During this past week there has been a lot of notice given to the new "Star Wars" movie. It has taken 28 years to tell the story, spanning a few generations. Our family watched them all, and we still have a box of Star Wars action figures in the closet, the Jedi bedsheets are packed away in the garage, and I don't know where the lunch pails are.

         The series of movies turned out to be more about special effects and endless battle scenes between armies of robots. But there are themes of good and evil, sin and redemption that run through them. One of the key themes is that it matters who your teacher is, it matters who you trust in life, who you listen to. It is not enough to be gifted and chosen if in the end you trust the wrong teacher, if you become a disciple of evil. Gift, ability and privilege are overrated. What matters is following a teacher who will lead you to life.

         This is a very important issue for you confirmands, for you are a gifted group – you have many strengths and abilities, you are leaders. And you have many opportunities to demonstrate those gifts. In this class, along with the seventh graders, there has been an attentiveness and an interest in God's Word that I have not experienced in Confirmation before. It is clear that you are gifted, chosen and motivated. And yet that is not enough.

         It is a particular insight of the Jewish and Christian heritage that it matters who your teachers are. It matters how you come to faith and how you are guided in that faith. In Deuteronomy 6, we have the greatest commandment, to love God with your whole heart and soul and strength. And then it says that these commandments are to be upon your heart. Impress them on your children. Talk about them, tie them as symbols on your hands and foreheads, and write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. This life of loving God is a guided life, it requires good teachers, and it requires someone trustworthy to follow.

         The direction of your life from here on out will largely be shaped by who you trust and who you listen to. Confirmation is part of that process, but it does not guarantee a life of discipleship. You will need to listen to Jesus, you will need to trust him as the one who speaks truth, and you will need to believe, to place all of your life into his care and under his lordship. Then you will find the true life, eternal life.

         Many of you have talked about the influence of camp, and especially Covenant Harbor, upon your faith. In fact, most of you made a commitment to Christ at Covenant Harbor. We are thankful that Covenant Harbor has been used by God to help so many young people find a beginning point in faith and commitment to Christ. You have also had good teachers in parents, Sunday School teachers, and youth leaders. We are thankful today for the way in which God has used people in your lives.

         But the one who is truly your teacher is Jesus Christ. To have Jesus Christ as your teacher takes commitment, listening, and obedience. There are louder voices all around you. How do you develop a life so that you are listening to Jesus and hearing his voice?

         This is where Aaron Barg's presence in your class has been most helpful. (Aaron is a member of the Confirmation class. He has a condition called Trisomy 13 and is very limited in sight and hearing, and in a wheelchair.) Through the words of Steve and Susan, his parents, Aaron has shown us things that help us to know what it is to have Christ as your teacher.

         One of the first things that Steve showed us is that if you want to greet Aaron or spend some time with him, you begin by simply touching his shoulder. That lets him know that there is a person nearby who wants to interact with him. It does not work to wave to Aaron from across the room, or to say "Good morning" as you rush past him. To greet Aaron and get his attention, it helps to begin by touching his shoulder.

         Next, you must draw close to him, for his ability to see and hear is very limited. You need to get closer to him than is normally a comfortable distance. When you make yourself know in that way, he may well smile, he may well want to touch you, take hold of your hair, and give you a hug, shake hands. And as you enter his life in that way, you feel blessed by him.

         This is what Aaron teaches us about knowing God and letting God be our teacher. First, it does not work to shout a greeting to God as we rush by him, in a hurry to be busy. If you want to know God, to be taught by him, to follow Christ, you must touch him. Some of you said that you like camp because you get rid of all the distractions and you feel you can really listen to God, you can understand the messages. That is true anywhere. To follow God you have to come into his presence, you have to quiet your mind and heart. You touch God by singing a song of praise or by reading a Psalm or praying with praise and thanks.

         Next, we must draw close to God. You can't have a relationship with God when you are always distant from him. There must be a way to draw close, to listen to what God is saying. Sometimes he uses a quiet voice--you may have to come closer than is comfortable for you. We draw close to God by listening to his Word, by receiving the sacraments, by engaging in worship. That is when we receive his blessing.

         Finally, if Jesus is to be our teacher, then we must be willing to be guided by him. Aaron likes to wander around, to wheel all over, kind of randomly. Much of the time that is OK, he is pretty good at it really. But he also needs someone to push him where he needs to be, and he needs some protection. Often that is Steve or Susan, sometimes it is people in the church who take him for walks, sometimes it is the fact that his companion dog Sandy is right by him, giving some protection.

         You are much like Aaron. We all are. We like to wheel around on our own, exploring whatever seems interesting. We often need guidance and protection. When we actually do God's will, we are being guided by him. When we give our lives in service to Christ, when we bear witness to Christ, when we are involved in Mission, when we use the gifts of the Holy Spirit in ministry, that is when we are in fact following Jesus. That is the direction that leads to life.

         If you will only let God guide you

         And hope in him through all your ways

         Whatever comes, he'll stand beside you,

         To bear you through the evil days.

         Who trusts in God's unchanging love

         Builds on the rock that cannot move. (Hymn #401)

         Amen.