1 Thessalonians 5:19-22

            Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.

“Fertilize Your Faith”

            How many of you have seen Mr. Bollich’s lawn? His lawn is very green, isn’t it? That’s partly because it’s spring. That’s partly because of the rain that we have been getting. But there’s another reason that Mr. Bollich’s lawn is getting green – we’ll get to that in a moment. The other thing you would notice when you look at Mr. Bollich’s lawn is that there aren’t any dandelions there – not because they weren’t there; not because they don’t want to be there but because of something else. We’ll get to that in a moment as well. It takes a lot of work to maintain a lawn – you have to mow it, trim it, weed it, rake it, water it . . . you may even have to spread some new grass seed from time to time. But if you were to ask Mr. Bollich the main reason why his grass is so green and that there are very few, if any, dandelions he would tell you it’s because of this – Scotts Turf Builder with PLUS 2 Weed Control. It says right here on the outside of the bag that it will not only feed your grass but that it will also kill your weeds.

            8^th Graders – on your Confirmation Day I want to give you some of your very own Weed and Feed; not this kind of Weed and Feed for your yard but some spiritual Weed and Feed for your faith and life. Now that your confirmation instruction is over – now that you are/will be confirmed members of this congregation – I want to encourage you to continue to care for the lawn (the grass, the yard) of your faith. I want to encourage you to continue to fertilize your faith. Members of Gethsemane, I pray that all of us will follow the encouragement that we find in God’s Word this morning to daily apply this spiritual weed and feed to our faith.

Humanly speaking, it takes a lot of work to maintain and improve the health of our faith. Obviously the Holy Spirit does that work for us but he does that work through the fertilizer he has given us. The fertilizer that was in this bag would not have done my yard any good if it had remained in the bag or in my garage. It needed to be applied to the lawn. Spiritual weed and feed will do no good – the Holy Spirit can’t work through it – unless we apply it to the lawn of our faith. When we think of it that way, applying this weed and feed is our own, personal responsibility. How do we apply this spiritual weed and feed? – Let’s take a look inside in the bag.

The first thing inside this bag of spiritual weed and feed is a white, pressed, linen napkin with a cross embroidered in the corner. It is in this bag of spiritual weed and feed to remind you of your baptism. At the baptismal font, God brought you to faith in Jesus, he made you a member of his family, he washed away your sins, he robed you with the righteousness of Jesus and he made you an heir of eternal life. Paul told us in the sermon text, “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire.” The Spirit’s fire is the faith in Jesus that he has given you. As you drown the Old Adam in daily contrition and repentance, remember your baptism. Remember what the Holy Spirit did for you through baptism.

The next thing inside this bag is a Bible – God’s inspired Word. Paul said, “Do not treat prophecies with contempt.” Prophecy is another way of talking about God’s Word. People treat God’s Word with contempt when they ignore it, when they refuse to believe it, when they add to it or subtract from it or when the change the meaning of it. Now that you are confirmed and as you go through high school and as you enter college, Satan will tempt you to treat God’s Word with contempt. “You don’t need that stuff anymore. You know all that stuff already. You’re not actually going to do what it tells you to, are you? That wouldn’t be any fun. You don’t actually believe that nonsense, do you? That was fine for Sunday School. That was fine when you were a kid. Things have changed – you’re older now, you’re smarter now, your parents don’t control you any more.”

Don’t give-in to those temptations. Don’t treat God’s Word with contempt. To help you with that, there are some other things inside this bag of spiritual weed and feed – a bulletin, a church calendar, a newsletter, Forward In Christ, Meditations, a personal daily planner and a picture of the 7 of you. On the back of this bag of weed and feed, the manufacturer recommends when to apply this fertilizer, how often to apply this fertilizer and how much fertilizer to apply. Girls, apply this spiritual weed and feed often. Make time for God’s Word. Come to church. Continue to worship with us. Stay with us for Bible class. Study God’s Word at home – with your family and on your own – through family devotions and personal study. Set your routine, find a quiet place in your home and fertilize your faith. And be there for each other; encourage each other; reach out to each other if you see a classmate drifting away.

The last thing inside this bag of spiritual weed and feed is this – a private communion set, something I use when people at home or in the hospital would like to take communion when they can’t get to church. This private communion set is in this bag of spiritual weed and feed to remind you of the wonderful privilege you have today (and everyday that the sacrament is offered) to fertilize your faith. Through the bread and wine and the body and blood of Christ, Jesus will assure you of your forgiveness and he will strengthen your faith.

            God has equipped you to fertilize your faith – to apply this spiritual weed and feed – or, as Paul put it, to “test everything, to hold on to the good and to avoid every kind of evil.” The tools God has given you are the Means of Grace – the Gospel in Word and Sacrament – everything inside this bag. On the back of this bag of fertilizer it lists all of the weeds that this weed and feed will kill. What are the weeds that threaten the lawn of your faith? – false teaching, lies of Satan, temptation, sinful activities, the wrong crowd at school, idleness and misplaced priorities. You are able to test those things. You are able to test everything. Test everything in the light of God’s Word. Avoid every kind of evil – things that will turn the lawn of your faith brown and dry – and eventually kill it. Hold on to the good – things that will make the lawn of your faith beautiful and healthy.