
My purpose was not to raise eyebrows or ruffle feathers. I just superseded one tradition in place of another. In fact, my vacancy parish was still green when I arrived this morning. With no time to make the switch. I think Advent being early this year caught some by surprise. Back to the home parish...There was this little patch of Advent Blue in the form of a little banner bearing the word "Hope" hanging from the first Advent candle on the Advent Wreath. The hymns were in the Advent section exclusively and the sermon even included Advent from the series A reading of the Epistle to the Romans chapter 13.
Today we celebrated not only the announcing of Christ's return in Glory, but also Confirmation. I entertained the notion for a little while to compromise the red and the blue with purple, but thought we'll keep some focus on the Rite the kids are going through right now. Two of the three were my own. Now all six of our children are now opening their hands to receive the very body of Christ and drinking from the Cup for the forgiveness of their sins. What follows is the sermon.

The Epistle Reading: Romans 13:11–14
    Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

Parents work hard to raise their children up right and hope and pray that the lessons they taught on purpose don’t get brushed to the side by the lessons they taught by accident in the weakness of the flesh.
Pastors work hard to teach the congregation in which Christ has set him before in such a way that they learn to see their sin, but in a bigger way to see their savior Jesus’ mercy rather than see either the pastors gifts or his faults and so be distracted one more time by the devil, the world and the sinful flesh.
The Church year begins anew every year at this time to repeat the lessons of God intervening in the history we soiled with our rebellion, the relationships we strained or broke with our selfish desires or tainted the God Work of God with our meager if not out right arrogant attempts to help him along or worse yet, try and do God’s work for him.
Confirmation Sunday is special because it is the Church’s opportunity to see that there is a future because the Word of Christ has been taught to another generation. On the other hand the future of the Church is and always has been Christ’s Work and doesn’t depend on us receiving it in a certain place. We thank God that in his mercy it is going on right here.
The first Sunday of Advent is special because it reminds us of God’s promise to the World and our corner of it that he keeps his promises to rescue and restore. Often the world asks in unbelief, “If there were a god wouldn’t he rid the world of evil?” To which the Christian responds, “God sent his only Son incarnate into the world to take evil and it’s consequence of separation from the Creator’s declaration of “It is Good” and make sure they were destroyed by dying with the sin of the world upon him on the cross. There is a God, he is good and he has dealt with evil once and for all through his Son Jesus our Lord.. Each generation gets to experience that in the Church and we all get to learn about it every year so that we have no reason to fear death, fear punishment, but rather live in hope and promise.
So, while today has a special recognition for three about to be confirmed. It is also a reminder to you who already have made your public confession of faith and you who will someday that the words you spoke (will speak) are still being upheld by the Holy Spirit. That is, the promises spoken to you at your baptism from the mouth of God himself are still rock solid. They are in Christ who lived died, rose and ascended for you.
Mark and Lorene, I hope that you have been impressing upon Amanda the importance of being prepared as Michele and I have been our kids. This day is not graded nor a pass/fail. It is a confession from our own mouth that the Holy Spirit has been keeping his promise to keep us in the one true faith even though our actions at time don’t profess that very well.  Like any examination preparations must be made and study and learning take place. But Advent is also about more than the approaching holiday season. It is about knowing and acting like Jesus’ promise to return in glory is always about to come to pass.
People of Zion, the end is always near because Christ’s work is finished. The unveiling of his work is delayed so at least one more ear might hear that sins are forgiven and come to faith in Jesus Name, Life, Work, Death and Resurrection. It serves no benefit for us to put off the expression and living of our faith as if it means something only at the resurrection. Such is more foolishness and unbelief because trust in Christ and clinging to his promises are put aside like they are a “use only once” coupon. We have been born of Water, Word and the Spirit, not to play dead with our lives approaching Confirmation or after it, but rather to live in forgiveness, hope, learning and growing, the nurture and admonition of the Lord so that we may claim the prize of life eternal gifted to us today.
Being in Christ means the Father almighty regards us as perfect as his Son. There is therefore every reason to live as his perfect children. Not that we will always act that way, but in this life rejoice in the forgiveness that is Christ for us and all.
So, Catechumens and parents, grandparents, guests and congregation members, do not think for an instant that the rest of life is an easy slide downhill and all cozy. Not only are there persecutions of all kinds for those who are Called by Christ’s name, but there are all kinds of temptations because you today are telling the devil, the world and your own sinful flesh that you have on a big red target. Christians’s don’t need camouflage because Jesus has our back.
Forgiveness, reconciliation and big vintage confirmation certificate do not give you license to grow up and spend your lives making your own wants and desires the rule to live by.
Paul makes a list of sins that are associated with the night. There is an assumption that there is a time when sin can be enjoined without being caught. “He knows when you are sleeping, he knows when you’re awake,” and I’m not talking about Santa Claus. God the Father invested a great deal in procuring your salvation. But he is not watching over you to catch you at doing wrong. He is watching over you to protect you from yourself and all other temptations and failings so that his promise of everlasting life is good today as well as yesterday and tomorrow.
The Church in Rome needed to know as well as us that Jesus did not gratify his own desires but sought to do the will of God the Father. That will was to live and die in your place to give you a good name. Not your own good name, that’s got dirt all over it, but his good name. His triune name of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. You receive that at your baptism. Therefore we put on Christ. It is not an act to get God to look at how good or cute we are. It is believing Christ’s good word that we are forgiven and saved in his name.
Jesus is the son of God. He put on humanity. He took on human flesh to himself. The Son of God clothed himself with the true nature of man and accepted it’s weaknesses including the ability to die and be buried. Jesus took on us. Not as to do battle with us, but to do battle for us on our behalf. He reversed the desires and effects of the first temptation and sin of Adam. Whereas Adam and Eve desired to be like God knowing “good and evil,” Jesus came down to destroy the power of the devil by becoming human flesh and accepting our guilt for sin. He worked backwards Adam’s sinful desire to be God in the most intimate way. He came into the world to be like man in all ways including to die in the world for the sake of our sin.
Therefore Christ in his work desires us to know that while the death of the body is the ultimate expression of the death of the Father’s expression, “And behold it was very good.” is now back on God’s lips that we have been granted the resurrection.
Today we are again invited to the Table of Christ and a set of three with a new way to remember their baptism. Not only are we born from above by the Spirit, but we are feed with Christ who is our inheritance. We are clothed with Christ. His righteousness is ours. +