In just a few moments Lilly, Nathan, and Reece are going to step forward and read to you papers they have written on three fundamental teachings of the church: Creation, Baptism, and The End. I have already read the papers and I think you will be edified by their work. These young Christians have searched the scriptures on the various topics they have chosen so that they might present you with clear truths from God’s word. I am going to step aside in just a moment and turn my pulpit over to them, but before I do, permit me just a few moments to address the confirmands directly.
Lilly, Nathan, Reece, this is a big day for us. I know you are the ones who have spent three years memorizing bible passages, you are the ones who will be standing in the front of the church making your faithful confessions, it is your names that are written on the sheet cake in the fellowship hall. Clearly today is a big day for you, but it is also a big day for us because today you become part of the crowd.
On Palm Sunday a crowd of pilgrims gathered along a road outside the city of Jerusalem. The crowd had gathered there to see Jesus. News of His recent raising of Lazarus from the dead quickly spread through the crowd and soon they were discussing the many other miracles Jesus had performed. The crowd enthusiastically anticipated His arrival. When He appeared “riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” the words of an ancient prophecy called to them, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation…”.[1] The people in the crowd responded by proclaiming His praises, 38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
When you were babies, your parents had you baptized; through the water and the Word, you were brought into the family of God. Over the past 13-14 years your parents have brought you up in the training and instruction of the Lord as you attended worship and Sunday School. Three years ago, they enrolled you in Confirmation Class so that you could study the fundamentals of the Christian faith. You have been taught to understand the profound meaning behind simple words such as “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”[2] Like the crowd that gathered on Palm Sunday, you have (with eyes of faith) seen Jesus perform miracles and today you, like the crowd that gathered on Palm Sunday, like your grandfathers and grandmothers, mothers and fathers, today you are stepping forward to publicly proclaim praises to Jesus. Today you become part of the crowd.
The reason why we are so happy to have you join us in the crowd is because we know our time in the crowd is limited. Occasionally a person is permitted to stand in the crowd for a hundred years, but most of us only get to be part of this crowd for 70, 80, 90 years at the most. Then we are taken to heaven where we become part of a new crowd. We are eager to become part of the heavenly crowd, but it is important to us that, long after we have gone, this crowd continues to proclaim praises to Jesus. Lilly, Nathan, Reece, that is why we are so happy to have you join the crowd today. With you as part of the crowd we are reassured praises will publicly be proclaimed to Jesus for another generation. As I have said, this is a big day for us.
But I should warn you, not everybody is happy that you have decided to join this crowd. It seems every generation has people who want to silence the crowd. 2,000 years ago, it was the Pharisees who tried to silence the crowd that gathered on Palm Sunday. Today, it is more likely that a professor in college, or a politician in Washington, or an online personality will try to silence you. It is impossible for me to point to one person or group of people for you to watch out for because the people who want to pull you out of the crowd are as diverse as they are numerous. As you go to high school, college, get a job, get married, have kids, and get busy, the pressure to leave this crowd will be powerful.
On your own, you will never be able to resist the temptation to leave this crowd. But here is the good news. You are not on your own. Lilly, Nathan, Reece, you have each other, and you have me, and you have the members of Messiah, you have your grandmothers and grandfathers, you have your mothers and fathers, and most importantly of all, you have Jesus. Jesus would not allow the Pharisees to silence the Palm Sunday crowd, and boy let me tell you, the Pharisees did everything they could to silence the Palm Sunday crowd. They even went so far as to enlist the services of a Roman governor by the name of Pontius Pilate. With Pilate’s help the Pharisees did manage to disburse the crowd for a few days while Jesus was in the tomb, but on Easter morning, when Jesus rose victorious from the dead, the crowd erupted with praises once more. As long as you are part of the crowd, Jesus will not allow anyone to silence you. As long as you are standing among people who are talking about Jesus’ resurrection from the dead and the many other miraculous things He has done, praises for who Jesus is and what Jesus has done for you will be proclaimed from your lips.
Lilly, Nathan, Reece, today is a big day for you, but it is also a big day for us. Welcome to the crowd.
Now, as promised, I would like to turn over my pulpit to the three of you so that you can publicly proclaim your praises to Jesus. Lilly, I think we will start with you.
[1] Zechariah 9:9
[2] Romans 6:23