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Text:
John 17:1-11; 1 Peter “Holy Father, Keep Them by Your Name” In the name of Jesus, dear friends
in Christ: You may recognize this
morning’s Gospel reading as a portion of the prayer spoken by our Lord Jesus on
the night of his arrest. It’s been
called his “High Priestly Prayer”. And
as we hear again his heartfelt words it’s both humbling and comforting to
realize that as he faces his imminent trial, passion, and crucifixion, with all
the fearful horrors that will entail for him, he’s not thinking at all of
himself. No, the thoughts that preoccupy
his mind are for his disciples. He is
praying for them. Though very soon he
will be subjected to unimaginable suffering as he gives his life an offering for
sin, he’s more concerned about what they will have to endure, the trials that
they will face, and the temptations to which they’ll be subject after he is
taken away from them. Such is his selfless,
abounding love for them—and for us, for certainly we are included among those
for whom he prays. And as it turns out, since we know
what follows, his concerns for them are entirely justified. Soon they will be scattered, alone, and
afraid. They won’t understand what’s
happening or why. They will witness terrible
things. And in their panic and confusion
some will deny him. All will lose
faith. And that’s just the in short
term. I am certain that as Jesus prays
for his disciples he is also thinking of the years to come when they will face
opposition and persecution in the cause of the Gospel. He anticipates the many hardships they will
have to endure for the sake of the kingdom and, no doubt, the martyr’s death
the vast majority of them will receive.
It will not be easy for them; and, as we heard in this morning’s Epistle
lesson, the enemy like a prowling lion will be looking for
every opportunity to exploit and defeat them.
There’s a lot stacked against them. But despite all this, we detect in
our Savior’s prayer a strong note of confidence. His is not a prayer of hopeless desperation
or wild, worried hand wringing. Instead
it is with great assurance that he entrusts his disciples to his Father’s
care. “You gave them to me”, he says,
and if you’ll allow me a paraphrase, “And now I hand them back to you knowing
that I’ve done everything necessary – given them everything they need – to
equip and prepare them for what lies ahead.”
And that’s true. Even as he
speaks he is preparing to give his life on their behalf. In fact, at this point (though they don’t
quite understand it yet) they have already received the body and blood he will very
soon sacrifice for them. And not many
weeks hence he will be sending them the gift of his own Holy Spirit to illumine
their minds, strengthen their faith, and lead them in his way. But, as he says in the prayer, I’ve already
given them the key to it all: “I have
given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have
come to know in truth that I came from you; and they believed that you sent me.” He gave them God’s Word: that’s what they needed most to stay on in the world and
overcome it – because it is through the Word that the Spirit works, and it is
through the Word that people receive and trust in the sacrifice Jesus made to
atone for sin. It all hangs on the Word. That’s how people come to know Jesus Christ
sent by the only true God and Father and so receive eternal life. And so it has gone on through nearly
two thousand years worth of generations as the Lord Jesus continues to pray for
his church – and as he continues to give his disciples, young and old, himself,
the benefits of his sacrifice, and his Holy Spirit through the all powerful and
all sufficient Word of God. It’s
precisely that which we are celebrating today: our gracious heavenly Father’s always
hearing and answering his Son’s prayer on behalf of his chosen disciples – that
is, all of us in general, but particularly today for the three young people who
will very soon stand before the congregation and confess the holy faith into
which they were once baptized and now wish publicly to confirm. Jesus has seen to it that they too have been
given the Word of the Father. He’s done
this through parents, other family members, sponsors, teachers, and the
ministry of the church. And through that
Word the Spirit has brought them to know the Lord Jesus as the One sent by the
Father, and to trust in his saving work for them on the cross. Of course, we shouldn’t think of
this as something new to them. The truth
is that they’ve known and trusted the Lord Jesus all their lives. They were, after all, reborn in his name in
Holy Baptism. At that time through water
and the Word the Lord Jesus claimed them as his own, washed away their sins,
and gave them the Spirit to work the gift of faith in their hearts. So their faith isn’t new; it’s just that now,
having matured in years and having received more of the Word, they’ve come to
the point that they are able to understand and articulate clearly the major articles
of the faith. Nor should we think of
this as the end for them either, as if they have received all of the Word that
they need. Oh no, trust me, I can
personally attest that they have a lot
more room to grow—as do we all, which is my point. Just as Jesus gave his disciples his Word, he
did it with the understanding that they would remain in it, speak it to each
other, rehearse it, and dwell on it so that through it the Holy Spirit would
continue to deepen their insights, strengthen their faith, and conform their
lives to God’s design. So they’re not
done – not be a long shot; but they have come to an important milestone. If we thought of their life in Christ as a
house under construction, at this point you might say they have the foundation
laid. And from this point they will continue
to build. What the completed structures
will look like, we can’t say for sure.
We don’t know what trials and triumphs the Lord has in store for
them. We don’t know what hardships they
will face as by their words and actions they continue to confess the name of Jesus
in a world that is becoming increasingly hostile to the Christian faith. We do know that it won’t be easy. There’s a lot stacked against them. And certainly that old prowling lion hasn’t
given up hope of making a meal of them.
