Seventh Sunday of Easter
Psalm 46; Matthew 10:31-33
May 17, 2026
If I told you that you will lose 80 to 90 percent of your hair before you leave church today, what would you say? What would you do? Now careful because some of your dads have lost at least 80 to 90 percent of their hair and they might not take too kindly to being laughed at.
If I told you that this building will lose 80 to 90 percent of its roof in the next 4 or 5 years, what would you think? You’d likely think that something major has to be done to preserve the roof, right?
If I told you that in the next few years, 80 to 90 percent of the people in this room will lose all their income; they’ll be penniless, what would you think?
If I told you that, in 4 years, 80 to 90 percent of the United States is likely going to go up in smoke and fire, what would you think?
In every one of these, you’d think one of two things. You’d either think that I’m crazy and don’t know what I’m talking about, or you’d think that something needs to change to prevent the hair loss or roof loss or income loss or whatever.
Now, there is simply no data to back up these claims, no statistics or verifiable data that you should be concerned.
But there is a surpassingly egregious, shocking, horrible statistic, totally verifiable and historically true – at least since the 1980’s and is one that should bring a tear to every eye of every parent, every pastor, and every Christian.
Statistically, 80 to 90 percent of you nine confirmands, will deny your Christian faith and quit church before you finish your first year of college. This statistic holds true across denominational lines, political affiliations, income brackets, throughout every state in the Union, in big churches or little churches, in churches with traditional or historic worship and liturgies or contemporary, modern worship. It holds true in churches with big youth group programs and budgets or little youth groups and budgets, with lots of activities for kids or few activities for kids.
And this isn’t about losing one’s hair or a bad roof or money or nations; this is about eternal life matters; about denying Christ before others and being denied in heaven.
“Oh, pastor, I will never deny Christ.” St. Peter the disciple said the same thing, didn’t he? And how many times did he deny Christ when push came to shove before the rooster crowed? Three times, and it wasn’t the only time he let his pride and his idolatry get in the way of his confession of faith.
And we can see and test and prove the long-term effects of this statistic. Since the 1970’s nearly 200,000 churches closed their doors for the last time in the United States. According to these statistics, 8 to 10 churches close every day in the USA. Today will be the last day 8 to 10 churches gather for worship somewhere in the country. Today will be the last day 80 to 90 percent of confirmation or older youth and young adults will attend church or will confess Christ as their Lord.
Now there are plenty of studies out there that have tried to shed some light onto the problem – and it is a problem for sure – and these studies have also tried to offer solutions.
More fun and youth-centered worship and youth groups, more engaging bible study materials, younger youth leaders, along with all sorts of other ideas. None of it’s worked; the data stays the same.
Because you see the problem, the REAL problem is more fundamental than programs and activities and keeping the youth occupied and entertained. It’s more basic than all that, and in fact changing everything tends to do more harm than good it seems. There’s a relatively recent statistic out there showing that young adults who are coming back to the church are seeking more traditional, historic liturgies and hymns. In fact, there is a trend in the Eastern Orthodox churches of increased growth among youth and young adults. It’s not enough to offset the 80 to 90 percent, but it’s there.
No, the problem is here, in the heart. See, we are idolatrous people, by nature. Each one of you has a heart that seeks to worship an idol, and the biggest idol you worship is yourself.
This is the old, sinful nature, that old Adam as Luther and St. Paul calls it, it’s that draw and pull and love for the things of the world, the things of the flesh and the pleasures of life. It is that desire for evil that each of us is born with and stays with us throughout our lives.
And sometimes we get a little confused about this old sinful nature of ours. I think we sometimes look out in the world and at people and we compare our sins and our commandment breaking to what we see out there and we tell ourselves, “I’m not that bad; my sins aren’t that bad. Compared to those people, I’m a pretty decent person.”
But that’s what the old Adam does. He lies to you and says that your sins aren’t all that bad; that you’ve got room in your account to do a little more sinning without worrying that you’re going to become like one of those really bad sinners. The devil and the sinful nature, they do this to us all the time; this is nothing new. This is why we study the 10 commandments, because you need to see that in every way you are a sinner and no better than anyone else. Because to understand what God has done for you, you must also understand what it cost Him.
Now, the sinful nature also disguises your idolatry. Here’s what I mean.
Idolatry, the worship of false gods, comes in all shapes and sizes. False religions are clearly idolatrous in nature because the people in those religions worship gods that do not exist. Building for yourself a figure, an effigy and then worshipping it and ascribing to it value and attributes and abilities is clearly idolatry. This is what the ancient Hebrews and others did back during the time of the Judges. They made these household gods and worshipped them, ascribing to them purpose and attributes and worthiness. They were utterly useless, but the people did it anyway.
But there are other types of idolatry that are far more subtle, and without even knowing it, we tend to defend these idols and sometimes even to the point of death. And it is here in this school of idolatry, if you will, where the 80 to 90 percent statistic finds its source. And it gets right back to the first commandment – it always does.
The first commandment doesn’t leave room for guessing; there is no wiggle room. To fear, love, and trust God above all things means ALL things. But do we?
Let’s microscope into this as close as we can. At the core of our culture today is this relentless need for pleasure – for fun and entertainment. This need to be constantly stimulated by new and different and bigger and faster – it is killing us as a society, and it is taking over the minds and hearts of the youth.
