May 24, 2021
Dear friends,
The benefits of the Lord’s Supper are so rich, and Christ urges us to eat and drink for the forgiveness of sins, but it is also possible to eat and drink unworthily. That is, it’s possible to misuse this medicine so that it hurts rather than helps.
This raises the question: when is a child adequately prepared to receive the Lord’s Supper?
Luther gets at this question in the Small Catechism when he asks:
Who receives this sacrament worthily?
Fasting and bodily preparation are certainly fine outward training. But that person is truly worthy and well prepared who has faith in these words: “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” But anyone who does not believe these words or doubts them is unworthy and unprepared, for the words “for you” require all hearts to believe.
Notice that the main thing is not passing a test of knowledge; the main thing is faith. Faith is the main thing because faith is what receives promises. The body and blood of Jesus are a pledge of forgiveness, and they can only be received rightly by faith.
That means, of course, that a person must know what the Lord’s Supper is, what is for, and desire it for that purpose. This is not a mid-morning snack. It’s not an empty ritual. It’s not a chance to see what wine tastes like.
It is Jesus’ body and blood for the forgiveness of sins. Apart from an understanding of your sin, an acknowledgment of your need for forgiveness, and the desire to be forgiven by Jesus, the Lord’s Supper cannot do you any good. On the contrary, it would harden your heart and you would eat and drink judgment on yourself.
To help with discerning that understanding, knowledge, and desire in children, we examine them. It’s not a test or inquisition. Rather, it is to discover with joy what they believe and to invite them to receive all the blessings of Jesus.
Here’s an example of how that examination can go:
When is a child fit to receive the Lord’s Supper?
The short answer is this: whenever he has faith in these words: “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.”
On the one hand, it’s not as plain as finishing the eighth grade or completing 3 years of confirmation instruction.
On the other hand, it’s marvelously plain because faith bears fruit. When a child believes and desires the Lord’s Supper, it should be impossible to overlook.
This is where separating admission to the Lord’s Supper from the completion of eighth grade can be really helpful. If we tell kids that they have to be 14 years old and go through 3 years of classwork to receive the Lord’s Supper, they will believe it. They will believe that’s what makes them worthy recipients.
But if instead we just teach them what the Lord’s Supper is and how it benefits them, they will believe that instead. They will believe the words of Jesus. And in believing his words, they are worthy recipients.
God bless and keep you,
Pr. Buchs