Lisa Crear

The Sacrament of the Altar

My week at confirmation camp was fun and exciting. The Sacrament of the Altar was the first lesson we went through this week. The other lessons were Holy Baptism, Lord’s Prayer, Apostle’s Creed, and we finished with the Ten Commandments. Today I would like to introduce to you some of the different names we use for the Sacrament of the Altar and would also like to tell you what this Sacrament means to me.

The Sacrament of Altar has many different names. These include, but are not limited to, the Lord’s Supper, the Lord’s Table, Holy Communion, the Breaking of Bread, and the Eucharist. The term Eucharist means "giving thanks". This is a neat way to think of the Sacrament of the Altar because we need to be thankful that God sent His Son to die for us and to go through the pain and suffering on the cross.

I have learned that the Lord’s Supper works the forgiveness of sins whenever we take the bread and the wine. The bread and the wine are the visible elements in the Lord’s Supper. Together with the Word of God, the "Real Presence" of Jesus, His body and His blood, is felt and honored when we commune. When I come to the Lord’s Table, I am reminded of the sacrifice that Jesus made as He died on the cross for my sins. This sacrifice assures me that God will forgive me by my faith as Jesus states in the Bible, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." Matthew 26:28

When we leave the Altar, we should feel thankful because we are loved. No matter what our sin is, when we ask for forgiveness and truly repent, God will forgive us. Taking the Lord’s Supper is a visible reminder that God has forgiven us and His words of institution is the invisible reminder. The eating and drinking of the body and blood should remind us of the way Jesus suffered and died on the cross, and the love that held Him there for our sinful ways.