“Communing With the Saints”
At St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, we come together each and every Sunday to sing praises to our Savior, to confess our sins, to receive forgiveness in the words of absolution, to hear Law and Gospel proclaimed to us through the preaching of God’s Word and to lift up our prayers for all in need! Then on every 1st and 3rd Sunday, we come to the altar where we receive the true body and blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ which was given into death and shed on the cross for us, and for the forgiveness of all of our sins.
However, how often do we stop to really think about what is happening when we come and kneel down at the altar? Is it like the rest of the service, where we have done it for so long that it becomes more of just a routine? Do you stop to really think about what is happening at the altar?
The Altar Rail
The altar rail in churches vary depending on the architecture of the church. As for St. Paul’s, the altar rail is straight across. In some churches, the altar rail forms a semi-circle or even a square around the chancel and altar area. Often times, there is a piece of altar rail that is put in place to make the altar rail one continuous flow! But what significance is there behind the altar rail? There are many different theological explanations to this, and I will do my best to offer up my insights to this.
It is at the altar rail that you come and you are welcomed to the Lord’s Table! You are invited to the Lord’s banquet in which we get a foretaste of the feast to come that awaits us in heaven. It is at this point, that you are invited to kneel down at the altar rail and Christ comes down to us to pour out his grace, mercy, and forgiveness on us as we receive His body and blood in the Sacrament of the Altar! Not only is this where Christ comes to us, but this also where we kneel down to commune with our brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the Christian Church all around the world, but we also come and commune with the saints that have been called on before us!
So the altar rail is not just another piece of architecture in the church, but it is place of significance. A place where we come to offer up our daily struggles and offer up our prayers for others as well. It is the place where we come to meet Christ, as we receive with praise and thanksgiving His true body and blood that was given and poured out for us on the cross at Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins and for our salvation. Therefore, as we come to the altar rail on Sunday’s, we don’t come and kneel because it is an architectural piece of the church. We don’t come and kneel because it is a routine part of our worship service. No! It is much more than that. It is a place where Christ comes down to us in, with, and under the bread and wine! It is the place where with the angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify His glorious name as we sing: “Holy, holy, holy Lord God of Sabbath adored; Heaven and earth with full acclaim shout the glory of your name. Sing hosanna in the highest, sing hosanna to the Lord; Truly blest is He who comes in the name of the Lord!
Communing With the Saints
As mentioned above, when we come to receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion, several things happen. One of the most beautiful and significant things that happens is that we kneel at the altar rail and we commune with the saints that have gone on before us. As we kneel at the altar rail, on the other side, Christ comes down to us and extends to us His grace, mercy, and forgiveness. As we are welcomed to the Lord’s table and receive Christ’s body and blood, we get a foretaste of the feast that is to come in heaven. We join together with the saints that have run the marathon race of faith and have gone before us.
This is a truly beautiful thing when we stop to think about what is happening when we come and kneel at the altar rail, the Lord’s Table. The unexpected death of my twin brother has been hard. There are a lot of questions still unanswered. However, I know that my twin brother was saved and was a baptized child of God. It still doesn’t make it easy. However, as I knelt down at the altar rail this past Sunday, I was flooded with so many emotions. I felt sadness, I felt grief, but ultimately, I felt joy and happiness. I felt this, because as I knelt at the altar, I was communing with my brother who has gone before me. I was communing with other faithful saints that have gone before me. I was communing with faithful saints from this congregation that have run the marathon race of faith and gone before me.
There, at the Lord’s table, Christ came down to me in, with, and under the bread and wine and there I received His peace, His comfort, His grace, His mercy, and His forgiveness. There, in my time of sadness and grieving, I was reminded that things are finally and ultimately and eternally okay not only for my brother, but for the many faithful saints that have departed from this life here on earth. There, in that moment, I was reminded that because I am a baptized child of God, and because of Christ’s death on the cross and by His resurrection, that all things will one day be finally and ultimately, and eternally okay for me as well. The same goes for all of God’s children. What a beautiful thing it is when we stop to really think about what is happening when we come to the altar to receive Holy Communion!
My Prayer
My prayer is that as you read this blog, that you will find an appreciation and see the beauty and significance there is when we come to the altar rail to commune on Sunday mornings. I pray that you will feel Christ’s presence as he comes down to us and extends to us His gifts of grace, mercy, and forgiveness. I pray that this blog/article was helpful to you. Please note, that this is not meant to be a deep, theological post. It is a post that has allowed me to express my feelings during my time of grieving. As I grieve, I just pray that the words you read will be a source of comfort and blessing to you as well!