There were many interesting things that I was introduced to as I went through my confirmation instruction. While all of it increased my knowledge about the Bible a great deal, the thing that really caught my eye was this thing called a "sacrament."

Through my studies, I have come to understand there are three essential things that make up a sacrament. A sacrament is instituted by Christ Himself; it has both a physical and spiritual element to it; and it is given for the forgiveness of sins. There are two sacraments that the Lutheran Church recognizes: one being baptism, and the other being communion, which I will talk about today.

When talking about communion, it is obvious that Christ Himself instituted this when He celebrated His last Passover meal with His disciples. We now refer to this occasion as "The Lord’s Supper." Christ instituted His meal for a couple of different reasons. First of all, every time we receive the meal, we confess Jesus’ death and resurrection. Jesus tells us to "do this in remembrance of me"; therefore, every time we receive the meal, we remember and acknowledge Jesus as our Savior. Jesus also tells us that He is present in this meal, therefore, when we share it with each other, we are not only communing with each other, but with Christ Himself.

There are two different elements to "The Lord’s Supper" as taught by Jesus. First He tells us to "Take, eat: this (bread) is My body, which is given for you. Then He tells us to "Drink of it all of you; this cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins." The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ were never intended to be physically present in the supper. Jesus’ body and blood are the spiritual, the invisible, elements in The Lord’s Supper. The bread and the wine serve as the physical elements through which Christ comes to us as we commune with Him. Do the bread and the wine physically change into Christ’s body and blood? Certainly not! Is Christ present within the bread and wine? Absolutely!

Finally, Christ did not institute The Lord’s Supper as merely a ceremonial occasion. While the Lord’s Supper is certainly a celebration, it also serves a higher purpose. As I have come to understand through my confirmation classes, The Lord’s Supper brings me forgiveness. It is a time when I can be prepared to receive the Lord’s forgiveness through the communion in which we celebrate. I have often asked my parents why I couldn’t go up and receive the bread and the wine with them. "Why does the preacher always just put his hand on my head and say something?" I wondered. I now know the answer to that one. While communion is a great and powerful thing that can bring us forgiveness of sins, it can also be destructive if we don’t know what it represents. 1 Corinthians 11:27 says: "Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord." I now see that my parents, as well as you my church family, were protecting me from receiving this sacrament unworthily. For that, I thank you. And now that I have received instruction on the matters of Holy Communion, as well as the other basic teachings of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, I now feel confident that I am ready to receive this sacrament worthily.

I know that my confirmation is just the beginning of my spiritual life. There are many more things for me to learn, and I look forward to pursuing this knowledge. I ask that you all would continue to pray for and instruct me as I continue to grow in my faith. I know I will struggle at times in my life, but I also know that Jesus will be there with me every step of the way. By the grace of God, and the guidance of my fellow Christians, I know that I will be able to overcome whatever life throws at me.

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