“Lexi Dances, for You Walk by the Spirit” Wedding of Rebecca Svitak and Bradley Slick Galatians 5:1, 13-25 July 3, 2010 Octave of Pentecost V Trinity Lutheran Church, Auburn, Nebraska
1Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. … 13For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another! 16I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. IN NOMINE JESU Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, especially Brad and Becca, my dear sister: Today is a very special day for all of us. It is a day that we praise God and celebrate His bringing you two together in the holy bonds of marriage. It is a very special day for the two of you, as He has brought you here, before His altar, to confess your love for each other, a love to which you will soon willingly bind yourself for the remainder of your lives, until death parts you. And yet it is not a day for just the two of you. It is a day for your infant daughter, Alexandra Barbara Slick, as well. Even though this is a day she may not understand, it is a day full of God-given blessings for her. It was here, in this building, at that font, that I had the privilege of baptizing Lexi in and into the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It was there that she was killed and made alive again in the life-giving water and Word of God that is Holy Baptism. It was there that little Lexi’s walk with the Holy Spirit began. Even though she could not yet walk at that time, and even as she is now learning to walk on her own, she has been walking with the Spirit as you have walked her in here, the house of the Lord, that she would be fed on and grow in His Word. It is a day for her to one day rejoice in, and for us to rejoice in for her. I am reminded of the refrain of a song by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band: “Dance, little Jean, this day is for you. Two people you love stood up and said, ‘I do.’ Dance, little Jean, the prayer that you had Was answered today: Your mama’s marrying your dad.” We can play some music and watch Lexi as she takes those baby steps, and we’ll marvel at how cute she is. While it is hard for us to know whether this is also Lexi’s prayer since she cannot talk yet, it has certainly been my prayer that she be raised in a godly and God-fearing home. It has been my prayer that the works of the flesh that brought forth Lexi would, through repentance—through confession and absolution and through the Baptism that Lexi has received and that you, Brad, have also received just recently, as did Becca in her infancy—indeed, by the grace of God, be transformed into your walk by the Spirit, that the “House of Slick” would bear fruit in keeping with repentance—the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. There will be times when the fruit of the Spirit will not be evident in your home. That’s because of a little three-letter word: sin. It is sin that keeps us from bearing this fruit, to show one another the love that God has for us in Christ. You will not always think, say, or do things that would show love and honor for each other. This means that you need to repent, to say to each other, “I’m sorry,” and for the other to say back to you, “I forgive you.” Brad, I know my sister, and I know she will need to repent of many and various things, and you will need to, out of your God-given love for her, forgive her. Beck, I have not had the privilege of knowing Brad as long or as well as you have, but he will have many opportunities to say he’s sorry, and you will have just as many opportunities to forgive him. The life of the Christian, whether in marriage or in other vocations, is a life of repentance and forgiveness. Marriage is not about how many times you say you’re sorry and forgive each other, but it is about living in the forgiveness of sins—to forgive and keep on forgiving. To love is to forgive and to pray for each other and for your family. While you’re being forgiving with and forgiven by each other, don’t forget there’s someone else in your home who needs your love, your forgiveness, and your prayers. You know her as Lexi. You have a little girl who needs to hear you tell her that you love her, that you forgive her, and that you are praying for her. What you hear as you sit in the pew each Lord’s Day you get to share with her and instill in her throughout the remainder of the week. You get to share with her the good news that Jesus loves her, just as He loves you. When I get to celebrate the Lord’s Supper and parents bring their young children with them before His Table, I place my hand on them and I give them a blessing (part of which I borrowed from a brother pastor). I say to the child, “The Lord bless and keep you in your Baptismal covenant both now and forevermore. Remember that Jesus loves you very, very much! Amen!” I place the sign of the cross on the child to remind her that she belongs to Christ, as does Lexi—as do you and I. She needs this forgiveness. She needs this love. She needs Jesus. You need Jesus. I need Jesus. We need His love—and we have it! We got it there at the font. We get it when we hear our heavenly Father has forgiven us for His Son’s sake. We get it when His Word is spoken in our hearing: read, taught, and preached. We get it when the body and blood of our Lord touches our lips, His body given and His blood shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. He showers His gifts upon you in His Means of Grace: His Word and Sacraments. The love that God is showering upon you in Holy Matrimony, uniting the two of you into one flesh, He also showers upon Lexi, who through Baptism is united with you