And if you look at this, zoomed in and very close, the reason your lives have increasingly gotten busier and busier when compared to your parents’ lives when they were young or my life when I was young, is because of this culture of entertainment and stimulation. You were born into a world where dopamine runs your life, and yes, it is idolatry, the idolatry of the self, the oldest of idolatries when man thought he could be equal to God by disobeying God’s command.
You allow yourselves to become so busy; so full of activities and things that stimulate your pleasure centers so that 80 to 90 percent of you will have no time for Jesus come graduation. That’s what the devil wants! Do not mess with the great deceiver who gives you every reason in the world to say, “I don’t need God in my life,” though he starts out subtly by making you an addict of pleasure so that inch by inch, activity by activity, you give your time away.
Psalm 46 is the Lord’s answer to your pursuit of endless stimulation and pleasure. David writes, God is our refuge and strength, He is our ever-present help in trouble. And even if the whole world should fall beneath your feet; if all your plans and schedules and purposes should fail you, yet do not fear, for the Lord is always with you.
Now, that is but a small morsel of what is to come next in the Psalm.
David writes, “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.”
The holy place for David, the city of God to which he refers was Jerusalem, the holy city of the people of Israel. Doesn’t mean all that much to us today as it’s on the other side of the world and there isn’t even a temple there anymore. We’re about 2800 years removed from that city of God.
But from where does the river whose streams make glad the city of God flow today? Where does the Most High dwell today?
First and foremost, it is Jesus in whom God chose to dwell and from whom flowed the streams of the river of life when His side was pierced after He die on the cross. And to where does that living stream flow? It flows to you by the waters of Baptism where water and His Word and promise make you alive in Him, putting to death that old Adam who keeps trying to crawl back up out of the deep to pursue you.
Jesus is the Kingdom of God come to earth in flesh so that by the piercing of His flesh His kingdom extends to all believers. Jesus gladly gave His life for you and in this new and eternal kingdom, the holy Christian church, He has built this, a visible church right here in Milaca for you to come and partake of the blessings of the city of God.
But this isn’t it. There’s more. He writes, “God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at the break of day. Nations will heave, kingdoms will fall, He lifts His voice, the earth melts away. The Lord almighty is with us – right here, with us in this place right now, and He is our fortress.
And then David ends the Psalm like this, and this is key for you who have allowed yourselves to become so busy and distracted by the idols of the world and your hearts. David writes, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted on the earth.”
In other words, in the end, God wins the game. There is nothing you can do to help Him or hinder Him. He wins. He has been exalted on the cross when he defeated sin, death, and the devil, and on the Last Day when He returns, he will be exalted by everyone when He once and for all destroys the evil and filth of this fallen world and raises us up, the people of His kingdom, forever.
Be still. Settle down. Rest in Him. Because no matter what you do for this world, it will be for naught. Fill your coffers with wealth and accomplishment. Earn degrees and badges and awards and proclamations; fight to win the celebration and praise and respect of the audience for in the end it amounts to nothing and all your striving after the wind will lead to nowhere.
Be still. Stop. Rest in Jesus. Abide in Him, trust Him, follow Him. The pleasures and pursuits of this world will never satisfy, and you will constantly want more and more and more because it’s never enough, which is the lure of your sinful heart and of the deceitful serpent. But rest, be still, and come and fall at the feet of God your Savior who truly brings with Him contentment and joy and peace.
Jesus always confesses your names before the heavenly Father. He’s been doing it faithfully since you were brought to new life in Him in your baptism. Everything you need was given to you; you paid nothing for it because Jesus paid it all for you. Heaven is yours. Salvation is yours. Eternal life is yours. Jesus is yours. And in a moment, you will come and receive Him in a way that only believers can understand; His true body and blood in bread and wine for your forgiveness and strength.
You have everything! What else do you need; what can this world possibly supply you that God has not already given you?
Put to death in you, therefore, the idols and household gods of the pursuit of worldly pleasures be they sexual sins, lust, fame, wealth, power, gossip and slander, addictions and fleshly compulsions, a love for fame and glory and all the rest of the things of the world which are passing away.
Instead, put on Christ and His righteousness and holiness. When you come up to confess your faith today, confess boldly because Jesus boldly confesses you. But also come confessing that, without Jesus and His help, you are powerless and weak, and that you need Him every hour, every day, every moment to be your strength and your shield and your mighty fortress.
I don’t want to see any of you succumb to the 80 or 90 percent statistic. I’m sick of it; I’m tired of it, that we as the church seem to just shrug our shoulders and say, “oh well,” and shove it under the rug. I don’t know, perhaps it shows how little we care about the eternal souls of others, or perhaps it’s because we have grown to be so ungodlily tolerant of sin and disobedience and we lost the ability to say to our loved ones, “NO, you need to go to church,” or maybe it’s because we adults have become way, way too busy ourselves.
Whatever the case, my prayer and my hope is that you partake of God’s kingdom here at St. Paul’s, and you avail yourself VERY often of His gifts given here, that you come to be still and know your God, and pray, praise, and give thanks for Jesus’ loving speaking of your name in heaven. And I pray your parents and family learn the importance of getting you here to church and I mean often, because this world is an awful place and 80 to 90 percent is, well we have to turn this around.
Be still, know that God is with you, and then boldly and confidently confess His name, He who is your fortress and who has brought you into this joyous and eternal city of God. Amen.