But we do know this: Jesus Christ
has given them his Word and with it everything they need to keep building their
lives on him and his saving Gospel. So
it’s fitting at this point that we pause to recognize the completion of the
foundations upon which they will build their lives of faith – and, yes, test
them to see if they are indeed the solid rock of Christ’s truth that will hold
up under any pressure or if instead they are but shifting sands that will cause
them to fall. To this end, each year I ask the
candidates for Confirmation to prepare a paper or to respond in writing to a
list of essential questions. I do this
in order to provide them an opportunity to confess their faith in Jesus their
Savior and their knowledge of his Word. And
so that you too can test the quality of their groundwork, I’d like to share
with you some of their comments. The Christian faith starts with God
who has revealed himself to us through Jesus as a divine Trinity. Regarding this our students wrote, “God, who
is three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit works all things through his
Word.” “He is the maker of heaven and
earth”, and “[He] made the universe and all [in it including] us in seven
days.” Getting specific about the
creation of humans they wrote: “Mankind was the crown of creation. God gave humans dominion over all things he
made”, and “Man was made in the image of God.”
What the “image of God” means most is that man was given the capacity to
love even as God does through acts of selfless sacrifice. So it was that Adam and Eve loved each
other. And so also they were given a
means to be able to show their love for God, as one student wrote: “The tree of
the knowledge of good and evil was a gift that allowed Adam and Eve to express
their love for God.” Sadly, our first parents fell from
their blessed first estate, passing the curse of sin to all their
descendants. “Adam and Eve were tempted
by Satan (the snake) into eating the fruit of good and evil”, said one student. Another added, “The human condition is now
very bad. [We] sin constantly and do bad
things.” “I was born with a sinful
nature and there is no way I can change that.
And this: “sin overcomes us and makes us sin even more. It sticks with us.” But our gracious God and Father did
not want to leave us in this wretched condition and abandon us to hell. He had a plan to save us, as our students
wrote, “God the Son was sent to this earth [to be] born of the Virgin Mary to
save me.” “Jesus gave his life on the
cross so that my sins would be forgiven.”
And “Jesus Christ died on the cross for me and everyone else to take
away the sin of the world.” Our confirmands further declare that
the benefits of Christ’s sacrificial death are received by faith—which itself
is a gift of God. Said one, “I truly
believe that [every aspect of] my salvation comes through faith in Jesus
Christ. It is not from any power I
possess … I did nothing on my own.” No
indeed, as was mentioned before God worked in them the gift of faith at the
time of their spiritual rebirth, regarding which they wrote, “With the Holy
Spirit and [God’s] Word I was brought to believe in Christ Jesus and now I am
saved.” And, “[At] my Baptism … I became
a part of God’s wonderful family.” We call this family the church, which as one
wrote, “… are the people of God who together confess our sins and repent of
them.” Another mentioned that, “The
church is the bride of Jesus.” And, “I
come here to worship … and to hear and learn God’s Word.” And also to partake of Holy Communion, about
which our confirmands said the following:
“The bread is Christ’s body. The
wine is Christ’s blood of the New Testament.”
“When we receive the Lord’s Supper, we receive forgiveness of sins,
life, and salvation. It also strengthens
our faith and keeps us in it.” “I want
to take the Lord’s Supper to receive assurance of the forgiveness of my sins
and to remember what Jesus Christ has done for me.” Understanding the important place of prayer
in the life of a Christian, one student wrote, “Prayer is heart-felt talk with
God, in which I ask him for needs for other people and myself, and also thank
him for things that he has provided me.
I can also tell him my troubles and ask for guidance. I can pray anytime I want because I know that
God will be listening, comforting, and guiding me.” Another said this: “When I say, ‘Amen’ [at the end of my
prayers], I am accepting whatever God has in store for me which may not always
be what I want. It’s that I know God is
right all the time.” And finally, taking off on that last
statement, our confirmands have demonstrated that they are aware of the
challenges that lie ahead, but that because of their faith in Christ they do
not fear it. One wrote, “I want to give
my life to Christ to serve him in whatever way I can. I don’t know what I want to be when I get
older; but I am positive he will take care of me and do only what he knows is
best. Whatever I do, I want to do it for
the glory of God and always remember that there is a place for me in
heaven. I never have to worry. I will always be welcomed with open arms.“ And this: “The goal of my Christian faith is to rely on
God to lead me through all my life during times of happiness and turmoil. I know Jesus, and so I know I have eternal
salvation.” Dear brothers and sisters in
Christ: with this that you have heard
from their papers, and the public confession that they will soon make before
the congregation, I think we have ample evidence that Jesus has indeed given
them his Word and that the Word has not returned to him void. It has accomplished the saving work the Lord
intended, grounded them firmly in the faith, and will continue to bless them as
they build their lives upon it. Therefore for them and for all the saints who
remain, as yet, in the world but not of it, let us pray with our Lord Jesus,
“Holy Father, keep them by your name.”
And like our Lord Jesus, let us pray this with confidence, knowing that
whatever hardships, trials, and testing any one of us will be required to
endure, that the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in
Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion
forever and ever. Amen. Soli Deo Gloria! |