into the body of Christ. You have a beautiful daughter, not because Uncle Mark says so but because God has said so. You remember the song we learned in Sunday school: “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong; they are weak, but He is strong.” He is strong—Jesus, who, though true God from eternity, was born true man, born as one of us. I’m sure that in the next few years Lexi will learn the song “Jesus Loves Me.” She’ll also likely learn this song that she may well sing at a Christmas program in a couple of years: “In a little stable Far across the sea Was a little Baby Just like you and me. …Oh, I love this Jesus, Who was little then. For He surely loves me, Little though I am.” The best things do come in small packages: your daughter, Lexi, and your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, whose blood set us free to be people of God. Christ went the way of the cross so that we would go the way of the Spirit. The Son has set us free. We are free indeed—free from the yoke of sin and its curse, for He has placed our yoke upon Himself. He took up the cross for you and for me. He took our yoke from us and has given us His Name at our Baptism, that the Old Adam would drown and die, no longer to satisfy the flesh, and that the new man would live in the Spirit, whom Christ has given you at your Baptism, in His Word, and in His body and blood, given and shed, crucified and dead, risen and ascended for you for the forgiveness of your sins and for your living and walking by the Spirit. You see, you are not on this journey alone, but the Holy Spirit continues to work in you, calling you by the Gospel, enlightening you with His gifts, sanctifying and keeping you in the one true faith, daily and richly forgiving you your sins. This is most certainly true, fellow redeemed—Becca, Brad, Lexi, and all gathered here today who confess the Name of Jesus. It is Christ, the Centerpiece and Foundation of your marriage, who takes you by the hand, joining you together in the holy bonds of marriage and in His holy, precious blood, which cleanses you from all sin. It is God the Father who has called you His forgiven children for His Son’s sake and who today calls you husband and wife. It is the Holy Spirit who has brought you to the house of the Lord and has brought you to saving faith in Jesus Christ, that you would receive His gifts of forgiveness, eternal life, and salvation—the same Spirit who takes you by the hand to walk with Him and bring you to Christ—the same Spirit who continues to nurture and strengthen your faith through Word and Sacraments—the same Spirit who is at work in Lexi through Baptism and the Word, the same Word she hears here and that you get to teach her at home. You see, it’s not just Rebecca Svitak or Bradley Slick anymore. In a few moments that will all change. You will become Rebecca and Bradley Slick—make that Bradley, Rebecca, and Alexandra Slick. In the world you will be known as the Slicks. Here in God’s house you will soon become husband and wife, parents and child—a family. Here you are children of God. It is my prayer that, by the grace of God, these marital and familial bonds grow and strengthen through every joy and sorrow shared in your walk together, in your walk as a family, and in your walk with the Lord throughout the days of your pilgrimage on earth. God grant this in Jesus’ Name and for His sake. Amen. The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts, your minds, your marriage, and your family, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to life everlasting. Amen. SOLI DEO GLORIA -- The Rev. Pr. Mark A. Schlamann, Lincoln, NE Vacancy Pastor, Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Pleasant Dale, Nebraska Sermons available at http://lcmssermons.com/Schlamann Catch the NEW "Issues, Etc." at http://www.issuesetc.org "When you are baptized, partake of Holy Communion, receive the absolution, or listen to a sermon, heaven is open, and we hear the voice of the Heavenly Father; all these works descend upon us from the open heaven above us. God converses with us, provides for us; and Christ hovers over us--but invisibly. And even though there were clouds above us as impervious as iron or steel, obstructing our view of heaven, this would not matter. Still we hear God speaking to us from heaven; we call and cry to Him, and He answers us. Heaven is open, as St. Stephen saw it open (Acts 7:55); and we hear God when He addresses us in Baptism, in Holy Communion, in confession, and in His Word as it proceeds from the mouth of the men who proclaim His message to the people."--Martin Luther (1/19/1538 [LW 22:202]) ___________________________________________________________________ 'CAT 41 Sermons & Devotions' consists of works that are, unless otherwise noted, the copyrighted property of the various authors; posting of such gives members of this list implied consent for redistribution _with_attribution_ unless otherwise specified by the author (as long as no charge is made for the work and it is not made part of a compilation), as well as for quoting or use in a congregational setting _with_or_without_attribution_. Note: This list's default reply is to the *poster*, NOT the list. Do *not* reply to the list with your comments, but to the poster. Subscribe? Send ANY note to: [email protected] Unsubscribe? Send ANY note to: [email protected] Archive? <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/> For more information on this or other lists offered by Confess And Teach For Unity, you can contact the CAT 41 list administrator at: Rev. Fr. Eric J. Stefanski <MoM [at] lists (dot) cat41 <dot> org>
