[Names]—while I want everyone here today to hear this message, it’s a special message for you [confirmands].

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.

[Names]—you have undergone confirmation instruction. That is the process by which your faith in and knowledge of Jesus, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit is strengthened through further learning. Today, you will declare your belief in what you have been taught, answering the same questions that were answered in your baptisms. Thus, you acknowledge the gift of the Holy Spirit that has been given you.

So, what is the point of the process of confirmation instruction? For one thing all of us in this building should be continually undergoing confirmation instruction. It should never stop. Hearing the Word of God and hearing the faithful preaching of the Word of God—as the Lord commands we regularly do—is confirmation instruction. Attending a faithful Bible class is part of confirmation instruction. Having some form of faithful daily devotion is part of confirmation instruction. By using the word “faithful” in those examples, I mean that one must beware of false teaching. There can be false teaching in preaching, false teaching in Bible class, and false teaching in devotional materials. We can spot false teachers and false teaching by comparing what they say to Scripture. As knowledge of Scripture decreases, the prevalence of false teachers and false teaching increases. In this sense, confirmation is an ongoing thing for God’s people. If it’s not, that should be a concern.

But what is the point of this process of specific confirmation instruction for you—[Names]? To prepare you for the proper receiving of the Lord’s Supper. On the night of His betrayal, Jesus took bread, gave thanks, and gave it to the disciples declaring the bread to be His body given for them. Then, after Supper Jesus took a cup of wine—a goblet of wine. He gave thanks and gave it to the disciples declaring it to be a new testament in His blood—His blood of the new covenant, His blood of the of the new promise of our salvation—shed for the forgiveness of sins. Thus, He established a means of grace—a means by which the Lord gifts us the forgiveness that He won on the cross, a means by which the Lord strengthens our faith in Him—His body and blood sacrificed on the cross as a pledge of our salvation in His name.

It is important to receive proper instruction before partaking of Holy Communion because as St. Paul writes, “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. This is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.” The matter is so consequential that it’s possible to get sick and die from improperly partaking of Holy Communion.

So then, is Holy Communion something to be afraid of? By no means! It’s a blessed gift given by Jesus that should be kept, cherished, and treasured—in a proper manner. [Names], you have been instructed in the teaching of God’s Word (a confirmation instruction that will continue the rest of your lives). You have been taught to recognize and confess your sins. You have been taught that salvation comes by God’s grace—His undeserved kindness—through faith in Christ, and that faith is received and nourished through hearing and believing God’s Word, Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper. You have been taught that the bread and wine given in communion aren’t just bread and wine, but the true body and blood of Jesus is given and received in, with, and under the bread and wine for your forgiveness, life, and salvation. You have been prepared to receive the Lord’s body and blood as you soon will for the first time.

In the end, this is what confirmation is about: receiving deeper instruction in the Christian faith (something that should never ever stop for a child of God) and preparation for the proper reception of the Lord’s Supper (a proper reception that should never ever stop for a child of God). Today isn’t a graduation. The learning doesn’t stop here. In many ways, this is only the beginning.

Therefore, if anything, today is a commencement, which means “to enter upon.” You are entering upon a new phase in your life with Jesus. The Lord Jesus now gifts you Holy Communion—a partaking of Christ’s body and blood. Communion is a word meaning “union with”, and so Holy Communion involves a Holy Union with Jesus whose body and blood we receive and Jesus’ Church whom He says is His spiritual body. Lord willing, this Holy Communion will continue until the day we celebrate the full heavenly banquet with Jesus and all who believe.

As I said at the beginning of this morning’s message, [Names], today you publicly acknowledge the gift of forgiveness, life, and salvation given you by Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit. Scripture teaches that “no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except in the Holy Spirit.” Likewise, Scripture teaches that “faith comes through hearing the Word of Christ” and Jesus Himself says that Holy Spirit is “the Spirit of Truth”, that the Word of God is the “Word of Truth” and that Jesus is “the way and the truth and the life.” They’re all connected and they’re all tied together in God the Father who is revealed by Jesus, through the Word, in the Holy Spirit who illuminates the Word. So, the Holy Spirit working through the Word of God which reveals Jesus as our Savior and Redeemer is so incredibly crucial.

On this day, many, many years ago. God the Father and Jesus His Son sent us the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit empowered a bunch of cowardly disciples to boldly go out into the streets of Jerusalem and preach forgiveness, life, and salvation through the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

This preaching was a huge deal because a lot of the Jewish people were in Jerusalem for a major Old Testament harvest festival called Pentecost. The people would give the firstfruit of their harvests as an offering to the Lord. Well, on Pentecost the Holy Spirit began to gather a harvest of believers through the preaching the disciples and Baptism. Even though there were Jews from various parts of the Roman Empire, who spoke different native languages, the Holy Spirit empowered the disciples to communicate the Gospel with all of them through the gift of speaking in tongues. Everyone heard the disciples speak of Jesus in their own language.

The gift of the Holy Spirit is such a blessing to God’s people. As Jesus said to the disciples: “He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” That is such a comfort. The Word of Scripture—the Word written by or given the stamp of approval by the apostles—is not made-up fables. It comes from God Himself. The Bible is God’s message to you. The faithful preaching and teaching of Scripture is not made-up fables. It’s God’s message to you.

The Holy Spirit promises to speak to us through the Word of Christ, Holy Scripture, faithful preaching, faithful teaching, etc., to convey God’s message to you. So, [Names]—cherish the Bible. It is God the Father’s Word. It is Jesus’ Word. It is the Holy Spirit’s Word. The Bible reveals your standing before God as a sinner. The Bible reveals your standing before God as one who has been redeemed by the blood of Christ Jesus. The Bible reveals your standing before God as one who has been promised an inheritance in heaven. The Bible reveals God’s expectations for you in this life—expectations to love and devote yourself whole-heartedly to God and expectations to love your neighbor as yourself, and expectations that He forgives you for the sake of Christ when you fail at these though you try.

Jesus says in the Gospel reading today: “If anyone loves me, He will keep my Word.” We hear the word “keep” and we may only think it means “obey my Word.” There’s some truth to that, but it’s so much more. “Keep” means to guard or observe. “Keep” is another word for “watchtower.” You guard something you cherish. You protect something you treasure. So, Jesus desires that you treasure and cherish His Word. That means to regularly, continually hear and learn it. That means to be active in prayer and communion services. That means to seek to do His commandments. That means to devote yourselves to Him. The highest expression of cherishing Jesus’ Word is to continually receive and believe the message that He has died for the forgiveness of your sins and rejoice in that Good News. Jesus has suffered for you, so that you don’t have to suffer forever. Jesus has risen for you so that you will rise to eternal paradise with Him. That is a precious, precious gift.

Each of you picked out confirmation passages that I can see as relating to trust in the Lord and cherishing His Word and promises. [Name], the confirmation verse you selected speaks to the fact that by His Word and power, the Lord will strengthen you to be firm in the Christian faith in the face of those who oppose Jesus. [Name], your confirmation verse is a reminder and encouragement that in the middle of chaos the Lord is in control, so that you are able to relax, listen to His Word, and trust His mighty power. [Name], your confirmation verse reminds us that our ultimate healing and salvation comes through faith in the Word of Christ.

I pray you remain steadfast and unshakeable in your faith in Christ Jesus throughout the rest of your lives. Amen.