Let's get started (again)...
Unfortunately, this first post will be a little boring, because I need to start with what I hope to accomplish in this "class by blog." When I originally announced this class, I said it was designed for those who are new to "Lutheran Christianity." But to put it another way, this class is designed to cover what we want everyone to know and believe when they receive the Lord's Supper at Saint Paul Lutheran Church - Annapolis.
So I thought it would be helpful to share with you the guidelines we use for admitting people to the Lord's Supper. What follows is quoted from: "Guidelines for Pastoral Examination of Catechumens Before the Rite of First Communion of Before the Rite of Confirmation" (taken from The Pastoral Care Companion (CPH: 2007))
"Examining catechumens in the faith prior to admission to the Lord's Supper or confirmation is an important responsibility of the parish pastor. For both first communion and confirmation, candidates have learned the Ten Commandments, the Creed, and the Lord's Prayer. They have received careful instruction in the Gospel and Sacraments. Confessing their sin and trusting their Savior, they desire to receive the Lord's Supper for the forgiveness of sins and the strengthening of their faith in Christ and in love toward others. These are the overarching concerns for the pastor in the pastoral examination of these candidates.
"Concerning the worthy reception of the Lord's Supper, the Small Catechism teaches: '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.'
"On the basis of this, baptized Christians are admitted to the Sacrament when they have been examined and absolved by their pastor in accordance with the practice outlined in the Augsburg Confession (Article XXV).
"When confirmation is separated from first communion, confirmation especially highlights that a catechumen has received more thorough instruction in the faith than he received prior to first communion."
There's a lot of specialized, technical words in there. So I imagine you may have some questions. Why don't we start with your questions (add them as comments), and I'll add a few things to fill out the post out after I see how the conversation goes!
Well... looks like I might be talking to myself right now. For any of you checking in anonymously, I want to make sure you get a few common questions answered. The first is this: The article says "learn" the Ten Commandments, the Creed, and the Lord's Prayer. Do you have to memorize them to learn them?
ReplyDeleteThe short answer is "you should." Except for the Ten Commandments, the Creed and the Lord's Prayer are parts of our worship services every week. And even though you could choose to simply read them each week, memorizing them frees you up to meditate on them in the process of reciting them. Think about it: When you read aloud, you are adding the process of reading to speaking. When you memorize, you free a part of your mind for other things; the more deeply ingrained the words, the less of your mind needed to recite. But rather than letting it become a "mindless" repetition, you can commit your mind to meditating on what you are saying.
DeleteWhat should you "meditate" on when reciting the Creed and the Lord's Prayer? Don't worry! By the time you finish New Beginnings (and especially if you complete confirmation after that), you will have more than enough to meditate on to last you your whole life!!!
DeleteAnother common question is about the difference between "first communion" and "confirmation"... So? What does "more thorough instruction in the faith" mean, right?!?
ReplyDeleteAlthough different congregations do things differently, our congregation admits Christians to First Communion when they have been taught WHAT we believe well enough to understand WHAT the words say so they can say "Yes, I believe that, too!"
DeleteConfirmation, on the other hand, goes further and teaches more of the WHY we believe what we believe. A Christian who has been confirmed can be thought of as an adult where the faith is concerned. Confirmed Christians will continue to grow in faith and knowledge of the faith, just like adults grow in knowledge and expertise in other ways, too. But a confirmed Christian is ready to speak for themselves when someone asks them, "Why do you believe what you believe?"
Please don't be shy: Ask your questions! If we're going to cover it later, I'll let you know. If not, now's the time to ask!
ReplyDelete