Confirmation Sunday: Choosing Forgiveness Over Walls of Hurt

Apr 26, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Scars That Speak Forgiveness

Jesus stood resurrected with nail marks still visible. When Thomas doubted, Christ offered His wounds as proof. He didn’t hide the scars of unjust suffering but made them invitations to believe. The gym attendant carried scars from churches that rejected his prayers and appearance. Like Jesus, we’re called to turn wounds into bridges. [31:28]

Christ’s scars declare forgiveness, not revenge. He endured the cross to heal division, proving God’s love overcomes every hurt. When Peter wrote to persecuted Christians, he pointed to Jesus’ silent suffering as the pattern: reviled, yet redeeming.

You’ve been hurt by spouses, bosses, or churches. List-making builds walls; cross-bearing breaks them. What wound are you hiding that could instead invite others to see Christ’s healing?

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”
(1 Peter 2:24, ESV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to transform one specific hurt into a testimony of His forgiveness.
Challenge: Text someone who hurt you (or whom you’ve hurt) with the words: “God’s grace is enough for us both.”

Day 2: The Gym Attendant’s Collared Shirt

The man pulled a collared shirt over his workout clothes, hoping to fit in at church. Instead, he was shamed for his sweatpants. Jesus wore humanity’s scorn without retaliation. Peter reminds us: “When He suffered, He did not threaten” (1 Peter 2:23). Rejection stings, but retaliation steals others’ chance to meet Christ. [32:45]

God sees your quiet faithfulness in unjust places—the kind smile to a critical neighbor, patient work under a harsh boss. These moments mirror Jesus’ trust in the Father’s justice.

Many dress parts of their lives to avoid judgment—hiding struggles, pasts, or doubts. What mask do you wear to seem “acceptable,” and who needs you to remove it today?

“When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats. Instead, He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.”
(1 Peter 2:23, NIV)

Prayer: Confess one way you’ve judged others’ “sweatpants” while hiding your own.
Challenge: Initiate a conversation with someone you’ve avoided, focusing only on listening.

Day 3: Chewing Apples and Cutting Lines

The pastor’s apple crunching annoyed his wife. Neighbors aerated lawns, severing the dog’s invisible fence line. Peter says such irritations train us for holiness. Jesus absorbed humanity’s grating noise—our gossip, pride, and doubt—without building walls. [35:44]

Minor annoyances are God’s sandpaper, smoothing our rough edges. The cross redefines suffering not as punishment but purification.

What daily friction—a coworker’s habit, a child’s whining—makes you want to retreat? How might staying present in it reflect Christ’s endurance?

“For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in His steps.”
(1 Peter 2:21, ESV)

Prayer: Thank God for one person who irritates you, asking Him to bless them abundantly.
Challenge: Do a practical kindness today for someone whose “noise” bothers you.

Day 4: Baptismal Promises in a Broken Church

Five young men stood before the congregation, confirming faith in a church that had wounded others. Jesus knelt to wash Judas’ feet hours before betrayal. Peter, who denied Christ, later preached Pentecost. God uses flawed communities to showcase perfect grace. [40:09]

The Church is Christ’s scarred body—still breathing forgiveness. Your presence here, despite past hurts, declares resurrection.

Where have you withheld commitment because others failed? What step (attending a group, serving locally) could rebuild trust in Christ’s body?

“You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness.”
(1 Peter 2:9, NIV)

Prayer: Confess one way you’ve withheld grace from the Church, and ask for hope.
Challenge: Write down three gifts your church provides (e.g., Communion, singing) and thank a leader for one.

Day 5: Tearing Curtains, Not Relationships

At Jesus’ death, the temple curtain tore—God removing barriers between Himself and humanity. The gym attendant’s story ended with a prayer, not resolution. Peter says suffering unveils eternity: “The God of all grace… will Himself restore you” (1 Peter 5:10). [46:55]

Walls feel safe but isolate. The torn curtain invites raw access to God—and risky love for others.

