Jesus said, ‘I am the vine; you are the branches.  Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”  This is our text.

            The language that Jesus uses is good here. We all understand the meaning and know what this looks like.  As branches cannot live if cut off from the vine, so too a person cannot live if He is not connected to Jesus.

Basically, this is what we’ve been doing in Confirmation. Abiding in Jesus.  Equipping our children with an understanding of God’s Word, how to stand upon Christ in the midst of a world that wants to knock you down, that wants to cut you off from Jesus and from the life we have in Him.

It is a confirmation of what God has done for us in Baptism, what He will continue to do for us through His body and blood.   It is not some sort of completion. It is not a kind of graduation from church.  It is simply a time of learning more about Christ and His Word, and how it applies in our lives.  It is recognition that we are branches on the vine who is Jesus, and that the only way to stay alive is to abide in Him. It’s a continuous confession of what we just sang before the Gospel reading, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

Kids, you will be making promises that you have learned more about your faith, you believe this, and you wish to continue in this faith, growing and learning and abiding in Jesus.  Wear robes as a reminder that in Baptism, they were robed with Christ’s righteousness that covered all their sin. You have a better understanding of what God has already done for you, of the good work He has started in your life at your baptism and continues to do through the Holy Sacrament. Knowledge of the faith is always remembering what has already been given by God and is always ours.  This is why the first promise you will make at your confirmation is that you acknowledge the gifts that God has given in your baptism.  Our confession of faith, by God’s grace, is steadfast.  Our knowledge is not.  Abraham had trouble remembering who God was and God’s promises to Him. So did David.  And Elijah. And so do we.  We need to be reminded, more than that, we need God to reveal those promises to us over and over again, and act upon them.  We need Jesus to abide with us in order for us to abide with Him.  Those gifts are already yours in Christ and are meant to be used by you in faithfulness to God and for the benefit of your neighbor.

But make no mistake.  You think some of Confirmation was hard.  The world wants nothing else than to separate you from Jesus.  You will hear it in your school.  You will hear it from the tv and movies and books and online.   The devil will not leave you alone.  This is why you qualify your pledges, “by the grace of God.”  By the grace of God, you intend to hear the Word of God and receive the Lord’s Supper faithfully.  By the grace of God, you intend to live free from sin, remaining in this confession of faith, preferring death over living a sinful life.   If and when you fail, throw yourselves once again upon Christ’s mercy, because He will not fail you.

Parents, your children will need help.  They cannot drive themselves to church.  They are at an age where they still need a lot of guidance from you, but where they won’t always want it or appreciate it.  They still don’t have everything figured out. Your time of parenting them is not over, but spiritually, maybe even more is now required of you. You need to be there for your kids, continue to model the Christian faith to them and for them, and encourage them to hear the Word of God regularly, to receive His body and blood as often as possible. Don’t stop being their parent, not just in the world, but in Christ. The devil wants nothing else than for you to stop being diligent in your faith and in your children’s.

Zion Lutheran Church, these children and their parents will need help. They won’t always want to do what they are supposed to.  They will be tired, frazzled, pulled in so many directions at once. Help these parents to stay focused on Christ.  Don’t let them off the hook. 

Jesus has given His life for ours and now lives and reigns present among us in His Word, in the water, in His body and blood to bestow that new life and joy.  Here is God’s grace for you confirmands to abide with Christ: the bodily presence of the risen Christ, for you, in Holy Communion. By the grace of God, which we all confess, may we all do the same, trusting in God’s promises of forgiveness, life, and salvation.