Why Commune Younger than Eighth Grade?

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Why Commune Younger than Eighth Grade?

From the Messiah Messenger, April 2009

By Pastor Todd A. Peperkorn

Our congregation is in the process of separating first communion from confirmation, so that while they may be done at the same time, they are not necessarily going to be done at the same time. This move is the result of several years of study on my part as your pastor, and on the part of the elders, as we have wrestled with how to best serve the people whom God has entrusted to our care in this place. In order to further our conversation, I believe it would be helpful

Why are we separating first communion and confirmation? I have wrestled with this question for many years, and I would distill the reasons down to the following basic points:

1. We receive Christ’s Body and Blood for the forgiveness of sins, and we should want to give it to our children as soon as possible.

This is the simplest and most important point. The Scriptures teach us that we receive Holy Communion for the forgiveness of sins (Words of Institution). The catechism teaches that “in the Sacrament forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given us through these words.” Our hymnody repeatedly affirms this as well, with such lines as “Lord may thy body and thy blood, be for my soul the highest good,” and “Thy blood, O Lord, one drop has pow’r to win Forgiveness for our world and all its sin,” and “This food can death destroy,” and many more.

If this is the case, as a Church we should want to commune our children as soon as we are able to do so, because of the many blessings which God gives through the Sacrament of the Altar. It is not a reward at the end of a lot of work, like a graduation present. Rather, it is a gift to be received in faith, and a testimony of God’s love toward us in Jesus Christ.

2. The biblical requirement for receiving the Sacrament of the Altar is faith.

Our catechism question puts it this way:

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. 

This is a part of the basis for our understanding that receiving the Lord’s Supper isn’t simply a matter of maturity, rational development, age, service in the church, who your parents are, or some other criterion. The question is faith, and the confession of faith. Since we can’t read someone’s heart, we can only read their lips (verbal confession) and their feet (how their confession shapes what they do). If someone confesses the Christian faith as it has been given to us in the Scriptures, comes to the Divine Service to receive the gifts, speaks and acts as a Christian, then we should commune them.

This is also, by the way, why we practice closed communion. We only admit those individuals to the Altar who confess the faith as it has been given to us in His Word and confessed by this congregation. If someone confesses the faith differently by being a member of a different church body, we aren’t saying they aren’t a Christian. We are saying that because their confession is different, we can’t commune together at this time.

So when it comes to our own children, who are catechized here at church and/or at our school, at our Sunday school, and who attend the Divine Service here with their families, there is no question really that they are Christians, and furthermore that they confess the faith as we do.

3. The notion that in order to receive Holy Communion requires massive amounts of head knowledge and catechism memorization goes against the rest of our actual practice.

We don’t require adult confirmands to have massive amounts of memorized materials. We don’t require current members to continue to demonstrate a level of understanding beyond what we confess together Sunday morning. In fact, I would go so far as to say that children often have a clearer grasp of the Christian faith than adults, because they don’t have as many rationalistic or emotional baggage to bog them down. Jesus actually holds up children as the model of faith (Mark 10:13-16).

Certainly teaching the faith is important. We are all lifelong learners of God’s Word, and learning God’s Word goes right along with Holy Baptism (Matthew 28:16-20). But it is very difficult to argue from the Scriptures that having massive amounts memorized should be a prerequisite for receiving the Sacrament. It is good. It is helpful. We should all continually learn the Scriptures and the Catechism by heart. But this is not a prerequisite.

4. Having a period of formal instruction for children at a later age (5-8 grade range) is good and useful, but cannot be used as an argument for withholding Holy Communion from them at that time.

One of the reasons that I have urged separating first communion from confirmation is simply because I want to have a formal period of instruction with children when they are in the middle school years. I simply don’t think that we should use that period of instruction as a gateway or barrier to receiving the Sacrament of the Altar. By separating first communion and confirmation, we are able to offer this period of instruction to our children, but also give them the Sacrament at an earlier age. Otherwise, my fear is that we simply move confirmation younger and younger, and the opportunity for that later instruction will be harder to realize.