What relationship feels “too torn” to mend? How might entrusting it to the Father shift your next step?

“He will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, whose kingdom will have no end.”
(Nicene Creed)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to tear one wall you’ve built, giving courage to walk through the opening.
Challenge: Mail a card to someone you’ve distanced, saying, “Christ’s love compels me to reach out.”

Sermon Summary

A congregation gathers to celebrate a day of confirmation, baptismal remembrance, and communal worship. Five young people publicly affirm the faith received in baptism and offer testimonies that anchor the community in shared belief. The service uses the Nicene Creed to unite the gathered as one body and to name the core truths of creation, incarnation, atonement, resurrection, and the work of the Holy Spirit. Personal stories and pastoral reflection focus attention on human tendency to build walls after being hurt, whether in marriages, workplaces, neighborhoods, or churches. Anecdotes, like a conversation with a man who left church over hurtful expectations, illustrate how small wounds accumulate into barriers that separate people from Christ and from one another.

Scripture from first Peter 2 frames a different way to respond to unjust suffering. Christ’s example of suffering without retaliation becomes the model for believers called to bear wrongs without seeking revenge. The text emphasizes that Jesus bore sin and healed by his wounds, and that looking to the cross invites transformation of the heart away from anger and toward grace. The sermon urges those who have been burned by church or people not to let that pain drive them from Christ. Instead, forgiveness, patience, and continued participation in the household of faith stand as active responses that witness to God’s mercy.

Practical invitations thread the service: do not isolate, continue in the life of the church, come to communion in repentance and faith, and rely on God’s presence amid suffering. The community prays for those who suffer worldwide and asks for strength to live as witnesses who can suffer well and forgive generously. The rite of confirmation follows, with blessings and prayers sealing the commitment of these young members. Communion affirms forgiveness and calls the whole body to approach the throne of grace with confidence. The service closes by commissioning the community to live out the cross-shaped life, to tear down walls with forgiveness, and to remain active in the family of God.

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[10:29] - Confirmation preparations and testimonies
[14:10] - Creed and corporate confession
[18:58] - Prayer and a young testimony
[31:28] - Gym encounter and leaving church
[36:42] - Walls, hurt, and first Peter
[41:35] - The cross as the example
[46:31] - Invitation to forgive and belong
[50:45] - Confession and intercession
[61:14] - Confirmation vows and blessings
[70:45] - Communion and dismissal

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
1 Peter 2:19-25 (ESV)
For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

Observation Questions

According to 1 Peter 2:23, how did Jesus respond when he was insulted or suffered unjustly?
The sermon shared a story about a man who left the church after being criticized for praying privately. What specific reasons did he give for building "walls" against the church? [31:55]
What does Peter say is the purpose of Christ’s suffering in verse 24?
The sermon emphasized that building walls isolates us but does not remove pain. What example was given about how small irritations in relationships can grow into hardened separation? [34:11]

Interpretation Questions

Why does Peter call enduring unjust suffering "a gracious thing" (v. 19-20)? How does this contrast with worldly views of retaliation or self-protection?
The sermon mentioned that Jesus "tore the temple curtain" instead of building walls against us. How does this imagery connect to the call for believers to forgive others? [43:19]
In the story of the gym attendant, the pastor said, "Don’t blame Jesus" when hurt by the church. How does 1 Peter 2:21-25 address the tension between human failure and Christ’s perfect example?
The sermon argued that suffering can become "public testimony" when borne with grace. How might enduring wrongs without retaliation point others to the gospel? [45:44]

