precious, honored, and loved (a sermon on Isaiah 43:1-7)

This sermon was preached on May 30, 2018 at the baccalaureate service for the 2018 graduates of Connellsville Area High School.

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Good evening! I am Pastor Kerri Clark, and I serve as pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church. It is an honor to gather with you today as we commemorate such a wonderful occasion.

Congratulations to you at this significant and celebratory time. I know that your parents and families are proud of you, and they should be! It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to reach this milestone of graduation from high school, and here you are. It is right that you are surrounded by your family, neighbors, classmates, and teachers, as they have played an important role in these many years of formation and learning.

I imagine that you are experiencing a range of emotions today:

pride in your hard work;

excitement over the celebrations to come;

sadness about the absence of loved ones because of death or distance;
gratitude for the support and encouragement that brought you this far;
trepidation about an uncertain future;

eagerness to forge ahead with your plans;

anxiety about leaving the familiar faces of your teachers, classmates, and friends;

Impatience for graduation to just arrive, already!

And many others.

It’s also okay not to know what you’re feeling. It’s certainly an overwhelming time.

Our Scripture reading for today comes from the forty-third chapter of Isaiah. In this passage, God is speaking to the people who are in exile in Babylon. Though they have been disobedient and feel abandoned and alone, God speaks a word of hope in their midst. Hear these words from the prophet Isaiah:

“But now thus says the Lord,

   he who created you, O Jacob,

   he who formed you, O Israel:

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;

   I have called you by name, you are mine.

2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

   and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;

when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,

   and the flame shall not consume you.

3 For I am the Lord your God,

   the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

I give Egypt as your ransom,

   Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you.

4 Because you are precious in my sight,

   and honored, and I love you,

I give people in return for you,

   nations in exchange for your life.

5 Do not fear, for I am with you;

   I will bring your offspring from the east,

   and from the west I will gather you;

6 I will say to the north, “Give them up,”

   and to the south, “Do not withhold;

bring my sons from far away

   and my daughters from the end of the earth—

7 everyone who is called by my name,

   whom I created for my glory,

   whom I formed and made.”

This is one of my favorite Scripture passages, as there are so many rich reminders of God’s love and ongoing care for us. I think it is especially appropriate to hear at times like this one when there is such a focus on achievement and accolades and success.

If you remember nothing else from today’s service, I hope you remember this: you are precious, honored, and loved by God. You are precious, honored, and loved by God apart from any accolades or awards you have or have not earned. You are precious, honored, and loved by God whether your grade point average places you in the top of your class, or the bottom.

You are precious, honored, and loved by God whether you have big plans for the future or are still undecided. You are precious, honored, and loved by God as whole person - not just in spite of your age, or gender identity, or sexual orientation, or income level, or SAT score, or likes and dislikes, or relationship status, or family - but including those things. You are precious, honored, and loved by God because God has declared you to be so. You have been called by name, you have been redeemed, you are known and loved.

As you go out from this chapter of your life - to college, to work, to travels, to a wide, open future - the God who has called you precious, honored, and loved promises to go with you. Though I don’t know what the future holds for you, I do know that the path you will travel will not be an easy one.

Difficult times will come - as a result of your own poor choices, as well as things beyond your control. You will face the consequences of your actions and the actions of others, both deserved and undeserved. You will experience loss, heartbreak, disappointment, and betrayal alongside times of great celebration and joy.

As we hear in Isaiah, “When (not if!) you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when (not if!) you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.” Whatever difficulties may come, whatever overwhelming things you encounter, and in times of celebration and joy, the God who created everything, including you, promises to be right alongside you.

The promise of God’s faithful presence gives teeth to the declaration “do not be afraid.” This is not an empty platitude, but rather a time-tested promise. God will not leave you or forsake you. You are not alone. You are precious, honored, and loved.

Assured of God’s presence, assured that we are loved, each of us is sent out to live as people created for God’s glory.

When we serve and care for one another, God is glorified.

When we love people who are hard to love, God is glorified.

When we welcome the stranger and those who are different from us, God is glorified.

When we seek God’s way of justice and mercy, God is glorified.

When we see others as precious, honored, and loved by God, just as we are, God is glorified.

Whatever comes, know that you do not face it alone. The God who formed and made you, the God who created you for God’s glory, the God who calls you precious, honored, and loved goes with you.