May 21, 2022 – First Sermon at Living Hope: Reflect the Son

This week, I began my new call as pastor at Living Hope Lutheran Church in Saukville, and Christ the King Lutheran Church in Port Washington, Wisconsin. Since returning to in-person worship after the early period of the pandemic, these two congregations have been alternating worship locations. For this week, the worship service was at Living Hope, and it was also confirmation Sunday!

This week’s Gospel text is John 14:23-29, and I found helpful as a starting point the GodPause devotional for May 19, 2022, by Harvey Nelson. Although both of these congregations are set up for streaming and recording worship, there were technical issues this week, so no video or audio recording.

Grace to you and peace from God our Creator and our risen Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen

A few weeks ago when Joe called to let me know we’d be celebrating confirmation on my first Sunday here, he said with how much is in the service today, I could be off the hook and not do much of a sermon for this first week.

Well, I think it’d be a little strange to call a pastor and then they show up and don’t say anything, so I don’t know if this is much of a sermon, but I do want to take a little time this morning to look with you at this Gospel reading Jackson just read from John 14, and I think it connects pretty well with confirmation and the promises our students will be making in a few minutes.

This passage actually comes from back in Holy Week, Maundy Thursday, the night in which Jesus is betrayed, right before he’s arrested. It’s part of his last conversations with his disciples, and he’s trying to let them know what’s coming up, what’s going to happen to him.

He wants to reassure them that even though he’ll be separated from them, somehow, his presence will still be with them.

In the verse right before today’s reading, one of the disciples asked Jesus, “After you’re not with us anymore, how are we your followers going to see you?” How will we recognize your presence?

Jesus’ response has two parts. Well, actually, his answer goes on for another three chapters. But the short version in today’s reading has two parts.

The first part—the first way Jesus’ followers will recognize his presence with them—is through love.

Our love for each other and our love for our neighbors reveals God’s love. Our love is a reflection of God’s love, so when we act out of love, when we care for each other, when we serve our neighbors, when we live out those confirmation promises, God is working through us, God is with us.

I know school’s almost done for the year (it’s actually already out for the summer in Iowa), but quick science lesson: Did you know the moon doesn’t produce light?

When you look up at the sky at night, and you see the moon, the light you’re seeing is actually from the sun, reflecting off the moon. Our job as Christians is to be like the moon, and reflect the Son (S-O-N, son).

That’s from a meme or a bumper sticker or something, but it’s actually really good theology. Our job as Christians is always to reflect God’s love. The world sees God’s love through us, God’s people, God’s hands and feet in the world.

So Jesus’ answer to the question of how he’s going to reveal himself if he’s not going to be physically walking around in the world is first through love, and then the second part is through the Holy Spirit, through the mystery of trinity (and I hope you talked about that during confirmation, and if you completely understand it, you’d be the first person in history – there’s mystery there, and that’s ok).

We believe in one God in three persons, and although Jesus isn’t walking around with us, God is still present with us in the person of the Holy Spirit, whose presence Jesus promises in this passage. We’ll talk more about the Holy Spirit and the fulfillment of that promise in a couple weeks when we get to Pentecost.

As the church, our call, our mission, is to be like the moon, reflecting the Son’s love. Confirmands, in a few minutes when you affirm your baptisms, that’s the mission you’re accepting.

When you stand up in front of this congregation and publicly say, “I believe this matters, I believe Jesus means something for my life” it’s not a graduation; it’s an entrance into an adult life of faith, into a movement. The goal is not to be done with confirmation classes, the goal is to take responsibility for your part in this community.

Call committee, that goes for you too, by the way. Your job was to find a pastor to call, and you’ve done that, but I still expect to see you after this weekend!

I’m reminding myself as well, the goal was not to get here and get all the boxes unpacked (well, that is a goal, but it’s not the main goal)—the goal is to keep growing deeper in faith, stronger in community, and wider in mission, to keep ministering to each other and reaching out to all people with love and the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ.

The goal is to reflect God’s love as the Holy Spirit gives us opportunity and ability, working for justice and peace and serving our neighbors, sharing that peace that comes only from God.

That doesn’t mean you have to have everything figured out. In fact, I hope no one here thinks they’ve got it all figured out. It’s ok if some weeks you believe some of the lines in the Apostle’s Creed more than others, if you have doubts and questions.

You’re committing today to exploring those questions, to continuing in faith, to letting God work in you and through you.

Part of that means being honest about who we are as God’s people. You’ll hear me say over and over that I’m amazed the way God works in this world is through people like us, imperfect, flawed, broken people like you and me.
I’m going to be as honest with you as I can. Theoretically, this is the worst sermon you’ll ever hear me preach, because after this, I’ll know you better. But it’s probably not the worst.

I’m going to disappoint you. There are plenty of times I’m not going to know what I’m doing as your pastor, and I’ll let you down. I’ll do my best, but I’m going to be too progressive for some of you, and too traditional for others; too spiritual, too practical, whatever.

I’m sure the frustration won’t be totally one-sided, either. These are challenging times to be church in, and I have a strong suspicion none of you are any more perfect than the people in my last church! If you’re looking for a perfect community, this isn’t it. And if this were a perfect church, you’d find a better pastor than me!

But here’s the good news: This community of faith isn’t about us. It’s about the love of God we’re here to share.

We are all depending on the Holy Spirit, the one Jesus promises will be present with us no matter what, through the joys and the sorrows, the good times and the challenges.

So all that to say, I’m glad to be here, I hope you’ll put up with me at least for a while, congratulations and welcome to our confirmands, and let’s reflect Jesus together, so the world may know God’s love.
Amen