5. The possibility of abuse exists whether we separate confirmation and first communion or not.

There are always going to be individuals who are going to try and beat the system. There will always be people who want to do the absolute least amount of work possible in order to get their children confirmed. Some people are only going to respond to the Law. If I as the pastor require them to attend church while their child is in instruction, then they will. If I don’t require it, they won’t come. Or, they will only come a few times a year.

So how do we as a congregation respond to this? We respond by praying, by encouraging, and by working as responsibly and as carefully as we can to deliver the Gospel in as many ways as God has given us to do it. It makes no sense to me as a pastor to penalize one child because another child’s parents might not want their child to receive the Gospel.

Conclusion and Implications

Practically speaking, what I envision is that down the road, we will generally have first communion around first to third grade, and confirmation between fifth and eighth grade. However, I think it will take us some time to get to that point. There will be several years of transition, and different families are going to want to handle this differently. This is fine and good, as we work through this together as a church.

These are a few more thoughts on our ongoing conversation here. I hope it is helpful, and I would continue to encourage you to come to bible class, where we are discussing this at some length.

In Christ,
Pastor Peperkorn

The Taste of Life (Judica 2009, Lent 05)

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Todd A. Peperkorn, STM
Messiah Lutheran Church
Kenosha, Wisconsin
Judica, Lent V (March 29, 2009, revised from 2005)
John 8:46-56

For an audio MP3 of this sermon, CLICK HERE

TITLE: “The Taste of Life”

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text for this morning is from the Gospel lesson just read from John chapter 8.

The time of Jesus’ passion and death grows nearer. This Sunday is traditionally called Passion Sunday, for it is on this day that we hear of the people’s rejection of Jesus as the only Messiah, and how they sought to kill Him. We drape all the crosses in the church to remind us that the price for our Lord’s passion is great, and so that when we next view the cross, it will be with new eyes.

Jesus properly points out to the Jews that if they truly were from God, they would love Him, for He proceeds from the Father and goes back to the Father. He then goes on to say that they, the people, are of their father, the devil. For the devil is the father of lies and is at the root of all sin and evil in the world.

This is how our Lutheran Confessions treat this text about the devil. The Apology of the Augsburg Confession writes: “Nevertheless, the cause of sin is the will of the devil and of men turning away from God, as Christ said about the devil (John 8:44), “’When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature.’”

In times of great evil and distress in the world, it is quite common to ask the question of why. Why is there so much evil in the world? Why is there so much hatred and violence? But if you dig even deeper, the question may even be asked of yourself: why do I do these things? Why am I so torn and possessed by sin? Saint Paul himself struggled with this very same question when he wrote:

Romans 7:18-20 (ESV)
For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

This is the slavery to sin which we all are bound under and which we all struggle with every day or our lives. If you do not struggle and fight against sin, it is not a sign that you don’t sin. It is a sign that you are blind to sin and do not realize it’s stranglehold on you.

This is the message which so incensed and infuriated the Jews in Jesus’ day. He had the audacity and sheer gall to suggest to them that they were not going to be automatically saved because they were Jews. But even more, Jesus knows and understands the connection between sin and the devil. For the two always go together.

Now let’s step back and stop talking history for a minute. For Jesus isn’t talking about the Jews in this text finally; he’s talking about you. He’s talking about your desire to cling to pet sins. He’s talking about your wanting to always hold back on God. You know what I mean. I’ll go to church and be a Christian and all, but there are just some things that are too good to give up. There are certain sins which are mine, and I’m not going to let anything or anyone get in the way of doing what I want to do.