Application Questions

What is one relationship or situation where you’ve built a "wall" of grievances (e.g., spouse, coworker, church member)? What practical step could you take this week to begin dismantling it?
When have you been tempted to retaliate against someone who hurt you? How could fixing your attention on Christ’s response to suffering (1 Peter 2:23) reshape your next interaction with that person?
The sermon urged, "Don’t let pain drive you from Christ." What habit or practice (e.g., prayer, communion, community) could help you stay connected to God when church experiences feel disappointing? [36:42]
Think of a time you witnessed someone endure unfair treatment with grace. How did their response impact you or others? How might your own suffering become a testimony if handled similarly?
The pastor shared that forgiveness "invites communal restoration." Is there someone you need to forgive—not by excusing harm, but by releasing retaliation? What would it look like to trust God’s justice in that situation? [47:25]
The gym attendant’s story showed how small wounds can accumulate. What "list of offenses" have you been keeping, and how could laying one grievance down today create space for healing? [35:44]

Sermon Clips

33s

#GraceNotWalls

“To build a wall against us, to say, forget those people. They're just awful. They just do awful things over and over. And what does Jesus do instead of build a wall? He goes to the cross for you and for me, and there he suffers and dies for your sin, your sickness, your shame, your grief, your mistakes, your failures, your evil thoughts, all of it. And instead of building a wall against you, he tears the temple curtain in half and he says, approach the throne of grace with boldness. You are loved by God.”

33s

#RespectPrivatePrayer

“And he said, I noticed that the Christians seem to take care of stuff, and he told me, I used to be a Christian. And I said, used to be? What happened? And he said, well, I was going to this one church, and they they kept getting after me because they didn't like the way I prayed because I pray at home. And I it takes seriously the passage that tells you to to pray privately, and they were always telling me, you gotta pray out in public with us and and get your hands up and all this kind of thing. And and they eventually told me I should leave the church.”

20s

#DontQuitJesus

“Many of you have been burned by the church at some point in your life. We have people here today because you're here for a confirmation. Right? You don't normally come to church, and you don't like coming to church because at some point you got burned by the church. Well, today is the day to tell you don't be let that be the thing that drives you away from Jesus.”

26s

#JesusTookItAll

“But what we do is we look to the cross because Jesus says, hey, every mistake you've made, every bad thought that you have had, I took it all upon myself at the same time, times billions of people across the world, and throughout time, I took it all for you. And you know, more than anyone else in the world, the person who deserved to build a wall is Jesus.”

30s

#ChooseGraceNotRevenge

“See, Jesus is telling you, when you're suffering unjustly, the place that I want you to look is not to revenge or anger or separation. Instead, I want you to look to the cross and what I have done for you. See, Jesus is telling you, I know everything, everything that you have ever done, every awful thing that you have said, and not just that, even worse, everything you ever thought.”

27s

#LiveOutGrace

“Now, be a part of the family of God. Be a part of the church as one redeemed in the blood of the lamb. Be a part living out the grace that you have been given. That's God's call. He loves you. He's overcome for you, and he's ready to work in and through you. Sometimes, it's gonna be hard, but he'll walk the journey with you every step of the way. Amen?”

20s

#HumbleConfession

“Sometimes when I pay attention to that, it makes me uncomfortable because I also know the things that I've done and the things that I have thought, and some of it's really bad. And I bet if you knew everything that I have done and thought, you wouldn't want me to be your pastor anymore. You might start making a list. Build no wall.”

31s

#PrayDontWithdraw

“so he told me about all the things he didn't like about church. He made a list. And really, what he's doing, he's building a wall between him and church. And I told him, you know what? That is wrong of them to do those things. But I hate that you're running away from Jesus because a few of the people said some things you don't like. And I told him I was gonna be praying for him. I tried to pray for him there, but he wasn't having it right then. But it's one of the things we tend to do.”

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Shepherd Of The Valley Church WDM This sermon · AI assistant

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Confirmation Sunday: Choosing Forgiveness Over Walls of Hurt

Devotional

Day 1: Scars That Speak Forgiveness

Day 2: The Gym Attendant’s Collared Shirt

Day 3: Chewing Apples and Cutting Lines

Day 4: Baptismal Promises in a Broken Church

Day 5: Tearing Curtains, Not Relationships

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Confirmation Sunday: Choosing Forgiveness Over Walls of Hurt

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