So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

While Confirmation is not a sacrament, it is a significant milestone for anyone who partakes of the life of the Church, which is life in the body of Christ, which is eternal life through the forgiveness of sins in His Name.

Confirmation is chiefly an affirmation that the individual Christian has been examined and has exercised the opportunity to confess out loud who God is and what He does. Of course the same thing happens often through Matins, Vespers, Divine Service, and any number of occasions where Christians gather together to hear the Word of God, to pray, and to encourage one another in good works.

Because eternal things are so easily despised, neglected, and forgotten, the Holy Spirit through St. Paul admonishes us to receive a "sound pattern of words," which in turn directs poor sinners to the Word made Flesh, so that our hope is in nothing and no one other than the One true God, who reveals Himself to be merciful not merely in abstract terms, but in Christ Jesus, born of the Virgin Mary, crucified, and risen as our substitute before God the Father, and who makes intercession for us, having made children out of what, essentially, are stones; who distributes His righteousness and benefits concretely upon the living bodies of poor sinners who once were dead.

Because eternal things are so easily despised, neglected, and forgotten, the Holy Spirit continually impresses them upon Christians from their baptism until their departure from this life, using pastors, teachers, fathers, mothers, fellow Christians, and the gift of memory to encourage and admonish along the way.

The most difficult thing about this Faith is how it is a hidden treasure, despised and unrecognized by the world. This is no surprise, because this is exactly how it has been from the beginning. In due time, however, it will all come to light. For now it is a considerable mess, with many doubting, many falling, many weak, many sick, and many having the appearance of indifference. Since all things came into being out of nothing by virtue of the Word of the LORD, we should not despair when considering how the Church appears in these latter days, but take heart because it is the LORD who speaks and does these things. Amen.

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Where are You?

Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?"

God approaches fallen man in terms of proximity, space, and physical being, and not merely in terms of philosophy, ideas, or wishful thinking. This is because it is His aim to draw near to us physically, and not merely philosophically or as an idea.

He could have asked Adam, "Why?" Instead it is Adam who, to this day asks, "Why?" "Why is there evil? How could a loving God allow so much suffering in this world? Why did He allow Adam to sin?"

But it has been in the heart of God from the beginning, for the praise of His glory, to work all things through His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

So, when the LORD God asks Adam where He "is," the answer could easily have been given in terms of GPS coordinates, but Adam, out of an ungodly fear, starts making excuses.

It is the same today when ever the holy things of God are brought to bear in the midst of fallen man. He makes excuses, runs away, and hides.

This, however, will not change the heart of God. He continues to speak His Word and will in Christ Jesus, calling you to repentance and faith so that you may be where He is.

For you know that in Christ Jesus the LORD God has drawn as near as possible by becoming bone of your bone and flesh of your flesh, and then bearing in His own physical body the wrath you richly deserve. Therefore you may draw near to Him with a true heart.

The proximity of you to God, and vise versa, is bound up in His preaching to you, and in His administration in these latter days through His Holy Baptism, Holy Supper, and Holy Absolution.

These are not ideas, abstractions, or philosophies, but they bear the very substance of heaven come down to save and bless for all time those who were once enemies of the LORD God. + + +