On Blessing the Children at the Altar - Let Them Come Up
I have memories from when I was a very small child of my parents going to receive the Sacrament of the Altar. My brother and I were placed under the charge of one of the ancient ushers of the congregation as we sat way in the back of the nave. My baby sister must have been with my mother. I don’t remember. Throughout childhood, I remember having to sit patiently with my siblings in the pew singing the distribution hymns until my parents returned. The first time I remember hearing of a blessing at the altar was when we were at my cousin’s LCMS church for a Sunday. I was sitting with my cousin and when the distribution of the Sacrament began and he asked, “Do you want to go forward for a blessing?” I had no idea what he meant, so I stayed put. I was probably 8 or so.
I also remember when I became an acolyte in 7th grade, that while I sat in the chancel, our Pastor would give a blessing to children who were carried by their parents or otherwise accompanied them to the rail. I don’t remember there being any kind of announcement that this would or would not happen, perhaps there was. I distinctly remember my pastor saying, “The Blessing of Almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, rest upon you always.” I heard it hundreds of times.
I also remember in Seminary the blessing of children being a discussion in Dr. Nagel’s class in Holy Baptism as we exegeted Mark 10:13-16 as it is the Holy Gospel read in the Baptismal Rite, and our Lord’s continual use of the laying on of His Hand in Dr. Voelz’s course on the Gospel of St. Mark. However, in those classes I don’t remember any discussion of blessing children at the rail (or other non-communicants for that matter). Nor do I remember it ever being brought up in our Systematics classes, where Dr. JAO Preus III clearly taught us how to implement closed communion. I do remember hearing Dr. Nagel give a blessing to a seminarian’s child as he was celebrant at the Divine Service, “Baptized in His Name.” You can use your own Dr. Nagel imitation there.
Since I’ve been a pastor over these 22+ years I haven’t given much thought at all of the blessing children at the rail. I just did it. I have used either what my home pastor said, or what Dr. Nagel said; following by example.
So as I’ve been Rona recuperating the last few days, I read Fr. Eckardt’s posts plus the many comments and thought, “Here we go Fritz.” And so here we go.
It is clear that this practice is rather new, as noted above in my own life experience. I would say it has grown without any real plan or forethought in our fellowship, and without a discerning effort to make a confession of faith for or against anything. It just has happened. Laying on hands and giving blessings to children has always happened in the Church, but what about this? Having children accompany their parents to the rail with or without a blessing cannot be forbidden as heteropraxis. Laying on a hand (or as we have read, a little finger) accompanied by a baptismal or Trinitarian blessing or remembrance certainly isn’t either - it is to be encouraged. But what about non-communicants and a blessing at the rail? And so Fr. Eckardt has written, “The issue here is strictly whether doing it at the altar during the distribution is to be preferred or not.” Good question. But preferred or not by whom? Pastors? Parents? I would guess that the option my parents used (“Hey someone, please keep an eye on these kids while we go up”) isn’t preferred by parents these days. To be honest, with the number of little children in our congregation, I’m not even sure how the distribution would proceed in an orderly way if the children did not come forward. Ceremonies develop; they do change over time. But not all of them have to go to a vote. They can just be. That said, knowing that ceremonies are to teach what the people are to know of Christ (AC XXIV), what might allowing children (and other non-communicants) come to the rail teach?
Piety. Little children (and all of us) learn by example. When I was a little child I don’t think I had any idea exactly what my parents were doing when they left us in the pews under usher supervision. Children at the rail do see what is going on. They see the pastor distributing the very Body and Blood of Christ, very close up. They see their parents receiving the very Body and Blood of Christ for the forgiveness of sins, very close up. They are learning by seeing. They are learning, even if they are unable to verbalize it, that what is happening is very important. This is good. We need more piety. Parents can teach their children proper reverence and a desire to receive the Blessed Sacrament as children see their parents receive the blessed Sacrament. We want our children to be pious, so does God. So bringing them forward is a way to teach, as others they see and know receive the gifts of Christ in faith and reverence.
That Jesus loves children. Children are to know and believe this from the Baptism they have received and from the Word they hear. This small ritual of the pastor laying his hand on them accompanied by a Word of promise can teach of God’s love, that Jesus does love them. He really does. They need to know this and hear of it as we have opportunity to tell them. Telling them at the altar rail is a good spot to do that. Jesus does love them. He really does, and he wants us to love them too.
Honestly, I don’t think that a call for a change to the practice would be well received, and as noted above, I don’t even see a practical way to implement such a change, certainly not in my parish.
So thanks Fritz. As usual, you make us all think, but I think we can just let this one be. Let them come up.