Success - A Sermon for Confirmation Sunday May 25 2025
GOSPEL: John 14:23-29
The Holy Gospel according to St. John, the 14th chapter.
Glory to you, O Lord.
As Jesus talks of returning to the Father, he promises to send the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, who will teach Jesus’ followers and remind them of all that Jesus taught. Even more, those in whom God makes a home will experience a peace that overcomes fear.
23 Jesus answered [Judas (not Iscariot)], “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words, and the word that you hear is not mine but is from the Father who sent me.
25 “I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. 28 You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I am coming to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur you may believe.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Success.
We don’t use this word in church that often.
But let’s touch on it:
Isn’t this what we want for our children,
for our ventures,
for ourselves;
to be successful.
Parents want their children to feel loved and valued,
to be happy, healthy, safe, confident.
to have responsibility,
find gainful employment,
loving relationships.
Perhaps this is part of the reason why parents
enrol their children in Confirmation classes,
in a backwards way,
we hope it will help them be successful.
But when it comes to Jesus,
to following Jesus,
to being a baptized Christian,
we can’t measure success
in the same way the world measures success.
Success for the Christian is not two cars in the driveway
and 4000 sq feet of living space.
You could argue that success for the Christian,
is failure.
We are called to deny ourselves,
take up our cross,
and follow Jesus.
And the cross is failure,
The cross was the torture tool of the Roman Empire
to squash the revolutionaries,
to silence any who speak against the empire,
Death on the cross
would have been the greatest failure,
but God’s Spirit raised Jesus from the grave
making the cross the greatest success of all time.
I have a hypothesis,
an idea,
for how we might measure success
for Christians,
and it comes from Jesus,
his life, death and resurrection.
First, consider Jesus’ baptism.
The Spirit was sent to descend upon Jesus,
like a dove,
and the words ring out from the clouds:
You are my beloved.
With you, I am well pleased.
God sent the Spirit,
God sent God’s only Son,
and baptism is about sending.
Today these young people confirm their faith
by affirmation of their baptism into Christ.
Trust and believe God declares over you
you are my beloved,
with you I am well pleased.
And God is sending you out.
After baptism,
Jesus was sent on a journey,
by the Spirit,
out into the wilderness.
After baptism,
Jesus called the disciples,
and sent them out on the road,
two by two
into the surrounding towns and villages
to proclaim God’s love,
to proclaim the Kingdom of God has come near.
This is found in Luke 10.
The disciples returned home,
sharing their stories with Jesus,
and Jesus rejoiced with them.
“The harvest is plentiful
but the labourers are few,
therefore ask the Lord of the harvest
to send workers out into the harvest,
and go on your way.”
Up on the mount of Transfiguration,
Jesus was sent to Jerusalem.
Jesus turned his face and did not look back.
Jesus was sent to the cross.
After Jesus rose from the dead,
Jesus sent the disciples to Galilee,
and after Pentecost,
we can read in the book of Acts
about the apostles being sent with the Gospel
to all nations.
So here’s my thought,
my hypothesis, my idea for Church success:
Success is in the sending.
Success is in the sending.
I think of the dove that descended upon Jesus;
success for a mama dove is simple:
first comes feeding the chicks
- keeping them safe in the nest.
And then the baby doves get sent
out of the nest,
maybe a push, maybe a nudge,
but the baby bird can’t stay.
If the baby bird stays in the nest,
they won’t fly,
and birds are made to fly.
Faith needs a home and a road.
You need a home and a road.
Faith needs a home that is safe and secure,
where you can be yourself,
be accepted for who you are,
so you can grow in faith.
If you’re not safe,
it is hard to grow.
Advent is that safe home for many of us,
where we welcome others with radical hospitality
for we seek to love just as Jesus first loves us.
Let us continue to make this a safe home
for any who are searching for God.
But if the baby bird doesn’t leave the nest,
they’ll never learn to fly.
Faith needs a road,
faith is to be lived,
love is to be lived,
beliefs put into action.
Success is in the sending.
Confirmands - it is almost time to send you out.
But first, we rejoice and give thanks for you
as you share your faith with us.
Our confirmands have prepared faith expressions,
a witness to God’s work in their lives…
(After faith expressions)
The other day,
I ran into a member of Highwood Lutheran Church,
my home congregation.
I will forever be a child of that congregation.
They remember me over there,
and I am grateful.
God’s Spirit sent me to Seminary.
So did my home congregation.
Some 20 years ago,
When I was considering going to seminary
to become a pastor,
we had a really strong youth ministry going at Highwood.
Numerical success,
success as defined by this world
meant I should have stayed at Highwood,
and kept that youth group strong - successful.
But success is in the sending.
If they didn’t send me,
the next youth leader
would not have had the opportunity
to learn and grow in that ministry.
God had another purpose for me,
and it meant God had to send me out.
Success is in the sending.
A faithful tangent:
becoming a pastor is not the pinnacle of church success.
Nor is becoming a bishop or diaconal minister.
We are all unique, beloved children of God,
we each have different spiritual gifts,
Success for Christ’s Church is never individual.
Success for God is related to all creation,
the world God so loves.
God’s Spirit sends us in love to love,
We learn to love in the safety of our home,
and we practice this love out on the road.
And how can we possibly love the world God loves
if we never leave the safety of the nest?
The harvest is plentiful,
but the labourers are few,
therefore ask the Lord of the harvest
to send out labourers into the harvest.
Now - Charlie, Emily, Katie, Toby,
and ______, and ________,
and each one of you, beloved children of God:
go on your way.
Maybe God is sending you to seminary,
or sending you to continue in Advent’s ministry,
or, well - God knows where your road leads.
You are the baptized.
You are the apostles,
you are the sent ones
God’s Spirit is sending you out.
But first, we can enjoy a little practical success:
you 4 have made it though 2 years of confirmation classes,
you’ve grown in faith in your home of faith,
celebrate!
The Spirit, the Mama Dove, has descended upon you,
by your baptism,
God says you are my beloved, you are mine.
Nothing will separate you from God’s love.
The Spirit, the Mama Dove,
has called you to this Communion table
and she feeds you with grace, mercy, love.
There is always forgiveness,
and a second chance with God.
Faith needs a home.
Faith needs a road.
Now it is time to fly.
The Spirit, the Mama Dove,
gathers us under her wings,
and she is nudging us out of the comfort of our nest
out into the wilderness.
Dear people of God,
You are always welcome here,
this is your faith home,
come home for Sunday dinner,
again and again,
for food and family
and faith and nourishment and joy.
May you continue to find your home with Jesus,
in Christ’s Church,
with all the saints,
held in the love of our Mama Dove.
Faith needs a road.
May God’s Spirit nudge you out of the nest
so that you might put God’s love into practice.
Success is in the sending.
May you go on your way.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
