ALL SAINTS SUNDAY – 05 NOVEMBER 2006
ST PAUL LUTHERAN CHURCH, ABQ NM – the Rev. P. L. Holman
Affirmation of Baptism: Sean Reardon, Hunter Strait, Tory Witt
Isaiah 25:6-9; Revelation 21:1-6a; John 11:32-44
“Imagine a New Earth!”
Martin Luther writes, "[T]he Holy Scriptures call Christians saints and the people of God. To forget that we are saints is to forget Christ and to forget our Baptism." How appropriate for us to be celebrating the decision by Tory, Hunter and Sean to say YES to their Baptism and to promise to follow the Jesus Way, the Christ Light, as full members of God’s church.
This journey of being saints AND the people of God, the journey of faith, is never dull; it is different for each believer. In any season we may be quite at peace with our understanding of God and well connected to a vibrant faith community, at another time perhaps at odds with what we’ve been taught about God and disconnected for some reason from the community that promised to welcome and support us. Those times and seasons happen for faith communities as well. Prevailing winds of social or political challenge as well as scientific development also play a part in how we understand God and who Jesus is, how we understand the call to faithfulness for this time we’ve been given.
The final assignment of the confirmation journey is to prepare a faith statement, to take time to reflect on creation, salvation, and the church.
Sean, Tory and Hunter did just that, and today I share with you their responses NOT because they are perfect, but because they contain a wonderful mix of images and disclaimers, because they articulate the struggles of being saint and sinner, the journeys which are part and parcel of our journey and that of all God’s people. Listen, and imagine how you might have responded…
Tell what you believe about creation.
“I believe that God created the universe, and mankind and he loves us very much. The reason God made us was to test humankind out to see if we would be the dominant species. He tested us in the Garden of Eden, and he will always test humankind during our whole existence. We are God’s children and we will obey and love him as he loves us. He will help us through the hard times in our life and through the easy times in our life, because he loves us. Bottom line: he created us because he loves us.”
“Creation is something no one knows exactly what happened. You have your scientific belief about evolution, the Big Bang, etc. Then you’ve got the religious belief that God created the Earth in six days and the seventh day was to rest. The question is, what do I believe? Truthfully, I don’t have a definite answer for you. What I’ve learned in school and what I’ve learned in church for the most part contradict each other. I’m on a teeter totter. When I’m at school, evolution makes perfect sense to me. Then I go to church, and everything we learn there makes just as much sense. So, to give you an answer, I believe in evolution, but I also believe that God put us on Earth.”
“To put it in few words and make it short and sweet, God is life. Without God there would be no world today. He started everything and ends everything in this world. He created everything on this planet. God started with Adam and Eve and we have evolved from them. I believe everyone is created to do something for a special reason in life. In this life we were created to make wonderful things happen, and God is with us when we do this. “
Tell us what you believe about how we were saved.
“Jesus saved us through the ultimate sacrifice, his life. He gave himself so that we the people are saved from sin. No matter how much you sin you will always be forgiven by God and Jesus. He gave his life for all people no matter who you are, rich or poor, good or bad, black or white -- Jesus gave his life to protect us from sin. I don’t know of anyone today that would go through the pain and suffering Jesus went through to save me or anyone. He accepted his fate and now we should respect that because he didn’t die for just anybody, he died for us.”
“We were saved from our sins because Jesus was hung on the cross to save all of us, every single person in the world that believed in God and his son Jesus. Jesus was hung on the cross and was crucified and descended to hell, then ascended into heaven. After this we were saved from sins. When Jesus saved us from sin it meant that we will sin but it will be forgiven. This way we could go to heaven and live forever. One day Jesus will rise again and judge the living and the dead. Those who believed will go to heaven and those who didn’t will go to hell.”
“The Bible says we were saved by Jesus Christ. I do believe this. Obviously, people didn’t just make up a person who was the son of God and did
amazing things, then put his make believe stories into a book. Jesus was real, and the Bible tells his stories. Jesus sacrificed himself for us, so we no longer have to suffer for our sins. We no longer have to sacrifice animals for our mistakes and wrong doings. Jesus’ stories may not be exactly what happened to him, but he did die and then go to heaven for us.”
Tell us how you understand the work of the church.
“There are many different reasons for the church. The most obvious one is to share our belief in Jesus. We gather at different times through out the week to give thanks and praise to the Lord, whether it be with a group of people, or alone. The church is also a community of people trying to do the best in life that they can. I look around me and see that a lot of people around me have very few morals. I do have morals because I was raised going to church. I would be a completely different person if I had not been taught the character traits that I now have. The church is there for you, good times or bad. The church helps you live a life worth living.”
“The purpose of the church is to help us understand the Bible and Jesus and God’s writings to humankind. The church is to somewhat interpret what the Bible means even though we make our own interpretations on what we believe is right. The church brings many people of the same religion under the same roof so we can worship together. The purpose of the church is to help us on our way to life everlasting. Our journey through life and to heaven, this is what the church is here to help us for. The church means very much to our religion and to my life. The church is around for me and all my brothers and sisters [in Christ].”
“I think that the church is like a Shepard. The Shepard takes care of its flock and also helps lost sheep. I think the church unites all that believe in God and Jesus, and teaches about what Jesus did for us and his teachings. The lost sheep are the new people to the church. God is with these people and is trying to lead them to the church for help and forgiveness. They want to be forgiven of sins and be clean once again like the day they were born. The Holy Spirit leads them to the church keeping the church alive inside them.”
The words of these young people point to the Word alive among us, guiding us through life unto eternal life. They affirm that Sean, Hunter and Tory have struggled and grown in their faith, have been surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses guiding them on this journey (they all named parents as their primary partners on this journey), and we are blessed now to welcome them into full partnership with us in the Body of Christ, the Church. Listen carefully to the scripture passages they have chosen as their confirmation verses. The reasons they gave are as intentional as “I looked for a verse that says what I believe about my life in Christ” to “I chose it because it’s on the back of my ‘Luther Rocks’ t-shirt” (you never know when the Word will speak to you!) Listen, look them up this week and read them in context. You’ll see that Tory’s skips a verse – and if we check out the one that’s missing we find the honest confession that though I was broken and sinful and … and yet her verses embrace that, just as God’s grace embraces all the brokenness in our lives.
God is with us, offering comfort and hope for every day, no matter the pain of illness or death, no matter the brokenness of human judgment or fear. God is with us, lifting us up, shining light on the dimly lit path to wholeness, inviting us to imagine a healed earth, shining with saints marching in to the fullness of God’s glory. Sean, Tory and Hunter, we look to you and your peers now to show us through your faith new ways to imagine God’s reign fulfilled on earth, and to lead the march into God’s glorious future. Thank you. Thanks be to God. Lead on.
Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace you have been saved through daith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God – not the result of works, so that no one may boast.
1 Timothy 1:12 and 14
I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he judged me faithful and appointed me to his service, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
John 6:47
I tell you the truth, whoever believes has eternal life.