2026-06-28 Pentecost 5

Scripture Readings

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen!

Do you ever notice how pretty much everyone loves Christmas? There in the manger lies the little Lord Jesus, cute and cuddly, asleep on the hay. Shepherds, angels, Mary, Joseph, and barnyard animals all gathered around the newborn King. The prophet Isaiah painted this beautiful picture centuries earlier: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

We especially love that last title—Prince of Peace. It feels warm, safe, and comforting. We put it on Christmas cards and church banners. It matches the God of love and hugs we so often prefer.

But then the church year moves forward, and we run straight into these rather startling words from none other than the very same Prince of Peace: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:34).

Say what? What happened to the sweet lil’ peace-filled baby in the manger?! Jesus continues: “For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household” (Matthew 10:35-36).

This is not the cute n’ cuddly, warm-fuzzy Jesus we signed up for! Yet Baby Jesus and Preacher Jesus are the same Lord. He is the Word of God in the flesh. So we ask the classic Lutheran confirmation question: What does this mean?

It means that following Jesus has a cost. Salvation itself is pure gift—by grace alone, through faith alone, on account of Christ alone. Nobody earns a gift. It is simply received. Christ Jesus gives this most precious gift to all who will believe the promise. But the cost of discipleship is often division. When you cling to Jesus as your pearl of great price, everything else must take second place. This is where we find that the sword cuts.

Jesus is here quoting the prophet Micah, who described a world sunk in sin: “The godly has perished from the earth, and there is no one upright among mankind; they all lie in wait for blood, and each hunts the other with a net. 3 Their hands are on what is evil, to do it well; the prince and the judge ask for a bribe, and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul; thus they weave it together. 4 The best of them is like a brier, the most upright of them a thorn hedge. The day of your watchmen, of your punishment, has come; now their confusion is at hand. 5 Put no trust in a neighbour; have no confidence in a friend; guard the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms; 6 for the son treats the father with contempt, the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.” (Micah 7:2-6).

In such a broken world, you cannot serve two masters. You cannot embrace the kingdom of darkness and still claim a full share in the Kingdom of Light. The sword separates. The line is drawn deeply in the sand. Micah’s own response rings out as the only faithful answer: “But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me” (Micah 7:7).

That is exactly what our confirmands are doing here today.

In Confirmation, you stand before God and His church and publicly confess the faith into which you were baptized. You affirm the teachings of the Small Catechism you have learned. You say, in effect, “Jesus is my Lord. He is number one above all things.” You are confirming that you belong to Christ, and that you intend—by the power of the Holy Spirit—to follow Him - even when it costs, even when it divides, even when family or friends pressure you to do otherwise.

Jesus says it plainly: “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:37).

He covers every relationship—those who came before us and those who come after us. These are the closest relationships we have! The family unit of parents and children. Yet we see, faith in God comes first. That is why the Ten Commandments are ordered as they are: God first, God’s Name, God’s Day, then family and neighbours. “Family first” may be a nice marketing slogan, but for the Christian who follows the Risen Christ it is “Jesus first.”

“And whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:38-39).

The Roman Empire did its very best to think up more and more terrible ways to execute people. Gotta deter those criminals and anyone who would dare rise up and challenge the almighty government! To this end, the cross was Rome’s cruellest punishment — shame, the worst physical suffering followed by an excruciating death. To take up your cross means you may face ridicule and shame at school or pressure to compromise the Christian faith at work someday. You might have to endure tension in your own home if you refuse to go along with the world’s values. It may even cost friendships or future opportunities. But hear the heavenly promise: when you lose your life for Christ’s sake, you find real life—eternal life, forgiveness, and the joy of belonging to Him forever.

The temptation for those being confirmed is to treat this day like a graduation. Have the ceremony, take the picture, eat the cake, yeehaw! But you’re not graduating from church. Rather, you are stepping into the arena of discipleship. The Holy Spirit, given to you in Baptism and strengthened through the Word, will equip you. Christ Himself feeds you with His very own body and blood in the Sacrament of Holy Communion so you will stand strong in the face of opposition. He has already won the victory over sin, death and the devil, even though the battle rages on. He has overcome the world through His cross and resurrection.

To this end, we treasure our Lord’s words: “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

You will have tribulation. This is a guarantee. But we also have this great promise: the Prince of Peace has conquered through the cross. His victory is now your victory by faith. So stand firm, dear confirmands and all of ye who art confirmed! Look to the Lord. Wait for the God of your salvation. He will hear you. He will hold you. And in the end, He will bring you safely home. Our King invites us to gather around His throne of grace and receive the strength we need to hold fast in the face of the world. Through His Word of promise in the Scriptures, to our Baptism that makes us His own, to His supper that feeds and fills us with good things, the Lord is abounding with help to bear our crosses. Confident in the grace of Christ we go, marching onward in salvation.

Thanks be to God, now and forever more. Amen!