Today, in our series on the various elements that make up our Sunday morning worship, we consider the Sacraments of our worship. (Read Acts 2:41-47)

In the first church I served, one of my responsibilities was teaching the seventh grade confirmation class, which was a two year program. I taught the seventh graders, the pastor taught the eighth graders. After one year, we had to change the class dramatically because of the unexpected death of the pastor. For two years during the search for a new pastor we had a modified, shortened class. When it became evident that the new pastor coming to the church was not going to have any role with the confirmation class, I met with the Christian Education Committee to consider how the class should be structured in the future. During our discussion, one woman on the committee—who was not happy with some of the changes I’d made with the class and, as it so happened, had a son who had just finished the modified version of our confirmation class—complained about what her son had learned…and not learned. "For example," she said, "I asked him to name the sacraments and he could only name two!" I looked at her in stunned silence for a moment, then said, "There are only two sacraments—baptism and the Lord’s Supper." Now it was her turn to sit in stunned silence. I have to admit I rather enjoyed the moment. I’ve since sought forgiveness for that! Turns out she had been raised in the Catholic Church which recognizes seven sacraments. Though now a long-time Presbyterian, this woman had not realized the difference. It was about then, I believe, that I began to think an adult confirmation class was a good idea!

Indeed, in the Presbyterian Church, we acknowledge two sacraments—baptism and the Lord’s Supper—based upon Jesus’ participation in and modeling them for the church. Jesus was baptized, including that wonderful exchange between Jesus and John the Baptist where John understandably says, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" And Jesus replies, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." And Jesus officiated the first Lord’s Supper. Jesus commends these acts as sacraments by his own participation in them.

Sacraments serve in our worship as visible signs and reminders of God’s grace. Our Book of Order, in the Directory for Worship section has wonderful, instructive language regarding the sacraments. For example, "Sacraments are signs of the real presence and power of Christ in the Church, symbols of God’s action. Through the Sacraments, God seals believers in redemption, renews their identity as the people of God, and marks them for service," (W-1.3033.2) When the sacraments are a part of our worship, we are reminded of God’s grace through these visible acts taking place. So, let’s take a moment to examine further the meaning of each sacrament in our worship.

First, I’d like to describe for you my own baptism. I’d like to tell you everything about it—the sights, the sounds, the smells even and my thoughts and feelings at the time of my baptism. I’d like to tell you, but, I can’t. I can’t because I was four months old when I was baptized. As we know, there are differences in church denominations over the ritual and meaning of baptism. Some denominations believe only a professing believer should be baptized. Some, like the Presbyterian Church, baptize infants and young children. Some baptize infants as a necessary act of salvation—no baptism, no salvation. In the Presbyterian Church, we baptize infants as a sign of their entrance into the covenant community that is the church. In doing so, we take our cue from the covenant community prior to the Christian Church, our Jewish, Old Testament heritage. The ritual of entrance into the covenant community of our Jewish heritage was circumcision, performed on eight day old males. In the great debate of Acts, chapter 15, it was determined by the apostles that circumcision was not required to be a disciple of Jesus Christ and a member of the covenant community. In its place, baptism became the sign of entrance into the covenant community. It’s a wonderful transition, if you think about it. Circumcision was only for males. Baptism is for everyone. Modeling the movement of the promises of the covenant, once held exclusively by the Jews, now going out to the whole world, the sign of one’s entrance into that covenant community moves from the exclusive ritual of circumcision to the inclusive ritual of baptism.

Thus, in the Presbyterian understanding of baptism, as circumcision was performed on infants—eight day old males to be exact—the sacrament of baptism is open to infants also. More than that, remember that baptism is a visible sign of God’s grace. We need God’s grace because we have no claim of worthiness to enter into the covenant community. And what greater image exists of our need for God’s grace and our inability to make any claim of worthiness whatsoever than that of a baby? When we baptize Trent and Trey in a moment, they are not able to make any claim at all of worthiness to receive God’s grace. Oh, they might squawk a bit, but they can make no claim of worthiness. It is a wonderful picture of God’s grace.

Also, the sacrament of baptism is celebrated within the worship service, with rare exceptions, because as a sign of one’s entrance into the covenant community that community ought to be present. More than that, the covenant community—in this case, Shepherd of the Hills Presbyterian Church—is present to make a commitment of their support for the person being baptized and for his or her family to help in raising the child to grow as a disciple of Jesus Christ. In a moment, you, the covenant community for the Haiglers, will stand and promise to help raise Trent and Trey in the faith. Please take that commitment seriously.

Baptism is a wonderful sign and reminder of God’s grace. If you, like me, cannot remember your own baptism, use the times when we celebrate that sacrament as a time to remember and re-claim what took place at your baptism—your entrance into the covenant community as an unworthy recipient of God’s grace.

Our second of two sacraments is the Lord’s Supper. When we celebrate the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, we not only have a visible sign of God’s grace, but we involve our senses of taste and smell as well. As Jesus met with his disciples and shared in a meal together before the events of his betrayal, arrest, crucifixion and resurrection, so too does Jesus meet with us and share in this meal together. Jesus, in his words to his disciples in that first Lord’s Supper, commended this sacrament to us as a reminder of what he has done for us through his death and resurrection. Following his resurrection, Jesus made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread. So, through our breaking of bread in this sacrament is Jesus made known to us. As the passage read from Acts reminds us, along with the words elsewhere of the apostle Paul, the Christian Church from its very beginning shared in the fellowship together of the Lord’s Supper and we are inheritors of that fellowship today when we participate in this sacrament.

Again, our Book of Order has wonderful, helpful language about the meaning of this sacrament for us: "In the Lord’s Supper the Church, gathered for worship, blesses God for all that God has done through creation, redemption, and sanctification; gives thanks that God is working in the world and in the Church in spite of human sin; gratefully anticipates the fulfillment of the Kingdom Christ proclaimed, and offers itself in obedient service to God’s reign. At the Lord’s Table, the Church is renewed and empowered by the memory of Christ’s life, death, resurrection, and promise to return; sustained by Christ’s pledge of undying love and continuing presence with God’s people; sealed in God’s covenant of grace through partaking of Christ’s self-offering," (W-2.4003 and W-2.4004, underline mine). All of that—blessing God and giving thanks to God, grateful anticipation, offering of self, renewal and empowerment, sustaining and sealing in God’s grace—taking place when we celebrate the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, a precious gift given to the covenant community.

The dictionary defines sacrament as "a formal religious act that is sacred as a sign or symbol of a spiritual reality," (Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, 1975; underline mine). Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are sacraments because they are "signs and symbols" of the "spiritual reality" that is ours in Jesus Christ. Let us remember and rejoice in that reality today, and every day, we celebrate the sacraments in our worship.

Let’s take a moment for silent reflection.