Confirmation of Nathan C. Lorenzen
James 1:22–27
St. John 16:23–33
In the Name of the Father and the + Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In his Epistle, James tells us to be doers of the Word, and not hearers only. That means being a Christian is more than just going to church or claiming to believe in God. You can’t just nod your head and smile on Sunday, and then do whatever you want the other six days of the week. Listening to God’s Word is important, but there’s more to it. You need to do what the Word of God tells you. You must put your faith into practice.
Be doers of the Word, and not hearers only. What’s implied here is that you do have to be a hearer of the Word first. In order to know what you should do, you also need to listen and learn. That’s what a Catechumen is—one who is instructed in the Word. This Christian learning must be the basis for our Christian doing. This is a good message for Nathan, on the day of his confirmation—a day when he begins to put into practice what he has heard. And this is also for all of you, if you call yourself a Christian: hear the Word and do the Word.
James’ Epistle warns us though about how easy it is to forget what we have heard: like with looking in a mirror—the image doesn’t stick with us. It makes me think of how I check my phone to see what time it is, and then two seconds later I realize I don’t remember what I saw and I still have no idea what time it is. These are human examples, but forgetting what we’ve heard from God is a far deeper problem. And it’s not just a natural forgetfulness, as in a symptom of old age. It’s not just something to shrug off and say, Gosh, I’m so forgetful, oh well. No, forgetting God’s Word is a sin, and it comes from a sinful heart that does not want to remember what it has heard and does not want to do what it has heard.
This sinful forgetfulness means we must never stop being hearers of the Word. We don’t graduate from the Catechism. We need to hear God’s Word of Law and Gospel again and again, spoken in different ways and at different times of our lives. What we heard one day might strike us in a completely new way another time, because each time we hear God’s Word, the Holy Spirit is at work using the Word to create and nurture our faith. We need to be instructed by God more and more so that we remember what to do, so that we know how to do the Word in our lives.
Being doers of the Word means more than just being nice. Maybe that’s it for some man-made religions. But the Christian religion is more than that. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. Serving others who are in trouble—not when it’s comfortable or convenient for you, but when your neighbor needs you—that’s one of the ways to be a doer of the Word. And staying away from the temptations of this sinful world—saying no to what the people around you are saying yes to, standing up for what you believe, living differently, living the way God tells you to live—that’s also how to be a doer of the Word.
Turns out being a Christian is not exactly easy. Being a hearer and doer of the Word is a struggle. It’s a struggle against the devil and the sinful influences in this world. And it’s a struggle against yourself and the sinful desires you come by naturally. But if you are doing this struggle, then that is a sure sign you truly are a hearer and a doer of the Word. Christians have a new attitude on life. We are not perfect, but we have a different perspective. We don’t want our sin, in fact, we hate our sin. And when we do desire and enjoy our sin, we hate that. Christians want to be hearers and doers of the Word. We want to hear and do what is right. We want to struggle. But it’s hard, and we could never do it on our own.
In a little bit, Nathan will be asked to make some promises that every confirmed Christian has made: Do you intend to hear the Word of God and receive the Lord’s Supper faithfully? Do you intend to live according to the Word of God, and in faith, word, and deed to remain true to God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, even to death? Do you intend to continue steadfast in this confession and Church and to suffer all, even death, rather than fall away from it? (LSB p.273) And the answer for each question is: I do, by the grace of God. Only by God’s help can we keep these promises. And only God’s grace can cover us when we fail to keep them.
Being a faithful hearer and doer of God’s Word is not easy for a poor miserable sinner. But Jesus tells us, Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. Here is your Lord’s command to pray and His promise to answer you. So, in the face of difficulty, in view of how hard it is to be a Christian, recognizing that you need so much from your heavenly Father—pray. Pray, lest you fall into temptation. Ask for the strength to resist sin and choose what is good and right in God’s eyes. Pray that God would keep you in the faith that He has already given to you for free. He gave His only Son into death to save you, so it is His desire that you stay firm in the faith of Jesus Christ. Pray that you would be His servant in this life, His servant for the others around you. Ask for His blessing and protection as you do the tasks He has given you to do in your place in life.
And then, once you have prayed, be ready to receive God’s answer. Jesus promised that you will receive so that your joy may be full. So go to the places where God delivers His grace and help and joy. Go to your Pastor to confess, get the burden of sins off your shoulders, and hear the Word of forgiveness spoken by the pastor as from God Himself. And go to the Supper that your Lord prepares for you, where He meets with you, gives Himself to you, to cleanse you and make you holy by His true body and blood. These things are some of God’s answers to prayer, if we would but receive them. And if we receive these answers to prayer, these gifts will help us to better recognize God’s other answers to prayer. In the Means of Grace, He gives us the free gifts our Lord won for us by His death and resurrection. In the Word and the Sacraments, our Lord shares His victory with us so that we may live like Him.
Being a hearer and a doer of the Word is not easy. Jesus said, In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart, I have overcome the world. Jesus’ death conquered our sin, our death, and the devil. His resurrection has brought His life and light to all who believe. Nothing can overcome Jesus. And nothing can overcome those who trust in Jesus.
So, when Nathan gets confirmed today, we recognize that it was the Lord Jesus who has been teaching Him, making Him a hearer of the Word. And it is the Lord who will be helping Him to continue as a doer of the Word. The same goes for all you Christians. It is the Lord Himself who will keep you unstained from the world. He forgives and He makes holy. As you continue to be hearers of the Word you will be reminded and strengthened to know that it is the Lord who began a good work in you. So, He will also give you the power to be a doer of the Word, for He will bring His good work in you to completion.
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
In the Holy + Name of Jesus. Amen.
