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"We achieve more by inclusion than by exclusion. Let’s face it, age restrictions are not really there for children, they are there to make the adults feel more comfortable” (Canon Stephen Lake, St Alban’s Cathedral).
“Parishes have been transformed by engaging with this. I was against this but now am a convert because it has enriched and reinvigorated our life. As adults, we need to be prepared to lose a degree of ‘control’ and let the children come, for then they will lead us into new and exciting places” (Margaret Withers, Archbishops’ Council).
“The CofE says it is committed to children and the young. We agree it in principle, but …when it comes to changing individual practices and traditions, [or] to putting money in, then we’re less committed than we sound” (Bishop of Salisbury).
“We know this is an important issue. It opens up our understanding of baptism… Children are not a ‘problem’, rather they are a gift, co-workers in the gospel” (Diana Murrie, National Children’s Officer).
“There will be a mixed economy, but churches are well used to this. In our current Confirmation Group, there are those who have been previously admitted to Communion, and those who have chosen to wait. They don’t have a problem with understanding this” (Canon Stephen Lake, St Alban’s Cathedral).
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The Parish Church of St Peter ad Vincula, Coggeshall Extracts from a PCC paper 2007/8 Preparation and Admission of baptised children to Holy Communion _____________________________________ In a nutshell, this is about: • Holy Communion, the sacrament of the body and blood of Christ, being ‘food for the journey’ for all members of the Church family, which, like all other sacraments (including baptism), does not depend upon our understanding in order to convey God’s grace; • Baptism/Christening being the definitive cross-denominational rite of entry into the Church family, the world-wide body of Christ; • Our unconditional acceptance of children as a valued and precious part of the church’s lifeblood, and a return to the authentic Christian tradition of including baptised children at the ‘Lord’s Table’; • Confirmation being a public affirmation of discipleship, not a gateway to Communion or any other of the church’s sacraments. • This is a gospel imperative: “let the children come to me”, says the Lord. Jesus makes himself known to us in bread and wine, inviting all to ‘come to him’, children and adults alike. This is good theology! _____________________________________ A brief history of Children and Communion: • Families and households were clearly baptised into the faith together (Acts, Ephesians, Colossians). • Jewish Passover tradition, strongly influential on church practice, gave children a full and central role. • By 3rd century, St Cyprian describes infants receiving bread and wine. • The 4th century Apostolic Constitutions provide that children “receive communion after the priests, widows, deacons, but before the rest of the laity”. • St Augustine of Hippo (5th century): “to deny children baptism by reason of age or lack of understanding is to deny them Christ himself in bread and wine, which in turn denies them a place in heavenly peace”. • In 1281 Lambeth Palace issues rules that bar the un-confirmed from communion “because of the damnable negligence of parents” who failed to present their children for Confirmation! • But by the 17th century, learning the Catechism was the only pre-requisite to receiving Communion, and until the 19th century, Anglicans were admitted to Communion on the basis of being baptised and having received some instruction from the priest. The 1662 prayer book ruled only that people needed simply to be “ready and desirous”. • In the 19th century, however, confirmation again became a gateway to Communion, but was a departure from authentic early Christian practice. _____________________________________ Turning points in the church in the last 50 years: The Oxford Movement and Parish Communion movement gradually gained ground in the C of E from the 19th century. As a result, some very positive, but crucial, change has emerged in relation to the status of children since WW2: • Experience for children and adults of “belonging” as a basis for growth in faith • Welcome & nurture of new Christians (esp children and families) is seen as a crucial task for the church • Central place of communion in most parishes • New understandings of how faith develops • Fuller acceptance of children, and a move to fuller participation by children in worship • Fresh insights as to how children learn by participation • Recognition of ecumenical and international practice _____________________________________ Children in the Old Testament • Psalm 8 celebrates the God-given dignity of humanity, including children: “out of the mouths of babes you have ordained strength”. • In the Old Testament children are regarded as divine gifts (Gen 4) and as pledges of God’s favour (Ps 127), and are always seen as a part of the faith community, the hope for the future. Children are always described as full participants in the faith community, never as ‘second-class’. • A lack of children is described in many places in the bible as a sign of tragedy – no children means no hope, no future. _____________________________________ Children and Jesus • It is an inescapable fact that God came to dwell among us first as a child: this is a deliberate part of God’s divine plan, and tells us something about God himself. • No other group receives the same constant attention from Jesus, and no other group shows up his adult followers in such a bad light!