This is the trial Abraham faced in the sacrifice of his son. God had given him a son in his old age, and now God asked him to go and sacrifice his son, to prove his great love for the Lord. It didn’t make sense, and Abraham was sorely tempted to simply refuse. After all, this was his son, no one could take him away. He loved Isaac like no one else in the world. And yet it is precisely that love for his son which God tested. What are you willing to give up for me, the Lord asked. Your livelihood, your friends, your life, or even your son’s life?
Abraham walked by faith not by sight. He passed the test, because God gave him the faith to pass the test. But Abraham is not the only one God ever tested.

Every day or your life your faith is tried and tested in the furnace of the cross. There are constantly temptations for you to overcome, trials to face, and crosses to bear. But you know the dilemma: you fail at these every day. Like the Jews of Jesus’ day, you just can’t see past your own selfish nature and self-righteous judgment about the rest of the world.

So where is the Gospel? Where does the hope lie? The hope lies in those great words of Jesus: Before Abraham was, I AM. Those may sound like easy words to say, but those are words of sweet comfort for the hurting sinner. Those words draw you outside of yourself and your own failures and shortcomings, and draw you into His loving embrace and His everlasting comfort.

Let me explain. As long as you look at sin as something you can conquer like a bad habit, you will fail. We have a hard enough time conquering bad habits. Sin goes much, much deeper. Being a Christian is not like a diet program to get rid of sin. Sin is a part of your very nature as a human being since the Fall. You cannot simply reform your way of life. That is putting a band-aid on a gunshot wound. You must be reborn. You must be made anew. No set of laws or regulations or steps for living will cure this disease. It must come from outside of you.

Before Abraham was, I AM. What this means is that this Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has had your salvation planned before the foundation of the world. God knew you would fail, and His love for you is so great, so strong and powerful, that He ordained His only-begotten Son to come into your flesh and die so that the price would be paid for your failure.

The author to Hebrews put it this way: Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. Jesus enters into that most holy place and paid the price, the ultimate price of His very life for you. It is that body and blood which you eat and drink this day. It is that body and blood which will cleanse you and remake you into the image of God once again.

This message is offensive. It forces you to put aside all of your silly and pathetic ideas about yourself, about your worth and status, and strips away the layers of sin and death which infect us all. And in their place the very image of God is put upon you with water and the Word of God.

So it is in that message of life through death and salvation through suffering that brings hope and peace to you this day. Abraham rejoiced to see this day, and he saw it and was glad. For all of heaven rejoice when one sinner comes to realize their sinfulness and turns in faith to the only one who can save them, even Jesus Christ, our Lord.

As we prepare for our Lord’s Passion, death and resurrection once again, may this ever be your song: Jesus, sinners does receive. Believe it for His sake. Amen.

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in true faith, unto life everlasting. Amen.

God’s Heavenly Provisions (Laetare 2009)

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Todd A. Peperkorn, STM
Messiah Lutheran Church
Kenosha, Wisconsin
Laetare – Lent 4 (March, 22, 2009)
John 6:1-15

For an audio MP3 of this sermon, CLICK HERE

TITLE: “God’s Heavenly Provisions”

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text for today is the Gospel lesson just read from John chapter 6, Jesus’ feeding of the 5000. This morning’s sermon is about trust in God for all things in our life.

God delivered the people of Israel from the hand of Pharaoh in Egypt with a mighty hand. Their slavery had lasted for generations, four hundred years and more. There was hardly a memory in their midst of a time when they weren’t in slavery. But God freed them. It began with a meal, really. The passover, the night when the angel of death went through the camps of the Egyptians and struck down the first-born. Then through Moses, the deliverer, God led the people out of the camps of Egypt, through the Red Sea on dry ground, and promised to be their God. He promised to provide for them and for their children. And he did. Time and time again. The manna and quail in the wilderness. The water flowing from the rock. Canaan, the land flowing with milk and honey. For as long as Israel was a nation, God provided for them as a father provides for His children. He disciplined them when they rebelled, and forgave them when they repented of their evil. God loves His people. He always has. He always will.

