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“He would always remember
the day he joined the church.”
The biographer of a great
American begins his account with these words. It was 1934.
He was five, sitting in church with his sister, Christine.
His daddy was the preacher and his mother was the organist.
A visiting evangelist preached a power-packed sermon and
finally came to the moment of invitation for people to go
forward and give their lives to Christ. That’s how they did
it in his church. His sister went first, but he wasn’t about
to be outdone by her, so he followed suit.
It was
seemingly insignificant—just a five-year-old PK (preacher’s
kid) responding to the call. The visiting preacher probably
paid little attention, but “he would always remember the day
he joined the church.”
The
author writes:
The
church became his second home. All his closest friends were
in his Sunday School class. The church defined his
little-boy world, gave it order and balance. Here, he knew
he was somebody special.
1. The first thing I want you to know this morning is that
here, you are somebody special.
St.
Paul’s last letters are written to his young friend,
Timothy, who was probably just a teenager, maybe your age.
Paul tells him, “Let no one despise you because of your
youth.” Don’t let folks look down on you just because you
are young. Even if you are just a kid, you are special here.
Let’s talk about tattoos for a minute.
I don’t
want to know if you have one, and for heaven’s sake, don’t
tell me where…but they are all the rage today, right? When I
watch basketball games, I struggle to try to figure out what
all those basketball players have tattooed on their arms.
And how about the gal on American Idol? What is that
tattoo?
I once
saw a guy with a tattoo on his arm that said “Born Loser.”
Can you imagine? How would you like to go through life with
that image of who you are?
I want
to say this morning that you have been tattooed. In your
baptism, you are marked with the water of new life, signed
with the sign of the cross, named as a child of God. The
marketplace sees you only as a consumer. On Facebook, you
are just one more face in the crowd. But here, you are
somebody special. You are a child of God. Never forget it.
Back in
the ’70s in my seminary days, one of my formative
experiences was a trip to Chicago to visit “Operation Push”
where I heard a young black preacher named Jesse Jackson.
The place was filled, mostly with young African Americans.
In a day when many young African Americans felt they had no
place in society, Jesse had a standard litany. He would call
out, “I am,” and the house would respond, “I am.” And he
would shout “Somebody” and they would respond “Somebody.”
And the litany would go on, back and forth, rising in power
and energy until we were all captivated by it:
I may be poor, but I am
somebody.
I may be young, but I am
somebody.
I am God’s child.
St.
Paul would understand. “Don’t let anyone look down on you
because of your youth. Here, you are somebody—a child of
God.”
2. Here, in the
church, he knew he was somebody special. And the church
“defined his little-boy world, gave it order and balance.”
And let
me tell you, it’s not just little boys who need that. We all
need it. We need values, convictions which help define our
world, a pattern for living which will give our lives order
and balance.
Today
we will ask you these historic questions—questions about
what you believe, what you will live for, who you will
follow. It is all part of figuring out who you are and who
you will be as a person, based on the values you hold and
the convictions which will hold you. St. Paul tells Timothy,
“Set an example in your conduct and speech, your love and
faith.” It’s all about what you say and what you do, where
you go and who you hang out with—all defined by the
commitments you make today.
Do you
know the difference between a swamp and a river? There’s
only one difference. A river has boundaries. A swamp just
spreads out, going nowhere. But because it has boundaries, a
river has direction and can carry life and power. The
difference today makes is a matter of boundaries, values,
convictions and promises which will help to define your
life, to give it order and meaning and purpose.
3. And the biographer
says, “He would never forget the day he joined the church.
It became his second home.”
Confirmation means you become a part of this community in a
new way. You were received into this community in your
baptism and today you claim your place as a part of this
family of faith, this “home” of God. As special as you are,
this is not just about you. It’s about being part of a
family, a congregation. Today you will make promises which
have been made by all the folks who have ever been members
of this church. You will promise to support the church with
your “prayers, presence, gifts and service.”
-
Will you pray for your Sunday School teachers, your
youth counselors, and your pastors (probably the ones
who need it the most)? Pray for our missionaries around
the world.
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Presence means you have a place here. You don’t need a
ticket, you have a seat right here in worship. You will
promise to be present.
-
Will you seek to share your gifts, your talents, your
money, your time and passion in the ministry of Christ?
-
And will you serve Christ in the world? Here we believe
that every member needs to find a place of service on
behalf of Christ. Will you serve him through the church?
For St.
Paul’s prodigy, Timothy, it was true as well. He found his
place in the church of Jesus Christ. He became a witness for
Jesus Christ. He lived out the commission Paul had given him
to “be an example to the believers.” The church became his
second home. Today this place becomes your second home, a
family of faith, a place to grow and to become all God
intends you to be.
It was
1934. His biographer begins the story of his
remarkable life, a life that would literally change the
world, by saying, “He would never forget the day he
joined the church. It defined his little-boy world and
became his second home.”
He was
just five years old; just a scrawny PK named for his
preacher papa, who had been named for the great church
leader and reformer. But for young Martin Luther King, Jr.,
it was a life-changing day. He would never forget the day he
joined the church, and I hope you never forget it, either.
NOTE:
The
quotation on which this sermon is based comes from Let
The Trumpet Sound: A Life of Martin Luther King, Jr. by
Stephen B. Oates, published by Harper Collins, 1994, page 3. |
