“Peace I leave you; my peace I give to you. I do not
give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let
them be afraid.” (John
14:27)
Don’t
let your hearts be afraid? Have you watched the news lately? There’s plenty in
this world to be afraid of. There’s climate change and war and run-away
inflation. There’s plastic in our drinking water and all kinds of crap in the
air and a possible loss of the social safety nets we Americans have relied
upon. If you’re a young person—like those making their Confirmation on this Day
of Pentecost—there’s the very real fear that your prospects for a comfortable lifestyle
exceeding that of your parents might be slipping away from you. And, if that’s
not enough, let’s remember the fear of gun violence. In my day, there was no
such thing as an “active shooter drill.” You guys are dealing with a lot—and yet,
Jesus in our Gospel (John 14: 8-17, 25-27) is telling you not to be afraid.
That’s
where the Holy Spirit comes in. Today I’m asking you—Confirmands and the
already confirmed and anyone else who reads this—to remember the promise of
your baptism. You are washed in the promise of God. That’s a promise that you
will never be left alone or abandoned. It’s a promise that you serve a God who
is more powerful than all the powers of this world combined. I can’t (and won’t)
promise you that nothing evil will ever happen to you. I certainly won’t
promise you that if you live a godly and righteous life God will reward you with
material blessings and safety and health. I will, however, repeat the promise
of your baptism: You are sealed with the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross
of Christ forever.
This
promise and anything related to spiritual things may not be that important to
you today with all the other things that are crowding through your life. But
someday, the meaning of your life, the existence of God, and the perplexity of
righteousness will be very much on your mind—just as it has been and will be
for all of us. I’ve often joked that Confirmation has been considered “Graduation
from church.” What I’m hoping and praying for is that it might only be “Vacation
from church.” I pray you’ll be back because a spiritual life only matures with
spiritual discipline.
On
this holy day we celebrate the coming of God’s Holy Spirit to Jesus’ confused
and often dumbfounded disciples. In honor of this, I will place my hands on your
heads (you Confirmands, that is) and ask God to send the Holy Spirit into your
lives. Actually, since God tends to pay in advance of the work, God’s loving
spirit is already with you. I’m just going to pray that you come to see and
know her.
Jesus
told the disciples that the Spirit will be a Spirit which will let you see the
truth. She will live with you and be part of you. She’ll give you wisdom
and peace to navigate all the freaky, crazy stuff this world throws at you,
because she’ll remind you of the things Jesus taught all of us: love of God and
neighbor, forgiveness, compassion, generosity, humility, hope, honesty, and
courage.
Martin
Luther taught us in the Small Catechism that Spirit “enlightens (us)
with (her) gifts.” You all have been drenched in marvelous blessings which some
day may make an awesome, earth-shaking change in this weird, broken, and limping world.
God’s
Holy Spirit can be a spirit of peace, but on this festival day we are reminded
she is also the Spirit of whirlwind and fire. She can lead you into calm
contemplation, but she can also drive you into the wilderness to face the
devil. She can lead you into combat with the powers of this world that value
wealth and power and fame over love and acceptance and respect for all of God’s
creation. I don’t imagine you’ll start speaking in other languages, but, as
Peter tells us in the First Lesson (Acts 2:1-21) you may just prophesy—that is,
you’ll proclaim in your own words the Word of the Lord. And you may just see
visions of a new society, a new mission, and a new way to be the people of our
great and loving God.
May
the Holy Spirit of God confirm our faith, guide our lives, empower our serving,
give us patience in suffering, and bring us all to eternal life. Amen!
At Catholic confirmations, Archbishop Nelson Perez reminds us, "Never, never, never ever underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit working in you, through you and despite you."
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