Dear Christian friends:

Members of the Confirmation Class, Parents and friends: If the President of the United States came to you and asked you to do something for him, I'm sure that you would feel very honored and proud because such a great man asked you to do something for him. And you would be very eager to do that and you would try to do a very good job.

In our lesson today that I have chosen for your Confirmation sermon someone greater than the President asks something from you. That One is your God, your Father in heaven. In our lesson He asks something very precious of you.

I'm sure you will want to give that to Him. You should feel honored and proud and very happy because He asks you to give this to Him.

He calls you His sons and daughters. "My Son, My daughter, give Me something." So He says that He is your dear Father in Heaven.

God your Father? How can God be your Father, our Father? God is perfect and holy and hates sin. And we are sinners and often do bad things. How can He love us and call us His children?

In your Confirmation studies during the past few years you have learned the answer to that question; We don't know why He loves us sinners. We do not deserve His love and He has not told us why. But we do know that He loves us very much. He loves us more than our own mother and father here on earth. He says, "Can a mother forsake her baby?" Then He answers, "Sometimes mother forsakes her baby." But He says, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."

He is our Father, our Maker. And although we all fell into sin with Adam and Eve, He still loves us and He gave Jesus His own Son to suffer and die on the cross to take away our sins. And He has given us His Word in the Bible that Baptism and the Lord's Supper by which the Holy Ghost teaches us to believe in Him and love Him as dear children love their mother and father.

Now that wonderful Father in heaven asks something of you today on your Confirmation Day. What does He ask of you? He says, "My son, give Me your heart."

He wants your heart, He asks you to love Him with all your heart. He asks you to love Him more than anything or anyone else on earth. Love Him more than you love your mother and father. Love Him more than you love your brother or sister or friends.

He says, "My son, give Me your heart, and let your eyes observe My ways." Let your eyes learn and keep His ways. His ways He has shown you in the Ten Commandments: 1,2 and 3, Love God with all your heart; 4,5,6,7,8,9 and 10, love your neighbor as you love yourself.

His ways, especially He has shown to you by the life and deeds of Jesus when He walked upon the earth. Jesus was kind and good to all people. He even loved His enemies and prayed for them who hurt Him.

Often people say, "Love your friends and hate your enemies." That is the way of vain and sinful man. But Jesus says, "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that are mean to you; that you may be the children of your Father which is in heaven." (Luke 6:27-36)

What your Father in heaven asks of you is not easy. We Christians often fail to love our Father in heaven and we often fail to love one another. We often become bitter and angry against those who hurt us or sin against us and don't want to forgive and forget.

That is why you will need to continue to hear and learn God's Word. Sometimes children after Confirmation think they know everything and are finished hearing and learning God's Word. That is a very bad mistake. We easily forget and still have our sinful hearts, so we must often hear God's Word, confess our failures and ask His mercy and forgiveness in Jesus Christ.

By reading your Bible by attending church and the Lord's Supper after God's Holy Spirit will keep you in faith and love. He and He only can help you to give your heart to God.

And remember, if you do not give your heart to God you will give it to sin and Satan.

So we say to you today, not only to the Confirmation Class, but to all of you: Listen to your heavenly Father's request "My son, give Me your heart."

Amen.