But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, "Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs." (Mark 10:14)

I have a confession to make. When a child comes to the altar rail, hands open, ready to receive, I want to give them the gift of God's grace. I want to give them the bread and tell them that this is the body of Christ, which is given for them. I firmly believe that Jesus would do the same. In fact, I believe that Jesus would serve the children first.

At the same time, I am well aware of the objections: "They don't understand." "We always had to be confirmed first!" It is true that this came to be a tradition in our church. However, this is one of those practices where there is room for discussion and different understandings. Nowhere in the Scriptures does it say how old one needs to be in order to receive Holy Communion. Thus, we are called to wrestle with what we do learn from the Scriptures, as well as from our Lutheran Confessions.

I would like to focus on what we learn from our Lutheran heritage next month. This month I would like to focus on at least part of what we learn from the Scriptures. One of the important passages related to the Lord's Supper is 1 Corinthians 11:17-34. There, a warning is given about participating in the Lord's Supper in an unworthy manner. Paul writes about examining ourselves first and "discerning the body" when we receive the Lord's body and blood (11:27-29). These verses have been used to support the argument that one needs to be old enough to understand before receiving Communion.

However, many have read these few verses without paying attention to the whole chapter. In the congregation at Corinth, people were abusing the Lord's Supper. All were bringing their own bread and wine. Those who were rich had lots to eat and were even getting drunk. Those who were poor were going hungry. Everybody was going ahead with their own "meal" and ignoring the needs of other members. It is in the middle of this situation that Paul writes about examining yourselves and discerning the body. Thus, Paul is calling upon people to recognize each other as members of the body of Christ and therefore united with one another in love.

It would seem to me that this passage is aimed more at the actions of these people, rather than at requiring some sort of training in order to participate in the Lord's Supper. I would also raise the question as to whether some children actually have a better understanding of what is going on than many adults do. They might not be able to give you a complicated explanation, but they know for a fact that they have just received a precious gift from the hand of God. The reality is that none of us are ever "worthy" to receive the gift of Christ's body and blood. It is a gift of grace, just as our salvation is.

I invite you into dialogue about this topic, especially those of you who are bringing your children to the Lord's Table.

In Christ, Pastor Lynne Hutchison Moore