Confirmation

Joshua 24:14–24 (NIV): 14 “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” 16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods! 17 It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. 18 And the Lord drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God.” 19 Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. 20 If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.” 21 But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.” 22 Then Joshua said, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the Lord.” “Yes, we are witnesses,” they replied. 23 “Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.” 24 And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God and obey him.”

Some day the young ladies who are being confirmed today will most likely be employed in a full time job. Those who have full time jobs (or who have retired from them) know that there is often a contract that is agreed upon with that job. The employer promises certain working conditions, pay, benefits, etc. and the employee makes promises concerning how they will perform their duties, what the work schedule will be like, informing the employer when they can’t make it in to work etc. This may be a verbal agreement or a carefully worded and sign contract. In most cases that work experience is not intended to be a lifelong commitment and the agreement can be severed either unilaterally or by mutual consent.

Many other agreements are also timed and not intended to be binding for our entire lives.

Purchasing a car.

Renting or buying a house.

Attending a school.

Signing a wireless contract.

But at times, a contract or agreement that we make is intended to be of a much more permanent experience. Although statistics tells us that 50% of all marriages in the United States end in divorce, the marriage vows still incluce the promise to remain faithful to each other “as long as we both shall live.” And when that happens, we celebrate the years that the happy couple spends together and are saddened when their union does end when one of them is no longer alive.

Perhaps some day each of these young ladies standing here today making their promises to the Lord will make a lifelong vow their a strapping young man who had won their hand in marriage.

Another time (which is significant) when a person will stand before the altar of the Lord in a Christian congregation and make a solemn vow which is intended to be for a lifetime is what will happen today during our worship service. These young ladies will be asked if they promise to remain faithful to Jesus and to the teachings of this congregation and be willing to suffer all, even death, rather than be unfaithful to their vows.

It is an easy promise to make (after all, it could be viewed as just saying some words you have been trained to say), but it a hard promise to keep. And just as many marriages succumb to broken vows, history has shown that many a young Christian who has made their vows to Jesus on their Confirmation have long since abandoned those promises.

And yet, we encourage our young Christians to make these promises and pray that God will give them the strength they need to persevere.

The practice of a public declaration of faithfulness to the Lord is not unique to the Lutheran Church nor is it a modern invention. In our text, we have the final words of Joshua to the people of Israel and he invites them to make a public declaration of their commitment to the Lord.

Background. Almost 100 years earlier this nation which had conquered the land of Canaan and was enjoying this promised land had been a slave nation in the land of Egypt. They had cried out to the Lord to deliver them and he had sent Moses to lead them out of Egypt toward the land of Canaan. But they had not trusted in the Lord’s ability to give them success so they had been confined to the wilderness for 40 years. After Moses died, he was succeeded by Joshua who led them into the land of Canaan and the Lord has given them the ability to conquer that land. But now their leader, Joshua, was about to die of old age. But before he did so, he called on them to reaffirm their commitment to the Lord. He gave them this challenge.

Joshua 24:14–15 (NIV): 14 “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

I will not longer be your confirmation class leader. You will no longer be required to study Luther’s Small Catechism in class with me so there is also a transition here. I have never considered a confirmation to be the last time I will speak to the confirmands because I am about to leave as Joshua was, but I do recognize this as a time of transiton. So on behald of the congregation I will ask you similar questions. Joshua asked the Israelites if they would continue to serve the Lord and I ask if you will remain faithful to the Lord and the teachings of this congregation. I expect the same answer.

Joshua 24:16–18 (NIV): 16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods! 17 It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. 18 And the Lord drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God.”

What may not be expected is what is said next by Joshua: Joshua 24:19–20 (NIV): 19 Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. 20 If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.”

It would be like me saying, “Nope. I don’t believe you. I don’t think you are gonig to remain faithful. I believe that since you have “graduated” from confirmation class and don’t have to go to Sunday school any more, I will only see you in church on Christmas and Easter.”

I do realize how hard it can be for us to keep our promises. And yet, I can be confident that you will seek to do so because it is God who works in you to do and to will according to his good purpose. It is God who had created, redeemed, and sanctified you through the Means of Grace. He has given you the Gospel in the Word and Sacraments to help your faith become even stronger. If you avail yourself to these powerful tools, we can be confident that God will bless you.

Did Joshua really doubt their sincerity? Do I doubt your promises? No. Joshua was strongly emphasizing how important this promise is and their future reliance on God. He tested them to see how they would respond. They responded by reaffirming their promises.

Joshua 24:21–27 (NIV): 21 But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.” 22 Then Joshua said, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the Lord.” “Yes, we are witnesses,” they replied. 23 “Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.” 24 And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God and obey him.” 25 On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he reaffirmed for them decrees and laws. 26 And Joshua recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak near the holy place of the Lord. 27 “See!” he said to all the people. “This stone will be a witness against us. It has heard all the words the Lord has said to us. It will be a witness against you if you are untrue to your God.”

Your confirmation certificate is your “memorial stone” in a way. It is a certification of what you promise today in your relationship with Jesus. The stone that Joshua set up was an outward reminder of a spoken promise. Your certificate and other confirmation memorabilia can also serve that purpose.

Conclusion: Today marks a new chapter in your life as a Christian. You will also now be invited to receive the Lord’s Supper as a special way in which our Lord comes to you and strengthens your faith. May God lead you to the continued hearing of his Word and your participation in the Lord’s Supper that you will always keep your promises to him. Amen.