Holy Covenant United Methodist Church - I Timothy 4:9-12 "A Letter To Our Confirmands"

I Timothy 4:9-12 "A Letter To Our Confirmands"

Written by Rev. Don Lee
Saturday, 29 April 2006
A reading from I Timothy 4:9-12, from the Apostle Paul, Godparent and spiritual mentor, to Timothy. Listen for the Good News. 9The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance. 10For to this end we toil and struggle, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe. 11 These are the things you must insist on and teach. 12Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Dear Confirmands: Consider this a verbal text message on this your Confirmation. For 8 months you have been learning about both the Christian “journey” of faith and what it means to be United Methodist. Granted, this may have not been your idea. No doubt there were Sunday mornings your response to the words, “Wake up, its almost time for church,” was an unapologetic, “No…I’m good!” Not all GOOD things in your life were your idea to begin with. To be a great “anything” takes practice and sacrifice. I recently helped sheetrock a house in New Orleans. It was dirty, smelly, nasty work, leaving me incredibly sore in places I didn’t know even existed… and I would do it again in a heartbeat! So while Confirmation may not have been your idea to begin with, where you stand today is! And I am so proud of you; of your accomplishments, your growth, and your commitment to Christ and his Church. I want to share with you some wisdom on this your Confirmation. Something a bit more profound then say, “Pedro offers you his protection…” or “Grandma called to say “go home” because you’ve been ruining everybody’s lives and eating all our steak!” (it’s a Confirmation thing!) Instead I want to challenge you to remember what you’ve learned and to, (in the words of a popular sports drink) “GET IT IN YOU!” 1) First, Act and Speak in love Okay, so I know it sounds awfully “101” but with millions of Christians in the world, where’s the LOVE? Loving people isn’t easy. And yet the Bible tells us to do it. The Gospel claims there is nothing more powerful then love (I Corinthians 13:13). Love can thwart war, heal the broken, and raise the dead (after all, it got you out of bed this morning!) Jesus claims there is no higher law then love (Matthew 22:37-40). And the Apostle Paul goes as far as to suggest, if you are not loving, you are nothing (I Corinthians 13:2). It takes courage to love! Remember that the next time someone gets in your face! Love is a verb (John 15:9-10)! Remember all those mission projects you did? But, do “love” enough and it will redefine who you are! Your confirmation leaders realize that beyond the “Holy Donut” you may not remember much from class! What they are banking on is that you will remember that they were “there” for you. They did this out of love. Someone, somewhere along the line was there for them too; loved them. It was simply Nancy, Jana, Dante and Fred’s turn to pass it on. Now it’s your turn! If you want to “be something;” if you want to achieve greatness; if you want to change the world….love God, love neighbor (Mark 12:30-31)! Who is your neighbor? Anyone in need (Luke 10:36-37). To truly love is to accept whatever amount of love a person gives. That’s true (unconditional) love. If and when you get there, you will have achieved something great. WHY? This is how God loves…you (1 John 4:12, John 3:16). Act and Speak in love. 2) 2ndly, Act and Speak in faith There are a lot of things you can base your life on; your decisions on. Paul writes, act and speak out of your belief in God’s love for you in Jesus Christ (vs. 12). Your faith will help you keep things in perspective especially when things go south: When they don’t work out the way you’ve planned. The Christian faith says that you matter to God (John 3:16). In your baptism, whether infant or today, God spoke to you (through the church) saying, “You are my child, whom I love, and with you I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). Can you hear the pride in God’s voice? People search their whole lives trying to have three needs met: to belong, to be loved, and to live a life that matters. In your baptism, God claims you already have all three. You simply need to accept your God given identity (2 Corinthians 5:17). Faith is your response to God’s claims. Faith is accepting your God-given identity. When you respond in faith, you proclaim that you belong to God; that God has your love; and that God matters… to you. Act and Speak in Faith. 3) Thirdly, Act and Speak in Purity If you’ve ever cared deeply for someone you know what purity is. Think of it in terms of relationship. As fidelity or faithfulness. Like the friend who stays true to you. Scripture tells us “God is faithful” (Deuteronomy 7:9). God acts and speaks in purity. The word your confirmand leaders use to describe this is grace. God treats all of us better then we deserve (Ephesians 2:8). Grace is God’s sense of justice (Romans 6:14). Remember the Prodigal Son? When he returns homes, he is unconditionally welcomed back with open arms. No opportunity is given for apologies; no conditions are set. Just unconditional acceptance (Luke 15:11-32). That’s God sense of justice. Does that mean, anything goes? Of course not. What it does mean is that no matter how far off a distant place to run away to, God is always ready to receive you back with open arms. I remember running away when I was a child. My big sister, in her infinite wisdom helped me pack. Come to think of it, she did seem awfully helpful! I got as far as the end of the street…hey, it was a tough neighborhood! Like the Prodigal, you LEAVE HOME when you deny that you belong to God (every dream, personality flaw, mole and freckle). As a wise man has put it, “It’s living as though you do not yet have a home and must look far and wide to find one.” -Henry Nouwen, The Return of the Prodigal Son p.37 Doubleday1994 If your journey is like mine, there will be many opportunities to “run away to far off places” in search of love, attempting to prove your worth; to prove that you matter. But if you listen, the still small voice of God within you is calling you back home (I Kings 19:12). This voice claims you have nothing to prove; it reminds you of your identity, of who you are. “YOU” are a precious loved child of God (I John 3:1). How do you know when you are home? Home is more a state of mind then a place. Home is when you live in and thrive on your God created identity. If you think your parents, mentor, godparents, family, church family, friends and pastor are proud of you this morning. Imagine just how proud God is of you! Remember to always act in love, in faith, and in purity. You won’t go wrong. Finally, something about your vocation: Sooner then you think, you’re going to be asked to figure out what you will do with your life; to choose a career. You may have already decided. But let me emphasize that whatever you decide to major in; whatever work you decide to take up; this is not your vocation. Your vocation, in non-church terms is to “GROW UP” (Hebrews 5:14-6:3). The lesson of the Prodigal Son is that we are all called to become like the Prodigal’s parent. You know what a consumer is, right? Were pretty good at that. Your vocation is to give grace, not just consume it (Ephesians 4:29, Colossians 4:18 )! “Grow up.” Fully live out your identity as a child of God (I John 3:1-2). This is the example your confirmand leaders and mentors have tried to set for last 9 months! Learn to “see yourself” in terms of your vocation…you are a child of God, act like it! You’ve been worshipping, praying, serving, giving, working hard. Your confirmation today is just one more step in your journey of faith. That journey that will take the rest of your life It’s popular nowadays to claim your allegiance should be to God, country, and family. Your Christian identity redefines these loyalties. God is not a handful of commands from the pages of a book. God is alive. God lives in you (I Corinthians 3:16). It is this God WITHIN who redefines your fellow countrymen and women as anyone in need; it is God within who redefines your family as the church of Jesus Christ; it is God within whose law of love supercedes all others. We are all tempted to put God’s law of love on the back burner when faced with the evil of our world (terrorists, genocide, murderers, bad stuff). But when you and I do this, we are running away from our identity. You are leaving home for a distant country and things will not seem right. You will feel thin, empty, shallow, because your heart belongs to God (Mark 12:30). And only there, wrapped in the arms of God, close to God’s heart will you find the peace and rest you heart so desperately needs (Matthew 11:28-30). This is what your Confirmand leaders and mentors have been sharing with you. This is your identity. Claim that identity as God has claimed you (John 1:12)!