Today we look at another passover, or an event right near the passover. The people had followed Jesus up the mountain, just like the people of old had followed Moses to Mt. Sinai. They listened to Jesus’ words, and they had seen the signs. He healed the sick. Everything with Jesus’ pointed to the fact that He was more than another prophet. He was not just another teacher. Jesus was something special, He, like Moses, acted as the finger of God, pointing the way to Heaven, and using His healing touch to heal the people of all their sicknesses of body and soul.

So before we move on with our story, let’s ask the question: what do you look for in Jesus? Or to ask it another way, why do you go to Church? Do you go to church to be healed? Do you go to church in order for God to do something for you, or in order for you to do something for God? So often when we examine our lives, and the reasons we do things, it is not nearly as clear and as Gospel centered as it should be. I go to church because my spouse wants me to. I go to church because my parents make me. I go to church because I think I’m supposed to go. I go to church because I think that if I do my part, God will take care of me. Our sin this Lent is believing that we do these things for God. We make bargains, strike deals, and try to placate God with the Law, but it never works. As long as you are trying to satisfy God with your behavior, you will fail. But even more than that, you miss the greatest gifts that God has to give you in this place. Repent. You are not sons and daughters born into slavery (Gal. 4), but you are children of the promise. That promise is for you and for your children.

So back to Jesus on the mountain. The disciples don’t understand how Jesus is going to feed all these people, five thousand men plus women and children. How often do we understand how God provides for us? Jesus miraculously feed all the people. He feeds them until they are satisfied. He feeds them so that there is more than enough left over. That’s what God does. He takes care of His people, day in, day out. Luther’s words to the Fourth Petition certain come to mind here:

The Fourth Petition
? Give us this day our daily bread.

What does this mean?
?God certainly gives daily bread to everyone without our prayers, even to all evil people, but we pray in this petition that God would lead us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.

What is meant by daily bread?
?Daily bread includes everything that has to do with the support and needs of the body, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, land, animals, money, goods, a devout husband or wife, devout children, devout workers, devout and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, self control, good reputation, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like.

Now let’s bring this down to earth and understand what God is promising here. God promises to give you everything you need to support this body and life. Everything. Period. He doesn’t promise you how He is going to do it. He promises that He is going to do it. Nor does He promise you what exactly you need. Some of those needs are obvious. He promises food and drink, clothing, a roof over your head and the like. Notice, though, that He promises to provide you with you you need, not what you think you need. He is God, not you. You may not need as big of a retirement plan as you thought or hoped. You may not need even family or friends or neighbors as you think. It may be that they need to be with Him in heaven more than you need to have them here. Again, He is God and you are not.

Most importantly, though, you need Jesus. No matter what happens in your life, you sin, you break His commandments, and you break and hurt your relationships with those around you. So He gives you Jesus. He is our priceless treasure above all others. Specifically, He gives you Jesus in the forgiveness of sins. That, more than anything else, is why He gives you the Sacrament of the Altar, the Lord’s Supper. He gives this to you to forgive your sins. He gives Himself to you so that you may learn to trust Him in all things. The Christian lives by the Lord’s Supper. It is what it means to be a disciple, a follower of Jesus. It is our discipline as Christians. I don’t mean discipline in the Law sense. I mean discipline in the sense that God teaches us to follow Him, to be His disciple, in the Sacrament.

This is true no matter what is happening in the economy. This is true no matter how far behind you are in your bills. This is true here in our congregation, as we continue to seek our Lord’s guidance with our finances, and how to continue to serve the people of God in this place. God promises to provide. Period. He has given us what we need, both as individuals and as a congregation. Trust that when our Lord says that He loves you that He means it. Know that when He says I will provide for you and your little ones, that those are not idle words. Believe that Jesus’ death and resurrection seals and guarantees that God’s mercy to you and your family lasts forever. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in true faith, unto life everlasting. Amen.