3rd Sunday after Easter (Misericordias Domini) – May 4th, 2025
Trinity Ev. Lutheran Church, Block, Kansas
Rev. Joshua Woelmer
Text: Psalm 23
“God Shepherds Us through All Our Life”
Theme: Christ’s care for us does not end at Confirmation but continues our whole life long.
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Alleluia, Christ is risen! He is risen indeed, Alleluia!
We are in the season of graduations. It’s a time of transition for many youth and young adults. At a graduation, there are often two speeches that are given. The Valedictorian is supposed to give a “goodbye” speech to the graduates, reflecting on the past memories that they have shared together. “Vale” means “goodbye” in Latin. The Salutatorian is supposed to give a “hello” speech to the graduates, looking to the future where their paths will diverge from one another. “Salve” means “hello” in Latin. Graduations are a time for many of these goodbyes and hellos. It is a goodbye to one school, and hello to another, or to a job or travels or whatever life holds for you.
This is why Confirmation is not graduation. Today we celebrate something different from a graduation, even though they look similar at first glance. It is true that Confirmation follows a period of study. Bailey and August have been learning God’s Word and Luther’s Small Catechism. They’ve been good students and have passed. They gave a good witness to their faith at their Questioning yesterday. Today we recognize this achievement and welcome them as communicant members of our congregation. This is a churchly rite of passage, and one that is worth celebrating.
However, what I am giving here today is not a Valedictorian or a Salutatorian speech. Bailey and August, I pray that I am not saying “goodbye” to you here in this sermon. You might laugh now, but there are plenty of people who treat confirmation this way. Once they are confirmed, they see no more need to come to church or youth group or Bible study.
I am also not giving you a speech that echoes Dr. Seuss’s book, “Oh, the Places You’ll Go.” Why? I pray that you come right back here next week. And the week after that. I pray that wherever your feet take you, even if it is away from Paola, Kansas, you’ll always find an LCMS church to worship in and be fed by God’s Word.
Confirmation is not graduation because the Christian faith is more than what is in your head. The Christian faith is a life that God is leading you through. Yes, it requires some head knowledge. It also involves life knowledge, also called wisdom. It also requires trust in God through all your days, the good with the bad. In other words, we must listen to God our Shepherd, and know his voice.
This is why Psalm 23 is such a precious Psalm, and it’s worth memorizing and taking to heart, not just today on Confirmation Sunday, but every day. There’s a reason I include it at every funeral—it speaks to us at every age and in all circumstances. God is our shepherd, we are his sheep, and he cares for us in every way imaginable. There are three parts to this Psalm, all focusing on God as our Shepherd. The first look at how God feeds us, the second focuses on our fears and problems, and the last verse speaks to where God is leading us.
The first few verses of Psalm 23 give us the picture of the Shepherd feeding his flock. “I shall not want” is a good summary, but the green pastures and still waters are luscious images of peace. They are just what a sheep would want. Green grass is good to munch on, and still waters are not like rapids that are dangerous. A softly babbling brook is perfect for quenching one’s thirst. These speak to God’s care for our physical bodies. We need more than green grass and quiet waters, but we receive our daily bread from God, recognizing that everything comes from His gracious hand.
God also cares for our soul: “He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake” (3). The way that your soul is restored is by being led in paths of righteousness. We recognize that we feel better when we’ve done the right thing, even if it’s apologizing for our faults. Even better, our soul is restored when we receive forgiveness, not just from another person, but especially from God Himself. We have his righteousness because our Shepherd “bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness,” as Peter says (2:24). August and Bailey, God has fed you thus far both physically and spiritually, and He desires to continue this work all the days of your life.
Next, the middle section of Psalm 23 talks about our troubles. There are many. The first one that it mentions is death: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death” (4). Easter is a reminder to us that we will all pass through this valley, but there is a city on the other side that is waiting for us. Death is described as a shadow, because shadows can seem scary, especially in the moment. But Jesus leads us from darkness and death to light and life. We fear no evil as we walk from this life to the next life through the portal of death.
The next trouble we have is sin. It should seem strange to us that “thy rod and thy staff they comfort me” (4). One way that a shepherd wields the rod and staff is certainly to fight off wolves and predators. But another way that a rod or staff is used is to correct the sheep when they are going astray. None of us like to hear the law, but we need to hear it when we are wandering from God. God uses his staff to rebuke us of our sin, that we would not “stray like sheep” (1 Pet 2:25). A shepherd’s staff is great for hooking around a leg and redirecting a little lamb. It’s also helpful for pulling a sheep out of a tough situation when they have wandered too far and gotten into deep trouble.
Finally, we have enemies. Sin, death, the world, our sinful nature all war against God and faith. Despite the attacks of these enemies, God prepares a table before us. We can interpret this table as the Lord’s Supper, which, Bailey and August, you will soon partake of with us.
Finally, there is a wonderful promise that Jesus has to the sheep who have continued to listen to His voice their whole lives: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever” (6). Bailey and August, today is not a graduation, because God’s goodness and mercy are not limited to this day and time. God desires to follow you all the days of your life, that you would dwell in His house forever. You will soon make promises to God that you “intend to hear the Word of God and receive the Lord’s Supper faithfully” and “to continue steadfast in this confession and Church and to suffer all, even death, rather than fall away from it.” These are important promises that you will make. What is even more important are the promises that God makes back to you. He promises that he knows you, that he has laid down his life for you, and that He will be your Shepherd even when you stray and need to be brought back.
It is true that we do not see everyone here who has been confirmed. Some have moved to other congregations. Some have strayed. We pray that God will seek out his flock that has a tendency to scatter. But it is better to not scatter in the first place. It is better to be listening to the voice of the Shepherd, to hear His voice, and to seek always His green pastures, still waters, protection, rod, staff, table, cup, and house. That, finally, is where He is leading you through all the ups and downs of life.
Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen.
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