Loving God, you provide for your people from day to day, even as you invite us to walk daily with you.  Renew us in your Spirit as we gather together today, strengthening in us the gifts of faith, hope, and love; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

    Thankfully, both Elijah and the widow in 1 Kings 17 are living in more desperate circumstances than most of us will ever see.  Elijah, having just predicted a drought that will last for three years, is told to hide himself on the edge of the wilderness, where he will be fed by ravens (or maybe Bedouins).  It is God who has given him the message about the drought, and it is God who has directed him to go to the Wadi Cherith.  A wadi (just in case you’re wondering) is kind of like a brook, except there is only water in it during the rainy season.  And so, predictably, after a while it dries up.

    Next, Elijah is sent way over to the Mediterranean Sea, to a town called Zarephath, where a widow will feed him.  However, it is not until Elijah gets there that he discovers that this widow only has enough left for one more meal.  Upon hearing this, the word of the Lord comes to Elijah once again with a promise.  The jar of meal and the jug of oil that are almost empty will not be used up until the day that God sends rain once again.  And it is so.  Elijah and the widow and her son have enough to eat for many days.

    Whether we are thinking about Elijah going from place to place and being fed in the unlikeliest of ways, or the widow who shares her last meal with a complete stranger, or the people at the time of the Reformation who faced all kinds of upheaval and persecution, each of these stories is about daily walking with God - especially in the midst of trials.

    It is this kind of day to day faith that the confirmands have been asked to think about - what it means to live as somebody who believes in Jesus Christ.  They have also been asked to think about others who do not believe in Jesus and how their lives might be different.  And so, I’m going to invite each of them to share with you what they have written.     [Speeches]

    Both Maddy and Lizzy are aware (I think) that they are not finished learning when it comes to their faith.  Confirmation is not the time when you can say, “Okay.  I’m done.  Now I know everything.”  The truth is that none of us are ever done growing and learning when it comes to our relationship with God.  Instead, confirmation is a time when we say, “Yes!  I want to be part of the new covenant that God made with me in baptism.”  That’s why the service we will use today is called Affirmation of Baptism.

    When we are confirmed, we affirm our baptism in a special way, but that doesn’t mean that we are finished with affirming our baptism, either.  For most of us, there are times in our lives where remembering our baptism and affirming our faith can be very meaningful for us.  And so the service today is also an opportunity for others to remember their baptism.  We will join in affirming our baptismal faith together.  We will be invited to restate our commitment to praise God and “proclaim the good news to all the world” (p. 236, EvLW).  We will give thanks for the gift of baptism.

    As we do so, if it is helpful to you, don’t be afraid to splash some water on yourself whenever you are near the baptismal font.  In fact, don’t be afraid to remember that you are baptized any time that you are washing yourself.  Martin Luther used to remember his baptism in this way, giving thanks that he was a baptized child of God.  And so, whenever you are in the water, imagine God’s love flowing over you.  Imagine God pouring out the gift of the Holy Spirit on you.  Imagine God saying to you, “You are my own precious child.  With you I am well pleased.”

    The thing is that both baptism and the Reformation are all about God’s grace.  God saves us, not because we have earned it or purchased it or deserve it, but because God loves us.  It is our faith that takes hold of this gift, as we put our trust in Jesus Christ.  And it is the Holy Spirit who strengthens us and guides us in this faith, helping us to grow up into Christ.

    And so, today, give thanks for the gift of baptism.  Give thanks for the love of God poured out for us in Jesus Christ.  Give thanks for the gift of the Holy Spirit, who fills us with gifts like peace, and joy, and love.  Give thanks for the God who provides for poor widows, simply because they have faith.  Give thanks for the God who provides for prophets like Elijah.  Give thanks for the God who provides even in the midst of persecution.  For Jesus came that we might have life, and have it abundantly.  Thanks be to God!  Amen.

Reformation Sunday (NL 3)                        1 Kings 17:1-16
October 30, 2016
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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