Why Does Pastor Commune Himself?
It is certainly a good
question. The Pastor’s self-communing may seem an odd or even a wrong
practice if you have never seen it done, but his instructions are actually
written plainly and clearly in the Pastor’s Altar book in the rubrics
(instructions), “The Pastor and those who assist him receive the body and
blood of Christ first, the presiding minister communing himself and his
assistants. Then they distribute the body and blood to those who come to
receive." (p. 168) Your called pastor simply follows the rubrics
as outlined for him in order to conduct the Divine Service in proper
order. This by far is the simplest
answer. It is a good practice, because
it says a lot about what the pastor does as a servant of Christ. But a longer
discussion is helpful here, for this is not some recent invention but it has a
long historical practice. For example, Luther
is quite clear. In Luther’s rubric from the Formula Missae, 1523 He
writes, “Then, while the Agnus Dei is sung, let him [the pastor] communicate,
first himself and then the people.” (AE 53.29) Luther’s Deutche Messe, 1526,
makes no change in this order at all.
C.F.W. Walther, our first synod
president, concurs: "Walther considers the question of whether the
preacher may commune himself. The consensus of Lutheran theologians is that he
may not do so privately, apart from the congregation, which is the meaning of
the Smalcald Articles II, 2. But he may commune himself in the public service,
which was especially necessary in the nineteenth century America where many
preachers were quite isolated and so would otherwise have to go without
the Sacrament for a long time." (Pastoral Theology, p. 151)
Let us answer this from a
completely different direction. Who preaches to the preacher after he preaches
or pronounces the absolution to the Pastor after he has confessed his sins in
the general confession? No one. The congregation rightly understands that he
is among the audience to whom he preaches and absolves. Likewise, there is no
need for anyone to commune the celebrant. He is among the people who receives
the gifts of Christ. For recall what the pastor says in the absolution, “In the
stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ.” When the fallible pastor speaks the Word of
God, you hear the infallible words of Jesus.
You are forgiven.
Look at another example of
the Pastor’s work. Recall what happens
right after the Words of Institution are proclaimed, the pastor then turns and
speaks the Pax Domini. What does he
say? The Peace of the Lord be with you
always. It is the pastor who speaks
to you but it is Jesus that you hear, for you respond saying, NOT also with
you, as you just did but moments ago, but instead with a robust Amen! In the same way, the Pastor says, “the body
of Christ given for you, the blood of Christ shed for you.” It is not your pastor who presents you with
the body and blood of Jesus; it is your Lord and Savior who uses your pastor as
his mediator. And so you respond
“Amen.” Even though the Pastor functions
as Christ's representative, as His ambassador (2 Cor. 5:20), he does not identify
himself as Christ. He is and must always remain one of the disciples for whose
spiritual well-being this sacrament was instituted. As such he is asked to
"take and eat" and "to drink of it." So then the Pastor
should naturally first receive the body and blood of Christ, being absolved. Then as Christ’s ambassador sent to God’s
holy people, and now forgiven by God, he distributes this blessed gift.
Some other thoughts here:
what does Jesus tell his disciples as he prepares to send out the 72? “The one
who hears you hears me," (Luke
10:16) and Paul says, “This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ
and stewards of the mysteries of God.” (1 Corinthians 4:1) The Lord’s Supper is
the greatest of these mysteries we are sent out to proclaim and
distribute. When your pastor distributes
this gift you hear the pastor's voice, by you really hear Jesus. So likewise the pastor when he communes
himself he also hears Jesus. Or later in
1 Corinthians 10:18, “are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the
altar?” Paul’s reminder to them is that they
like the priests of the Old Testament are also participants in the altar, when
the priest ate of the sacrifice with the one who offered it, no one feeds the
priest, but the priest serves the one who brought the sacrifice. Another example, Paul in Acts 20 is in the
midst of worship service and we read, “And when Paul had gone up and had broken
bread and eaten, he conversed with them a long while.” teaching us that he ate
of the Lord’s Supper that he consecrated, from his own hand not from another’s.
(Acts 20:11) Jesus breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold
forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” (John 20:22-23) Today, this forgiveness given is just as
valid as if Jesus did it himself. And
the Lord’s Supper is certainly where we receive the joy of forgiveness, that
your pastor distributes. It is important
that we understand as we read in Luke 10:16 and John 20:22-23 the pastor’s mouth and hand are an
extension of Jesus’ mouth and hand, so the Pastor likewise receives the Lord’s
Supper not from himself, but really and truly from Jesus’ own hand and mouth. This
practice is a good reminder of the mystery and love of God to work to save both
pastor and people.
