Lent 4 + Laetare
***On this day we celebrated nine young people of the congregation receiving their First Communion. Communing children prior to Confirmation is a new practice at my congregation and for this reason, the sermon took on more of a teaching theme.***
Text: John 6:1-15
What makes you worthy to approach this altar and receive the blessed flesh and blood of Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins?
This is an important question, but regrettably, it often slips our minds, even on a Sunday morning.
As the Small Catechism asks,
Who receives this sacrament worthily?
The Catechism goes on to say,
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.
When we think of worthiness, we think in earthly ways; we view it as being a good person or as deserving. But we know none of us are worthy in the sight of God based upon the thoughts of our hearts, the words of our lips, or the deeds of our bodies.
So again, how can we be worthy of receiving this meal?
It begins with faith and trust in the words, “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.”
Worthiness begins and ends with believing that Jesus’ words actually mean what they say—it starts with faith.
That present in this little piece of bread and in the smallest drops of wine from this chalice - one receives forgiveness.
But if one can worthily approach this altar, they may also be able to approach it unworthily.
And here is a good time to reflect on the words of St. Paul written to the Corinthians; he says,
Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. (1 Corinthians 11:27-28)
Unworthiness occurs when a person does not believe Jesus’ words that the forgiveness of sin is present in this bread and wine.
And so, the text says, we must examine ourselves.
The examination can begin simply enough, do you have faith in these words: “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins?”
But then the examination expands and forces the Christians to ask themselves, “Am I truly sorry for my sins?
Well, how do you know whether you have sinned?
The first place I would point you for self-examination is the Ten Commandments: ask yourself…
“Do you have only one God?”
“Do you keep His name holy or attend the Divine Service regularly?”
“Do you or have you honored your parents?”
“Have you murdered with your thoughts and words?”
“Is your marriage bed and sexual life holy?”
“Have you taken or stolen what isn’t yours?”
“Do your lips drip with betrayal?”
“Do you covet what God has not given you?”
If you are honest, and if God is truly the all-powerful, all-knowing God we confess Him to be, then these are really tough questions.
But are these questions only accessible to adults? Or children of a specific age?
I’d argue that while many adults forget these questions in time, the child truly knows them best. It’s the child having them drilled into their minds through the repetition of catechesis; it’s the child being questioned by the parent whether they have done as they (the parent) have instructed. It’s the child being told to watch their words. It’s the child being called to confess their sin aloud, to apologize for their misdeeds, so that forgiveness may be pronounced upon them.
It's quite something, isn’t it? Why do we, as adults, struggle with God’s Word so mightily? Why do we scoff or fight to confess our sins aloud?
In a wonderfully peculiar way, it’s the child who can often become God’s teacher.
As Jesus said in the Gospel of Mark, words that we hear in the Baptismal rite, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.” (Mark 10:14b, NKJV)
This continues today as we welcome some of the children of this congregation and confession of faith to the Lord’s Supper. In this way, the children of God continue to be led from the waters of Baptism to where His kingdom is present for them, now in the flesh and blood of Jesus.
Because, like you, those receiving their First Communion today are God’s children, living the Baptismal life.
But why would we begin to commune the younger children among us?
Now, Martin Luther was also asked why the Church might commune the disabled and the young, and here is what he said,
Therefore if they are rational and can show by [unquestionable] signs that they desire [the sacrament] in true Christian devotion, as I have often seen, we should leave to the Holy Spirit what is his work and not refuse him what he demands. It may be that inwardly they have a better understanding and faith than we; and this no one should maliciously oppose. Do we not read of St. Cyprian, the holy martyr, that in Carthage where he was bishop he even had both elements given to the children.[1]
Luther raises the point that the disabled and the child alike can display not only a desire but, in many instances, an even better understanding of the faith than many of us. Further, he reveals that this was also the practice of the early Church at a time to commune the children, too.
But most of all, Luther's words support the understanding that it’s not a person’s age or intellect that makes them worthy to receive the Supper; it’s faith in these words, “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins,” along with the ability to examine oneself.
Now, how do we guard against falling away from faith or knowing how to examine ourselves? You keep coming to the Divine Service and continue taking advantage of opportunities to learn God’s Word.
As the children will be asked in a moment,
“Do you intend to continue to hear and receive the instruction of your Lord, confess your sins, and receive the Lord’s Supper faithfully throughout your life?
Their response, “Yes, with the help of God.”
Listen to these words again, “With the help of God.”
As we heard in the Gospel today, the crowds followed Jesus because of the miracles and signs He was doing for the afflicted and sick—He was healing them. But the people also followed Jesus so far that there was no food for them to eat. They were in a wilderness of sorts. They had been captivated by His Words, the Words of eternal life.
All the five thousand men, plus women and children, could do here was depend upon the great teacher to help them and care for them. So, while the disciples of Jesus are of no help at this moment, there is a boy, a small child, as the Greek says, who had five barley loaves and two fish. (John 6:9)
The Gospel proceeds, “Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted.” (John 6:11)
How wonderful is it that God uses the smallest among us as a means to care for His creation, and in doing so, Jesus conducts another miracle and sign before the people and His disciples in the feeding of the five thousand.
You see, to be a disciple is to be a student. Like the disciples and these crowds in the Gospel, we are to follow Jesus too; we are to depend on Him for help, to sit at His feet as they did, and to hear and learn His Word without regard for the world around us. We are to be led from the waters of Holy Baptism to this altar, where Jesus continues the great miracle of His supper and comes with the whole company of heaven every time we gather to grant us His forgiveness and a little foretaste of the life to come.
And in this way, the altar now is the enduring sign of His love for you, and it points all of us to look beyond this life and to the wonderful day when He will return to gather us into the eternal feast that has no end.
But until that day, we must continue to journey in this wilderness, to traverse the life of a baptized child of God, to be led by the cross of Christ from the font to this altar each and every week, examining ourselves along the way, demonstrating faith and dependence on God to care not only for our mortal bodies but to be our great help in times of need, to be our forgiveness and life.
So, as these children of Good Shepherd are now received to the Altar, let us all be like them; let us be as disciples and students of Jesus, eager to follow Him, hungry for His Word, and ever thirsting for His forgiveness. +INJ+
Rev. Noah J. Rogness
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Tomah, WI
[1] Martin Luther, Luther’s Works, Vol. 35: Word and Sacrament I, ed. Jaroslav Jan Pelikan, Hilton C. Oswald, and Helmut T. Lehmann, vol. 35 (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1999), 110–111.
