Finding Faith ... in a confirmation student who shines Christ's light

EDITOR'S NOTE: On Oct. 23, 2021, I was ordained as a minister of word and sacrament in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and installed as pastor at Faith Lutheran Church in Wolverton, Minn. I also served the same church for four years from October 2017 to October 2021 a synodical authorized minister. The journey together these past seven years has been an amazing one, full of learning, growing and a deepening of my theological mind. This sermon took place on May 18, 2025.

Pastor Devlyn preaching a message specifically for Bridgit on her confirmation Sunday.

This week's gospel text: John 13:31-35

The New Commandment

31 When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. 32 If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. 33 Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ 34 I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

The message:

Sometimes the jokes just write themselves, am I right?

God’s creativity and humor is just so much more creative than our brains ever could be. … And some real life events are so hilarious that we could have never dreamt them up.

Some of you probably already see where this is going, but there will be one moment in my years as Bridgit’s pastor that will forever live on … fixed in my brain as THE perfect youth group moment.

Many of you probably know some or all of this story, and much to Bridgit’s dismay, it’s now confirmation legend. … A story that will be passed down from one confirmation generation to another.

But it’s the follow up to that story that makes it so special to me, and we’ll get to that in a moment. … First some context. 

It seems some years ago, long before Bridgit had moved into the ranks of confirmation, she was in a Sunday school class where Renata was teaching a lesson.

And on the chalkboard in the downstairs classroom, Renata had drawn the form of a certain winged species of bird that often represents the Holy Spirit. When asking what it was, Bridigt exclaimed, “The Holy Pigeon!” … And thus a legend was born!

However, for me what’s even funnier is this … 

Fast forward several years. And last summer, our youth group was in New Orleans for the National Youth Gathering.

It was our first day on site, but we’d already had one long day of travel before. So everyone was already tired. … It was late in the day, and we were heading to our first, big mass meal with hundreds of youth from all over the country.

With our very tired troop of youth, we trudged our way to the big convention center, found the appropriate ballroom and whooped kiddos found their way into the food line and eventually made it back to a table to sit.

I happened to be sitting at the next table over, and you cannot make this up … it can only be God’s humor in the making … 

Out of the corner of my eye, I see this shape fly through the air and land gently way up in the rafters … some three stories above us. … And as it comes into vision … there sits a … pigeon directly above where Bridgit has parked herself at the table.

Well … as a good pastor should … I whipped out my phone and took a photo and promptly sent it to Renata and Bridgit’s mom.

There was proof that the Holy Pigeon was watching over us on our trip!

Best confirmation moment ever … I couldn’t have even written up a better script for Bridgit’s National Youth Gathering trip!

In all seriousness, Bridgit … thank you for the past three years. 

Looking back, it’s incredible the times we have seen together, isn’t it?

Remember three years ago, walking into a class of eight confirmands! … And being the youngest of them all.

For a while there … I wondered if I was ever going to hear a word out of you! … Just getting to participate in the mandatory sharing, felt like pulling teeth!

I would ask your mom about it, and she would assure me, “Oh no, she talks!”

But there in that setting … that first year … you were just content to take it all in.

But you know what I also took note of that first year? … Your kindness, especially for anyone else who was having a bad day.

When we shared highs and lows, and someone seemed to be feeling dispirited that night, it was you who were the first to offer a kind word … or even a hug.

You were never the vocal one that year, but you did display something far more steady. … Your kind heart permeated that room and made it easier for all of the quiet kids to get something out of confirmation too.

And then, as year two of your confirmation dawned, you became the middle class and there were only six in confirmation and you were more mature … and that’s when I saw you blossom as a leader.

You started to grow out of your introvertedness. And you took on an even larger role as caretaker in the class. … You might not have known this, but the other young girls in class often looked to you to model the appropriate behavior in class.

And I was grateful every week that I could count on you to be the one constant in class. … Ever respectful, ever kind and ever thoughtful.

Then last summer came the National Youth Gathering. … And I will admit that in the months and weeks leading up to our departure, there were times I was wondering just what that massive experience was going to be for you.

Would you flourish … or would that experience overwhelm you?

But you know what? … You defied all of my concerns. … Over the course of that week, I saw you grow out of your shell and become a confident leader among our kids on that trip.

You once again demonstrated the kindness and compassion you always possess for the other kids in the moments they struggled.

Proving once again that you possess an inner strength that I can only describe as divine. … You most certainly carry Jesus’ light.

Then came year three. … Your final year of confirmation. … A year in which we had a class of only three … and the year that your sister joined you.

And you know what … despite you having no obligation to do so. … You took over that class. It was you who demonstrated the maturity to keep us on track on so many nights.

It was you who often determined the activities that we were going to participate in. … It was you who helped the younger students understand the lesson I was trying to underscore that night.

Much to my delight, it was you who guided us through this year, and made sure that we made something productive of each class. … Even though sometimes it was very challenging.

And, finally, on a personal note, I want to share with you how grateful I am for this final touch of kindness you displayed.

You see, it was you … the very first confirmand that I’ve had here … that started the tradition of including me in the weekly highs and lows.

It’s true … while there have been other students who periodically would ask me to participate in that weekly practice. … It was you who nearly every week, when you could have called on another student, called on “Da Pasta” to participate in highs and lows.

And I think that very much sums up your compassionate nature.

Bridgit … in today’s gospel … Jesus teaches us a very important lesson. 

On the very night in which he was betrayed … because remember that this text takes place right after Judas leaves on the night of the Last Supper … Jesus teaches the other disciples something very important about what being faithful is like.

Mind you … Jesus knows that one of his closest followers has just left the room to go rat him out to the Romans … and yet he still says to the remaining disciples:

“I give you a new commandment, that you love another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Bridgit … I know that you are one of Jesus’ disciples because of the love you display for each and every person around you.

You are the first to include others in every activity. … You are the one who makes sure that everyone gets a fair turn. … You are the one who leads by example. … You are the one who even when you’re having a bad day, you make sure others’ bad days … aren’t so bad.

It’s this selflessness that I so admire in you. … You demonstrate it daily through how you treat everyone around you. … And I don’t even know if you are aware that it was this kind of compassion that Jesus is referring to in today’s gospel.

On your confirmation day, it is my prayer for you that you never … ever grow out of who you are today.

I’ve seen Christ’s light in you. … So has this congregation. And so today is bittersweet.

Your presence in our classroom will be missed, but promise me that as you grow into the young woman that you will become, that you never … ever … forget Jesus’ message from today… 

“Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Because it’s exactly at this time that our world needs kind hearts like yours … to remind us what Jesus’ love is like. 

And that is the Good News for this Confirmation day, the Fifth Sunday of Easter, May 18, 2025. Amen.