The last weekend in March I was commissioned by the Lutheran Church Mission in Uganda (LCMU) for Word and Sacrament ministry among their congregations. Due to the shortage of available clergy here in Uganda, the church has a practice of commissioning appropriately trained men for administration of the sacraments. Since I have completed the academic work at Seminary and since we do travel up-country to minister, the LCMU wanted us to be able to offer Holy Communion and Baptism as we travel, so they have commissioned me and issued a formal letter of commissioning (PDF format, 629KB). Most congregations in the LCMU will wait to Baptize (except for emergency baptisms, of course) until someone commissioned by the church is able to come and baptize in their midst. Likewise, congregations will not celebrate Holy Communion until they are visited by someone commissioned to administer it - frequenty waiting months at a time between opportunities to celebrate Holy Communion.
This Easter morning I led liturgy here at Kampala Lutheran Church. And, for the first time in my life, I consecrated the elements of the Lord's Supper. To say I was nervous would be an understatement. I don't think I was as nervous as Martin Luther was when he consecrated the elements for the first time - I don't think I was visibly shaking. Afterwards, I confirmed with Krista that I had indeed consecrated both the bread and the wine, and not the bread twice or the wine twice. I've distributed communion many times, of course, but have never been the one to consecrate - to actually say the words "On the night when He was betrayed..." And you know what? It never gets boring distributing communion - even when I've been in churches with hundreds of people coming to the altar - it never gets boring. It's a new and personal message to every child of God - "given for YOU."
So this Easter, with special joy, I can proclaim with millions of Christians across the globe, "He is risen!" Happy Easter. -Shauen