Confirmation class at Faith Presbyterian Church, Louisville, Kentucky

We initially did it as a lesson for our confirmation class. Before class, I took everything off the communion table which sits at the front of the church, and I removed the baptismal font. When class began, I asked the kids to identify what was missing. As they named each item, we brought the item out and talked about its significance in our worship. The lead in question was pretty basic. Why do we leave the cup and bread out each Sunday? We did the Bible, bread/cup, candles and baptismal font. Our church has the baptismal font sitting off to the side of the sanctuary, so we talked about why it is always visible, but we also explored other places and ways we could use the baptismal font each Sunday (pouring in the water, using phrases like 'remember you baptism' during the confessional sequence, etc.).

The kids then did the same lesson for the congregation during the children's time during worship. It was an abbreviated version, but the kids asked the congregation to identify what was missing, and why we leave these things in the center of our worship space each week. The kids then read their explanations of each item to the congregation.

The congregation loved it!

Read the children's explanations

Baptismal font

We leave the Baptismal font out as a reminder of our baptism.  It reminds us that God claims us as God’s own and that we belong to a covenant community. We are God’s good creation, but we are not perfect.  When we remember our baptism, we are reminded that we are in need of God’s grace, which is given to us freely.  It also reminds us that we are called to be God’s disciples in the world.

Candles

The candles symbolize God’s presence in our midst. They are lit before we enter the sanctuary to remind us that God always goes before us.  When we enter the sanctuary and see the candles burning, it reminds us that God is always present if we only take the time to pay attention. It is also a reminder that this is a sacred space and we come here to worship and glorify God.  At the end of the service, the candles are extinguished and the acolytes take the flame out of the sanctuary with them. This symbolizes that God calls us to take the God’s message of love out into the world as disciples of Christ and that God goes out into the world before us. 

Bible

The Bible is placed in the center of the worship space to remind us that God’s Word is the center of our worship.  Each Sunday we read from the Bible during worship.  The Bible tells the story of God’s love for creation and God’s tireless attempts to bring humanity back into fellowship with God. It is where we find the witness of Jesus’ life, ministry, death and resurrection.  It is filled with God’s wisdom and abundant love for creation. 

Cup and bread

We place the cup and bread on the table to remind us of who we are in Christ. Through Jesus Christ, we are made blameless before God. We are to live lives of thanksgiving for the gift of grace we receive through Christ. 

During the last supper, Christ broke bread with the disciples and told them that this was his body, which he would give for them. He asked them to break bread together again, doing it in remembrance of him.  

Then Jesus took the cup and told them that this represented a new covenant which he would seal with his own blood which was shed for us for the forgiveness of our sins. 

The cup and the bread remind us of all of the gifts we have been given and encourage us to celebrate the joy the life we have in Christ.