Affirmation of Baptism; October 28, 2007; Bethel Lutheran Church, Rochester.
John 1:14-17.

Dear Friends in Christ, Grace to you and Peace, from God our Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. AMEN.


In the year 2607, a monument was begun that would take three years to build. It was years after the great war and the monument would celebrate two things—the enduring survival of a species—our species. The monument also commemorates a man who gave the world faith, gave them a future, made mankind believe again: Master Chief Petty Officer John 117.

Any of this sounding familiar to you? For anyone here older than the Xbox 360 generation, this information is about Halo 3, the third in a series of science fiction video games, which have captivated the world. In the first day of its release, Halo 3 sold more than $170 million worth of copies.

The plot of the game is filled with religious imagery. The group committed to the destruction of the human race is called “The Covenant”. That is a huge word in the Bible referring to God’s promises to us. The plot of Halo 3 is centered around an artifact thought to be the mysterious “Ark”. Have you heard of Noah’s Ark—the ship on which the human race was saved from destruction? Have you heard about the Ark of the Covenant in which the law of God was carried during the wandering in the wilderness?

And, of course, there is Master Chief Petty Officer John 117. Did you hear it in the reading of the Gospel for this day? John 1:17? Here it is again: “The law was indeed given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” Moses is the deliverer of the old covenant. Jesus offers the new covenant, the new promises of God. But now, in the year 2552 we begin an epic battle of John 117 with a Covenant that wants to destroy humans.

And Master Chief Petty Officer John 117 is the one who saves humankind, who gives them a future, who makes them believe! Moses, Jesus, and John 117.

We all know it is a game. In fact, it is set over 500 years into the future, and we have no idea what will happen in the 26th and 27th centuries. I suspect that most of us are more interested in what will happen on the 26th and 27th of next month rather than five and six centuries from now.

But Halo 3 does present an interesting context in which to consider confirmation. Today you young people are asked to affirm the promises that others made for you at baptism, probably when you were very small. Today the church and your family hear from your mouths what you think is important going into the future.

Are you going to put your faith in the old covenant through Moses? Are you willing to go with the new covenant in Jesus Christ? Perhaps you want to throw your lot in with John 117, or some hero of the future that will save the world?

Let’s consider the old covenant. The promises of God to the people are wonderful. There is the promise of a new land and people. There is the law to keep people safe. But that is pretty much it. Minnesota promises us pretty much the same—a beautiful land teeming with wildlife and crops and forests and rivers. We have a prosperous people and laws that generally keep us safe. God can do better than that.

Let’s consider the covenant to come—some hero or thing that will save the world. But we don’t even know what that is yet. And we if look at history, we see that there is nothing so radical, no person so influential, that it deserves our worship. Electricity is a wonderful thing, and I imagine when Benjamin Franklin figured out electricity through his kite and key experiment, people thought it would change the world. It did. And I enjoy electricity as much as anyone. I just don’t think it is the long-term answer for us.

Some thought that the internal combustion engine which still runs cars and so many other machines was the end all. But we hear that fossil fuels won’t last forever. While cars and trucks have absolutely revolutionized our way of life, and, in my opinion, made life better for us, there will come a day when cars go by the wayside. Maybe it will be in the 26th century!

Technology is good! Computers are terrific. I am already looking forward to getting a Blackberry next March when my two-year cell phone agreement is complete. But technology is so fickle. The great inventions of today are bygone relics of tomorrow. I still remember when you had to pay extra to connect the telephones that had push buttons rather than rotary dials! Have any of you confirmands even seen a rotary phone?

Human heroes have come and gone. Great military leaders and political leaders are only a footnote in history. Great preachers and people of faith have had their influence, but they have been replaced by others. Maybe in the 28th century people will have forgotten who Master Chief Petty Officer John 117 was.

This is a big day for you, and for all of us here. You get to choose what covenant is important for you. You can choose the way of the law through Moses. Many chose that for generations, but it just wasn’t working. You can choose Halo 3 and hope that some mythical hero or a video game or technology is your final answer.

Or you can choose the new covenant which isn’t so new anymore. It is a covenant as old as Jesus Christ coming to this earth. It is a covenant into which you were baptized.

God has kept his promises to you since then. Parents have tried to keep their promises since then—otherwise you wouldn’t be sitting here having completed three years of work. Now you are asked to make a covenant—to affirm the promises made to you in baptism.

“The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” Your parents and sponsors, your pastors and confirmation teachers and mentors—we all pray that is your final answer. It is the answer forever. AMEN.