The Words of Institution are the inspired words of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) and of St. Paul (I Corinthians 11).  It is the Word of Christ that, together with the eating and drinking of the bread and wine that makes this supper the sacrament of Christ’s body and blood.  So we confess in the Small Catechism:

THE NATURE OF THE SACRAMENT OF THE ALTAR
           

What is the Sacrament of the Altar?

The Sacrament of the Altar is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, under the bread and wine, instituted by Christ himself, for us Christians to eat and to drink.

Where is this written?

The holy evangelists Matthew,  Mark and Luke, together with St. Paul, write thus: "Our Lord Jesus Christ, the same night in which He was betrayed, took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to His disciples, saying, 'Take, eat; this is My body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.' In the same way also He took the cup after supper, gave thanks and gave it to them, saying, Drink from it, all of you; this cup is the New Testament in My blood, which is shed for you for the remission of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’”

Following the Words of Institution is the Pax Domini, the Peace of the Lord, for by the gift of His body and blood, crucified and risen for the sins of the world, true peace is made between God and man, and full forgiveness of all our guilt is given personally to us.

Then comes the Agnus Dei, the Lamb of God, for Christ, the very Lamb of God who came to take upon Himself the sins of the world, is now with us, body and blood, together with the bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper, and is given to us in the Distribution.  In the distribution we receive with the body and blood together with the bread and wine.  With them we also receive the forgiveness of sins that Christ Himself promises.

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The Service of Holy Communion follows the Service of the Word as the second important part of the liturgy.  As God gives his gifts through the preaching of the Gospel, the gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation, so He also gives His gifts through the Lord’s Supper, which is the Gospel in sacramental form.

A sacrament is a rite that is (1) instituted by Christ, (2) tied to specific words that are (3) connected with earthly elements and that (4) offers and gives the forgiveness of sins.  Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are the two sacraments.

When we reflect upon the meaning of the sacraments, we cannot help but be reminded that all aspects of our salvation – the atonement for our sins, the giving of forgiveness to us, and our acceptance of it through faith are in fact God’s work in us.  This truth guides our understanding of salvation.  For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

The Service of Holy Communion begins with the Preface and starts with another Salutation.  The pastor greets the people, “The Lord be with you,” and the people respond, “And with your spirit.”  Just as at the beginning of the Service of the Word, this is a prayer that Christ our Lord would accompany His word and sacrament with His gifts, as in fact He has promised to do.

The pastor then calls to the people to “Lift up your hearts.”  This is followed by the Proper Preface.  Remember that the “propers” are the parts of the service that change with the seasons.  The Proper Prefaces are remembrances of the mercies of our Lord, for which we join in praise to Him, along with the angels and all the saints in heaven and on earth.

The song of praise that we sing at this time is the Sanctus, taken from Isaiah 6:1-4 (NKJV)

…I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
The whole earth is full of His glory!”
And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.

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The most important thing about confirmation is not the ceremony, but the instruction in the Christian faith.  To prepare for confirmation, the students make a systematic study of the Bible, both subject-by-subject and historically.  By this time they should have compared the teaching of Lutheran Church to the Holy Scriptures and so be assured that the teaching of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the church defined by our confessions, is the teaching of the Bible.

Our Savior Jesus Christ is the heart of our faith.  The most important thing to know and believe is that He has had mercy on us poor sinners, that as a true man, born of a woman and under the law Himself, He has lived a perfect life in our place, has taken our sins upon Himself, suffered the wrath of God in death that we sinners deserve, and rose again from the dead to give us His innocence.  This, above all, every Christian must learn and believe.

This faith and confidence comes to us through the Means of Grace, the gospel in word and sacrament.  Without such means of grace, faith is not fed, but is lost.  So every confirmand knows the importance of the Christian life of regular repentance, assurance of forgiveness, and prayer. Likewise, every confirmand knows the cost of separating from regular hearing of the Word and neglecting the Lord’s Supper.  Those who neglect the gracious Word of God do so at their peril, and are without excuse.

Let us pray for our Confirmands, that they are faithful unto everlasting life.  Let us pray for ourselves that we also endure in saving faith until life’s end. 

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