1 Peter 3:15-16 [Confirmation Sunday]
Pastor Ron Koehler
Grace—VAIL, AZ
May 19, 2019
In the name of our Loving Lord and Savior, dear friends, and especially you, Mackenzie and Anna,
“Semper Paratus”—that’s the motto of the United States Coast Guard. It’s Latin for “Always Prepared” or, as the Coast Guard prefers, “Always Ready”. It’s not exactly clear how Semper Paratus was chosen as their motto, but it has been associated with the Coast Guard since at least 1900. The motto encourages sailors and advertises to all that the Coast Guard is always prepared to respond when needed. Our Savior also calls on us to be semper paratus. As Christ’s people—people who, in their hearts, regard him as Lord—he commands us to BE PREPARED and he tells us how to respond to others and to him. Through the Apostle Peter he urges us to BE PREPARED! 1. TO GIVE AN ANSWER and 2. TO LIVE FOR CHRIST He does so with these words: But regard the Lord, the Christ, as holy in your hearts. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that is in you. But speak with gentleness and respect, while maintaining a clear conscience, so that those who attack your good way of life in Christ may be put to shame because they slandered you as evildoers. Part of Confirmation Sunday is making a confession of faith, letting the family of believers here at Grace know that you, in your hearts, have regarded, or set apart, Christ as Lord. Anna and Mackenzie, you prepared for this day, didn’t you? You put the finishing touches on your essays over the last week and went through your Confirmation vows that you will make in just a little bit. But it goes back farther than that—you spent the last couple years in Sunday morning Confirmation Class where you learned the basic teachings of the Bible and how to apply them to your life as a Christian. But it may go back farther than that—to Sunday worship when you were younger, even to when you were a baby and were baptized, receiving the gift of faith by the Holy Spirit. You might consider all of that preparation for this day! That’s true of most of us here today—God has been preparing us for years through sermons and Bible study and the encouragement of other Christians. God has gotten us ready. But ready for what? Ready to read an essay confessing your faith? Ready to promise faithfulness to your Savior? Ready to receive his true body and blood along with the bread and wine at Communion and find forgiveness and strength there? Is that all? Now, don’t get me wrong, that’s a lot of good stuff right there! But that’s NOT all God has prepared you for!