• Acts 2,39: “the promise is made for you, for your children and …everyone who the Lord calls to him”. This is inclusive language, and does not say “except for children”. • Finally, there are no passages in scripture which suggest that children were, or should be, denied the bread and wine of communion. _____________________________________ Baptism and Communion • Holy Communion, the sacrament of the body and blood of Christ, is the ‘meal of fellowship’ and ‘food for the journey’ for the whole Christian family. • Baptism is our full and unequivocal entry into the Christian family – at all baptisms we say “There is one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism; We are all baptised into one body; We welcome you into the fellowship of faith” and is the foundation of our membership of the Christian family throughout the world. • Christian Doctrine teaches that Jesus is present both “in Word and Sacrament”. We allow children access to Jesus in his ‘Word’ (eg at Friday or 10 o’clock Clubs), and there is no theological or biblical basis for denying them Jesus in the Sacrament. • Our current generation (children & adults) rely on symbols as much as on words: Communion is about sharing, seeing, touching, tasting: seeing that ‘the Lord is good’. • By admitting baptised children to Communion, we make a prophetic statement to them – that “we really do see you as a valued and full member of the Christian family”. • Since Communion has always been seen as food for the Christian journey, if a baptised child or adult wants to grow in their faith, what rationale is there to deny them this food, the ‘foretaste of heaven’? _____________________________________ “Children are too young to understand”? • Humans, both adults and children, learn by ‘doing’. Think of the annual cycle of the church calendar: the same readings come round annually, yet each time, hopefully we see them with a new and deeper insight. Likewise, each time we engage with the mystery at the altar, we gain a different, new or deeper insight. • Why do we ask more of children than we do of adults? We do not quiz adults at the altar rail who come for Communion at Christmas/Easter about whether they are confirmed or whether they understand what they are doing. • Is Communion only for the wise and learned? Who decides what ‘understanding’ is? Which of us has a degree in Eucharistic Theology? An A-level? A GCSE? • Nothing in Christian theology or belief suggests that the grace of a sacrament lessened by the faith, belief or understanding of the recipient. _____________________________________ What about Confirmation? “Confirmation was originally part of a wider ceremony of Christian initiation (baptism), and only became a separate rite when bishops were no longer able to preside at all Christenings.” (CofE website). • Confirmation is not, and never has been, a “topping up” of baptism. Rather, baptism is the full and unequivocal entry into the life of being a Christian. • Confirmation is:
• Confirmation is not ‘under threat’ – rather the responsibility rests on us to ensure that children admitted to Communion should not only be prepared for this, but be engaged in a process of continuing nurture, leading them to confirmation in due course. • Anecdotal evidence shows that an early positive experience of worship will help children to continue to develop spiritually as they move toward confirmation as teenagers. _____________________________________ What about adults who have not been Confirmed? There are no C of E regulations that provide for the admission of adults to Holy Communion before Confirmation. Once a baptised adult has completed a course of study (as a child would do), it might be pastorally appropriate to admit them to Communion informally – but at that stage they may well be keen to be confirmed anyway. _____________________________________ Mission and Ministry in the Church Ministry and Mission have always been inextricably intertwined. Admitting children to Communion would form a part of our recognition of and our ministry to them. Full inclusion at the altar will inevitably enhance their sense of truly belonging to the family. In doing so they might just want to remain as members of the church family, coming to Confirmation and continuing their place in the life of the church as they grow into adults. If so, our ministry to children will also have had an impact on our mission. _____________________________________ Some Quotations from those who have contributed to debate in this:
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For an even fuller look at this subject, do get hold of a copy of Stephen Lake’s book “Let the Children come to Communion”, SPCK 2006. |
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