“Promises Worth Keeping”

Reformation Sunday

October 29, 2023

Jeremiah 31:31-34

John 8:31-36

Children’s Message:

Let me tell you a story about a man who longed to see the face of God. He went on a long journey to discover God’s face.

Paper fold to look like a sailboat.

He sailed in a boat. And on the waters, he met lots of people who waved at him, helped him when he struggled, and encouraged him in his journey. But he didn’t see God.

Paper fold to form a house.

So, he went to a house filled with people. They ate together and celebrated. They grieved loss together and shared chores. And as lovely as the people were—even when they weren’t so lovely—the man didn’t see God.

Paper fold to form a plane.

So, he took a plane—a very long flight to a faraway country. And on that plane the people played games and slept. They read books and ate meals. He had wonderful conversations with strangers and felt cared for by the staff. But he didn’t see God.

Paper tear to make a space ship.

And then the man had a great idea! He would fly into space. Surely God would be in the heavens! And then he would see God’s face. So he blasted off into space and explored new galaxies. But he was all alone, and he didn’t see God. In fact, being all alone helped him realize something very important.

Open paper that forms a cross.

He had seen God—he saw God in all the faces of all the people he encountered on earth. So he returned because he realized something else. He also had the responsibility of showing God to other through his own face—his actions, his words, he very being.

Five hundred years ago, Martin Luther challenged the church to be better at showing God’s face through their own. And he helped the common people realize that they, too, are the face of God to others.

Let’s pray. Dear God, thank you for making me in your image. Help me show your love to the world. Amen.

Message:

Our five students will be affirming their baptismal promises today and making promises of their own. That’s church-speak that means that they will stick by their parent’s decision to raise them in the Christian faith, and they will promise to keep living in that faith, struggling with questions, and challenging the Church, when necessary.

And they are off to a great start. In his faith statement, Daniel says that he feels safe asking questions and struggling with faith in this congregation. He knows that he’s not alone and that he can turn to other people of Christ for strength and encouragement. And Mason even takes his own chosen verse to task. Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” Mason hopes that this verse can bring hope and unity, but he also challenges the idea that just being a good person and walking in the light won’t make life easy. God doesn’t reward good behavior in the way we expect—or always want.

It takes a deep sense of trust to be able to say that faith isn’t always easy—to challenge and question and doubt and seek. And still, they are prepared to stand before you today and promise to continue that journey. Together.

It says a great deal about the people in this congregation and the people in these students’ lives. You don’t dismiss these very real curiosities of faith. You welcome them. You share them. You are not afraid to voice them. Because doubt and questions aren’t the enemy of faith. They are the seeds whose roots are working through tough ground, finding their way to waters of life.

Erica says exactly that. She states that she believes that the Church is a people gathered for the purpose of learning and growing in faith. Because we know that faith isn’t a one-and-done deal. It’s always moving and shifting and ebbing and flowing, like a dance. And Lane recognizes this Church as a safe place to worship God, to pray, to seek help, to ask questions. And sometimes, even to get answers. A safe place. That is what you provide dear friends. That is more and more valuable as our world experiences deep divisions, bullies of all kinds, and the desire for certainty. To be a safe place is precious.

And you have provided such a safety for Italy, who is still fairly new to our community, along with her dad. You have been a place of support and love. That support can change how one sees the world around them. It is a form of deep love. She says that this congregation has shown her that God made us all in God’s image, giving us each special abilities and spiritual gifts. And she knows that she, too, is a conduit for God’s love.

Friends, we do not take these statements of trust and promise lightly. We hold one another’s hearts in our hands. When we make the promises of Affirmation, we promise to do everything we can to protect those fragile hearts. Because we are made for one another.

The prophet Jeremiah expresses God’s renewed promise to the people of Judah and Israel. God says, “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts.” This is a new covenant, God says. Before, God wrote the Law on stone tablets and gave them to Moses. The first time, when Moses realized the people had defied God, Moses threw the tablets to the ground, and they broke.

The second set of tablets were lovingly hidden in the Ark of the Covenant—where no one could get to them. And again, the people turned from God. And the Ark was lost to history as the people were taken into exile. And the promises the people were expected to keep were lost to history, as well.

But Jeremiah speaks a word of hope to a lost people. This time, God knows better than to rely on the people to keep their promises or to remember the Law—a Law they could never touch. This time, God writes the law on our fragile hearts, like a tattoo that cannot be removed or lost or hidden. The only thing that counts is God’s faithfulness—God’s promise. God’s promise that our sin no longer defines us. Our doubts, our falling short, our questions, our vulnerabilities are safe with God—and should be safe with each other.

And so, every time our students make their Affirmation promises, we, too, re-affirm our baptisms. We, too, renew our promises to God and one another. We remind each other that we are God’s ambassadors, God’s image, God’s hands in this world.

Pastor Tobi White

Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church

Lincoln, NE