A Learning Community

I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. (John 16:12-13a ESV) Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia! The good news of the Resurrection of Jesus means that our sins are forgiven. This is the amazing truth that the Holy Spirit brings to each of us in a personal way. Today at International Lutheran Church, we celebrate the work of the Spirit that continues to guide each of us and confirms in all of us all the truth of God, namely faith in Jesus Christ.

Each year and sometimes several times throughout the year, we here at ILC are blessed to witness our young people confirm their baptismal faith in Jesus. As a part of our tradition at ILC, we get to hear from them about their Confirmation studies of the Holy Scriptures as they share their faith journey with us. In the Lutheran church, Confirmation and our study of the Bible is shaped by the six chief parts of Luther’s Small Catechism – the Ten Commandments, the Apostles’ Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, Baptism, Confession, and the Lord’s Supper. In a real way the Catechism serves as a map of sorts into the truths of Scripture. Together these six simple points form an explanation of the teachings of the Bible and the truths that Christians hold dear for the purpose that the focus of our faith remains on Jesus, namely who He is and what He has done for us.

Each confirmand at ILC selects a memory verse that means something special to them. You might have many passages that are favorites, and even different ones that mean different things over time. For me the passage that comes to mind as I reflect on Jesus’ last moments with the disciples are His words to them during this same discourse – In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? (John 14:2 ESV) While it has been three years, it seems like only yesterday that I was working with my sisters to clean out my earthly father’s home. Since then, I can honestly say I have felt at times a little “rootless,” as if I didn’t have a home anymore. And yet our faith tells us something much more – that we have the Home that no one or nothing – not even death – can take away. Even as our young people confirm their Baptismal faith publicly today, we all are “confirming” our faith in Jesus every day no matter what we are going through at the moment. This is why Confirmation is not graduation, but rather the public acknowledgement that we are a learning community of faith that grows and learns our whole lifelong.

Jesus’ words to His disciples on the night when He was betrayed are also for us. I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them. (John 16:12 ESV) We can’t always understand all of God’s revelation at one moment. Some things we won’t fully understand until the day we need it. As we study many different parts of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, it is hard to take it all in at once. There might even be questions that we haven’t even thought of yet. But here Jesus’ promise of the Spirit reminds us that we are not alone in our learning. We don’t and won’t just come up with it on our own, but the Holy Spirit guides and leads us. In particular, the Holy Spirit helps us to see how the Resurrection of Jesus is for us. In fact, the focus of the Spirit is always pointing us back to Jesus. The Spirit brings us to faith in Jesus, and thereby the Father and the Spirit too. In Baptism, the Spirit gives us faith and the forgiveness of sins. In the Word, the Spirit points our attention to Jesus and faith in Him and guides us to know what Jesus has done for us. In the Supper, the Spirit feeds us and builds us up to live each day in the promise of the forgiveness of sins. Even more, through the Supper the Spirit brings us into communion with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and even the whole Church in heaven and on earth. This is what Jesus means when He says, He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. (John 16:14 ESV) We are a learning community of faith in Jesus. Each day is a day of confirmation as we see again and again just how much the Father has confirmed His love for us in sending His One and Only Son.

Even as we are a learning community that grows each day in the knowledge of just what it means that Jesus died and rose for me and you, for each of us, we are also a learning community that shares this Good News with others. The Spirit guides us and leads us to share this confirmed love with young and old alike. Jesus rose for me, for you, for each of us, but also for the whole world. He comes now even this morning in His Word and promise to give us life in His Name. Alleluia! Jesus is risen! He is risen, indeed!

Pastor Carl