Holy Food for the Thirsty

  Christ says, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me." John 7:37

A year ago I was heading into my senior year of seminary and writing my approval essay.  One of the questions that those seeking approval in 2010-2011 had to wrestle with was a trend in many congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America that see the sacrament of Holy Communion as "hospitality."

Living in a post modern context, this brought up a question for many seminarians.  Is it appropriate and hospitable for someone who is not baptized to receive Holy Communion?  For many it seemed that the question of whether baptized infants or young children to receive the sacraments was not an issue at all.  Affirming that it is a meal for the baptized regardless of denomination, didn't probe an issue and seems hospitable enough.  But what about the unchurched seeker that comes forward  to the Lord's table?

Christ says, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me." John 7:37  

I argued that, Baptism before Holy Communion should continue to be the norm in the church, but there may be instances in which Holy Communion could come first.  Pouring through Scripture and our tradition (Lutheran Confessions) we know that faith is a gift from God.  While I affirm the practice of baptism before Holy Communion, and this Holy food being a meal for the baptized, on the other hand I do not want to get in the way of the Spirit when it is moving and has given the gift of faith to an individual.  If someone comes to the table believing in the words that the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ was given for them, who am I to deny them the real presence of Christ in these gifts of bread and wine?

Again, I wrestle with this and do not advocate that it be the norm in the church.  The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America teaches that the sacrament of Holy Communion is a meal for baptized disciples of Jesus Christ.  Yet I want to ensure that those who are thirsty for Christ are fed with his real presence in Word and Sacrament!