Sermon: "A Place to Stand; a Gift to Offer "
The Right Reverend Charles G. vonRosenberg
Third Bishop of East Tennessee

[This sermon by Bishop vonRosenberg was delivered using the following notes.]

You who are confirmation candidates will make some important statements today - both in what you say and by what you do. This is one of those moments in life at which you take a stand. The moment itself is significant. And, what the moment says about the rest of your life is even more significant. Thos of us who have been confirmed previously do well to pay special attention, too.

The Prayer Book describes what the candidates for Confirmation will be doing in just a few minutes. That is, according to the Prayer Book, you will "make a mature public affirmation of (your) faith and commitment to the responsibilities of (your) Baptism" (BCP, p412). Those words provide part of the description of Confirmation found in the Prayer Book. Therefore, you will reaffirm promises made at your Baptism, either by yourself or by sponsors who spoke for you. Now - today - you take those promises on yourself. Thus, I say, this is a day in which you take your stand, in front of God and the Church.

In addition, though, by virtue of this action today, you make an offering of yourself. And this, too, relates to everyone present today. You offer your gifts - who you are, your God-given abilities and unique talents - those things you offer in a new way to the life of this community& the community of St. Luke's, the larger community of the Episcopal Church, and, indeed, the community of the world..

Our New Testament reading this morning calls our attention to the matter of spiritual gifts. In this reading and elsewhere, St. Paul points out what he calls "the varieties of gifts." That is, there are many different gifts, used to accomplish various things, but all for the good of the community. Or, as St. Paul writes, "To each (person) is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good."

Just following the passage read today, St. Paul compares the Church to a body. In fact, "the Body of Christ" is his favorite analogy for the Church. And, according to St. Paul, people in the Church are like parts of a body, each serving a different function for the good of the entire body. Therefore, you who are confirmed today are called into greater awareness of your part in this body - St. Luke's, the Episcopal Church, and the Body of Christ.

Our community then - the community of the Church, locally, nationally, and world-wide - this community is enabled to live out its calling and responsibilities, as members offer their gifts for the good of the community. The collect today reminds us that we are "illumined by the Word and Sacraments" of our Lord, and therefore, we are enabled to continue Christ's ministry as 'the light of the world. '

The reading from Isaiah tells of a similar theme, even as it anticipates the One who will be the world's light. The prophet writes of Jerusalem - the holy city, the source of God's word. "I will not rest," he proclaims, "until her vindication shines out like the dawn, and her salvation like a burning torch." Therefore, we see once again the theme that the light of truth and righteousness will shine in the darkness. And this surely is an Epiphany theme. Remember that the wise men followed a star, and then, they carried the news revealed by that light back to their foreign lands. So it is also with our community - gathered here for worship and scattered into the world of our lives.

This missionary sense of carrying Christ's light into the world clearly is central to Confirmation and to the expectations of our baptismal promises. The verbs said by the bishop at the time of Confirmation indicate this missionary emphasis: "Strengthen ... empower ... sustain." Thus, the people who come into this community, bringing gifts for the good of the body, are sent forth to exercise those gifts for the sake of the world.

Finally, the Gospel reading today provides us with a means to summarize these other ideas and images. Remember that the story told there describes turning water into wine. Thus, that which sustains the body becomes also a source for enlivening the spirit. We do well to recognize such connections in all parts of our lives. On an even more practical level, what good is water at a party when the wine runs out? We find here also a Eucharistic image, for we remember that we are fed spiritually by wine, which symbolizes the blood of Christ.

As this community, then, we gather regularly for worship. In doing so, we bring and offer our various gifts for the good of the community. Here it is that we are strengthened, empowered, and sustained. However, our life here in this community does not exist for its own sake. That which happens here has another focus - an intention which lies outside these walls. We are called to be lights to the world - to carry beyond this place that strength, power, and sustenance that are given to us here. And we do so for the cause of Jesus Christ and for his sake.

As we remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, each year at this time, we may reflect about his life and witness in many ways. Indeed, he serves as a model for us today, in much of what he believed in and in what he accomplished. On this occasion in particular, I suggest that Dr. King was one who took a stand and who offered his gifts for the good of others. He was not afraid to stand up for what he believed & and then he proceeded to live his life in ways that witnessed to the beliefs that he held dear.

Therefore, may we who are confirmed today - and may all the rest of us, also - be given eyes to see the gifts we have to offer for Christ's sake, hearts to know the will of our Lord for our communities and for our lives, and hands to serve in the name of Jesus the Savior. Amen.

Copyright © 2007 The Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee