What Are We Eating And Drinking At The Lord's Supper?

Text: 1 Corinthians 11:23-32

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

What are we eating and drinking at the Lord’s Supper?

Or, maybe a better question is this, what is the Lord’s Supper – this supper that Jesus instituted some two-thousand years ago, before He was crucified on the cross. 

Do the bread and wine turn into the body and blood of Jesus or do the bread and wine merely represent the body and blood of Jesus?

Indeed, what are we eating and drinking; what is the Lord’s Supper?

To answer these questions, let us go to a most peculiar story in the Old Testament. Yes, let us hear Exodus chapter 3. In Exodus chapter 3, we read:

Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

Now, as we just heard, this is the story of Moses encountering the Lord in the burning bush. But what does this have to do with the Lord’s Supper?

Bear with me for a moment and let us ask the following questions, as we reflect upon this story’s connection to the Lord’s Supper.

In the story of the burning bush, was the Lord a bush? Once again, was the Lord a bush? The obvious answer is, no, the Lord was not a bush.

Next question. 

In the story of the burning bush, did the bush represent the Lord? Once again, did the bush represent the Lord? The obvious answer is, no again, the bush does not symbolize the Lord.

Next question.

In the story of the burning bush, did the bush turn into the Lord? Once again, did the bush turn into the Lord? The obvious answer is, no, the bush did not transform into the Lord.

So, how would we explain what happened in Exodus chapter 3? We would say that in a profound way that the Lord was ‘in, with, and under’ the bush. That is to say; the Lord was not a bush. And the bush did not transform into the Lord. And the bush did not symbolize the Lord. No, none of these are correct, but instead, the bush was fully present, "burning, yet not consumed."[1] And the Lord was also fully present, "the Lord appeared to [Moses] in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush."[2]  The bush and the Lord were both present together, before Moses. 

Now, the point being made is this, the story of the burning bush and the Lord, is no different than what is happening in the Lord’s Supper. You see, in the Lord’s Supper there is natural bread and wine, and at the same exact time, there is Jesus’ true body and blood. That is to say; in the Lord’s Supper there is natural bread and the true body of Jesus, present together at the same time for you. In the cup, there is natural wine and the true blood of Jesus, present together at the same time for you.[3] Yes, the bread and wine with the body and blood are present – together at the same time.

To communicate this, the old Lutheran Reformers said that Jesus’ real body and His real blood are ‘in, with, and under’ the bread and wine. Now, they did not say this to play word games or to confuse the church. But rather, they said this to communicate that the bread and wine in the Lord’s Supper do not turn into the body and blood, as is taught by the Catholics. Furthermore, they said this to communicate that the bread and wine do not merely symbolize Jesus’ body and blood, like many Baptists teach today. Dear friends, make no mistake, the Lord’s Supper is not merely symbolic, and the bread and wine do not go through a molecular transformation, but ‘in, with, and under’ the bread and wine you receive Jesus’ true body and blood.

Understanding the Lord’s Supper as bread and wine being fully present at the same time as the body and blood, is the most straightforward way that we can read Jesus’ words. Listen to what Jesus said in the Gospel of Matthew,

Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.[4]

Take note that Jesus did not say,

Drink of it, all of you, for this represents my blood.

Nor did Jesus say,

Drink of it, all of you, for this transforms into my blood.

But rather, Jesus said,

         

Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood

Dear friends, just as the Lord was ‘in, with and under’ the bush, so it is with Jesus’ body and blood in the bread and wine. Truly and simply stated, the bread ‘is’ Jesus’ body and the wine ‘is’ Jesus’ blood. Jesus is really present in the Lord’s Supper for you and me.   

But does this all really matter? Yes, it does and here is why.

First, these are Jesus’ words, and we must take His words serious. He said them for a reason, and we dare not change His words.

Second, these words of Jesus were spoken on the eve of His death, and no one should change the words of a person’s last will and testament.

Third, we are given a warning in our Epistle reading from tonight that those who misuse the Lord’s Supper, sin. They sin not against bread and wine but sin against the body and blood of Christ. Being footloose with Jesus’ Words may result in a person eating and drinking judgment upon themselves, which is no laughing matter.  

And fourth, by understanding that Jesus’ real body and blood are present in the Lord’s Supper, we know that we are not receiving a meager morsel of bread and taking an insignificant sip of wine, but instead, we know that we are eating and drinking of a gracious feast.

Think about it for a moment; if the Lord’s Supper is only a symbolic and figurative meal, then it is nothing more than powerless scraps of bread and irrelevant sips of wine that do nothing – nothing to nourish and strengthen you and me. And if the Lord’s Supper is only a symbolic and figurative meal, then it is nothing more than an empty ceremony. And if it is an empty ceremony, it is just propped up by the spiritual zeal of the participants, which more often than not, these participants eventually fizzle out in the midst of trials and struggles of life.

Dear Baptized Saints, Jesus is really present in the Lord’s Supper for you. The Lord’s Supper is His meal for you. It is a meal where Jesus comes to you. It is a meal that is not founded upon human holiness but upon Jesus and His Word. Therefore, when you eat and drink in the Lord’s Supper with faith, you receive a great treasure. You receive Jesus. You receive His body and blood for the forgiveness of all of your sins. If the Lord’s Supper were a mere symbolic meal, you could not be nourished, strengthened, or forgiven. An empty ceremony cannot nourish, strengthen, or forgive you; however, Jesus can and He does in His Supper.

Baptized Saints, because Jesus is really present in the Supper, the Lord’s Supper is as daily food and nourishment to you, so that your faith may be refreshed and strengthened and that you may not give way to the struggles of the world, the devil, and the old sinful nature.[5]

What are we eating and drinking at the Lord’s Supper? We are eating and drinking: bread, body, wine, and blood.

What is the Lord’s Supper? It is Jesus being really present for you and me, to give us His own true body and blood for the forgiveness of all of our sins. It is about you and me having no doubt in our minds that the bread and wine are Jesus’ body and blood for our forgiveness because Jesus’ words do what they say. 

Baptized Saints, Jesus wants to be with you and in you.  In His holy Supper, He gives Himself to you and pledges never to leave you nor forsake you.[6]    

Take, eat; this is the true body of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, given into death for your sins.

Take, drink; this is the true blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, shed for the forgiveness of your sins.

Amen.

---

[1] See Exodus 3:2.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, VII:37.

[4] See Matthew 26:28.

[5] Martin Luther, The Large Catechisms: The Sacrament of the Altar, 23-25.

[6] Luther’s Small Catechism: with Explanation (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2017), 323.

CLICK HERE to Subscribe on iTunes

CLICK HERE to Subscribe on Podbean

Communion: What It Is And What It Is Not

Text: 1 Corinthians 11:23-32

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

There are a lot of different views on Communion among well-intentioned Christians these days.  Some believe that Communion is nothing more than a symbolic meal that simply symbolizes Jesus’ blood and body – it helps us remember Jesus.  Others will say that Communion is all about a personal one-on-one spiritual connection within the heart where we connect with Jesus in our own special way; therefore, if one wants to use grape soda and potato chips for Communion, then that is totally fine.  And then there are others who believe that Communion is some reward for holiness as if only super holy and super perfect people can receive Communion – that Communion is some reward meal for being good. And then there are those who say that Communion is some celebration that is to be done to strive towards unity – some religious huddle where we gather together and interlock our arms to show that we are all on the same team.  For these people, the more people we can get to the altar, the better, regardless of their religious views.    

There are also a lot of different opinions on who Communion is for these days.  Is Communion for all ages?  For example, some well-intentioned Christians give it to babies, whereas, others give Communion to toddlers and children with relatively no teaching on what it is; therefore, Communion turns into nothing more than a snack break midway through the church service.  There are also well-intentioned Christians that believe that Communion should be for everyone, even those who do not profess to be Christians.  Muslims and Buddhists and Pagans – sure, they should take Communion because it would be rude and unloving to make them feel excluded!  Tragically, this inclusive mentality has even led to some Christians giving Communion to their pets – yes to their dogs and cats.

Indeed, there are a lot of different views on Communion in our culture these days; however, there seems to be very little discernment or thought put into these views.  I do not share this to come across as an arrogant jerk or a religious know-it-all, but rather, I share this because we have a very clear confession and understanding of what Communion is and what it is not, based upon God’s Word.  Yes, here at Zion Lutheran Church and in our Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, we have a very clear confession and understanding of what Communion is and what it is not. This is based not on our own opinions or the opinions of the culture or pious religious sentiments,  but upon the testimony of Scripture – that is the Bible. 

Considering all of this, we actually hear tonight about Communion from our readings in the Old and New Testament. We hear that Communion is not some flippant snack bar and it is not some rallying point where we gather as many people together to make everyone feel warm and fuzzy, and it is not some vacuous symbolic meal where our hearts are to be wooed along in religious feelings.  No, it is none of this nonsense.  But rather, we hear that the Lord’s Supper was instituted by Jesus Christ on that Maundy Thursday some two-thousand years ago.  We hear that the bread and wine are the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.  We hear that Communion is a meal that is for Christians to eat and to drink.[1]  We hear that it is a holy meal – yes – a holy meal because Jesus is present.  It is food and drink for the body and soul. It nourishes us and strengthens our faith.  It is for the forgiveness of our sins.

We also hear in our Gospel reading from this evening that the disciples did not wash Jesus’ feet, but it was Jesus washing their feet.  In other words, the mission and work of Jesus are about you and me being served by Him.  Christ did not come to be served, but to serve and give ‘His life’ as a ransom for many.  It is the same with Communion.  It is a holy meal – a meal that the Lord serves to us, a meal that the Lord grants us forgiveness of sins.  We come to the Lord’s Table in faith and with open hands to be served.  Communion is for feeding and tending to sheep, not entertaining or coddling goats.     

But back to who should come to the altar for Communion?  Martin Luther clearly states,

“We will not and cannot give communion to anyone unless he is first examined regarding what he has learned from the Catechism and whether he intends to forsake the sins which he has again committed. For we do not want to make Christ's church into a pig pen, letting each one come unexamined to the Sacrament as a pig to its trough. Such a church we leave to the Enthusiasts!"[2]

So what this means is that people who think they are good should not commune at the altar.  Why should they?  Those who do not want their feet washed, those who do not think that they are sinners… they have no need for Jesus and His Holy Supper. 

And those who deny Jesus and the Christian faith, should not communion at the altar as well.  A person who denies Jesus or mocks Jesus by ascribing to a non-Christian religion should not be pressured or coerced to the altar to pretend that there is unity when there clearly is not!

Dear friends, keep in mind that this holy meal of communion is for the forgiveness of sins which means that it is only for sinners, sinners who are in need of forgiveness. Those who do not see themselves as sin-sick sinners really have no use for the Lord Jesus Christ and have no business being at the Lord’s Table or in the church.  The church is a hospital for sinners, not a country club for the self-righteous and the self-sufficient.  In fact, the Scriptures go so far to say that a pagan or a non-Christian or a goody-two-shoe person taking the Lord’s Supper in a flippant way without faith is actually unworthily of the body and blood of Christ and is taking Communion unto judgment, not life.  In other words, if a person rejects the idea that they are a sinner or loves sin more than grace or rejects the real presence of Jesus in the Supper, they should be warned not to take the Lord’s Supper – they should fear the table of the Lord.  That is why it is so important for pastors to be able to work with people new to the church one-on-one before they receive the Lord’s Supper.  Out of love, we must guard them against potentially taking the Lord’s Supper unto their condemnation – yes that mean even denying them the Lord’s Supper in love if they are approaching the Lord’s Supper unworthily.  To the point; to be worthy of the Lord’s body and blood is to realize that one is unworthy, yet believe upon Jesus’ words, “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” 

So, what this means is that  when you joined this church and when you came to this Divine Service and when you will come to this altar this evening, you are not only declaring that you are in agreement with Christ’s church located here in this location, but also declaring that you are a sinner in need of forgiveness.  Yes, when you and I come forward to receive the body and blood of Christ, we are confessing that we are not a goody-two-shoe, but a failing Christian in need of Jesus Christ.  Communion is not like an eloquent country club buffet in which we are only admitted if we are dressed properly, have the right name, and have paid the proper dues.  It is not about some sort of religious huddle where we 'strive' towards doctrinal unity.  It is not some individualized spiritual one-on-one connection in the heart apart from the Lord’s Church and apart from His Word.   It is none of this malarkey.  But rather, it is about the Lord preparing the table to serve poor miserable sinners – it is about failing Christians like you and me beating our breast and going to the altar with our sins to receive complete and total forgiveness.  It is about failing Christians coming to a holy meal to receive everlasting life and salvation upon our tongues and into our bellies. 

Blessed Baptized Saints of Zion, tonight, you should not be scared away from the Lord.  The Lord did not give His life and shed His blood to hurt you, but He gave Himself unto death, for your benefit, to your comfort and strengthening, for the redemption of your bodies and souls.  Furthermore, you should not be scared away from the Lord’s Table, for the Lord does not give you His body and blood in and under the bread and wine to hurt or destroy you, but to give you new life.[3] 

The Lord meets sinful mankind – failing Christians and failing Pastors – at the altar with forgiveness, life, and salvation at the Altar.  The Lord is the one who sits down with sinners to eat.  He is the one who came for the sin-sick.   He is the one that forgives sinners in the Holy Meal of Communion.

 

Therefore, as Christians we approach the Lord’s Supper with joy, confidence, and comfort, this evening, knowing what it is and what it is not while saying,

I am a poor sinner; I need help and comfort.  I wish to attend the Lord’s Supper, and I believe Christ and His word that the Supper is “given and shed for the forgiveness of sins!”

You, who are hungry, and you, who are thirsty, come to the Lord’s Supper this night which has been prepared for you.  For in this Lord’s Supper, you will be nourished and refreshed.  You, who feel the weight of sin, the guilt of your failures, and the sting of death, come to the Lord’s Supper, for here at the altar you receive forgiveness, life, and salvation.  Come and receive; the Lord does not hold back; He meets you because He is for you. 

Come and receive the body and blood of Christ this evening in the Lord’s Supper – a holy meal instituted for you that Maundy Thursday long ago. 

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

---

[1] Martin Luther, The Large Catechism: The Sacrament of the Altar.

[2] Martin Luther, “Open Letter” (para. 25), 343; WA 30/III:567.3-15.

[3] Martin Luther, The Complete Sermons of Martin Luther: Volume 5 ed. Eugene Klug (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2000), 459.

CLICK HERE to Subscribe on iTunes

CLICK HERE to Subscribe on Podbean

Communion: What Is It And Who Is It For

Text: John 13:1-15 and 1 Corinthians 11:23-32

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

A man came to a church service early one morning.  As he was visiting with the pastor, he noticed that it was a communion Sunday.  He then turned to the pastor and said,

By golly Reverend, I think I am worthy of two of those bread wafers and two shots of the wine, for I have been extra-extra good this week! 

Now, whether we like to admit it or not, a common opinion of communion in the church, and probably more so outside the church, is that communion is a holy meal for righteous people.  In other words, we can easily lead ourselves to believe that communion is only for good people, while bad people must keep their distance.  And of course, we rarely think of ourselves as bad.  We typically see the best in ourselves.  Therefore, we say to ourselves,

I went to Sunday School, I was Confirmed, I went to Midweek Services, and I have been a Lutheran my whole life… that is why I get to go to the altar for communion. 

If we were to ever be denied communion by any other Christian or another pastor, we would most definitely resort to anger saying,

I have paid my dues.  I have served the church!  Give me the wafer and give me the small glass of wine!  Who are you to judge me and not serve me?   

Even though this perception and attitude towards communion exists among those inside and outside of the church, the truth of what communion is and who it is for is quite different. 

Dear friends, just to be perfectly clear; the Lord’s Supper is not something that was dreamed up by a bunch of religious monks.  It was not invented as a marketing tactic to get people to come regularly back to church.  Furthermore, it is not a snack bar during the church service.  It is not a symbolic meal and it is not a meal for good people.  It is none of these things. 

If it is none of these things, what is it then? 

The Lord’s Supper, which was instituted by Jesus Christ on that Maundy Thursday some two-thousand years ago, is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.  It is the true body and blood of Christ in and under the bread and the wine.  It is a meal that is for Christians to eat and to drink.[1] 

Simply stated, this is a holy meal, because Jesus is really present.  It is a holy meal because it is food of the soul; it nourishes us and strengthens our faith.  Even more specifically, it is a holy meal for sinners only, for only sinners are in need of forgiveness.

What does this all mean?  It means that when you joined this church and when you came to this Divine Service and when you will come to this altar this evening, you are not only declaring that you are in agreement with Christ’s church located here in this location, but also declaring that you are a sinner in need of forgiveness.  Yes, when you and I come forward to receive the body and blood of Christ, we are confessing that we are not a goody two-shoe, but a sinner in need of Jesus Christ.  That’s right my friends, we do not get or deserve the Lord’s body and blood for being good.  Communion is not like an eloquent country club buffet in which we are only admitted if we are dressed properly, have the right name, and have paid the proper dues.  It is not about what we can bring to the table.  But it is about the Lord preparing the table to serve us.

 

Keep in mind that in our Gospel reading from this evening that the disciples did not wash Jesus’ feet, but it was Jesus washing their feet.  In other words, communion and the mission and work of Jesus are about you and me being served by Him.  Christ did not come to be served, but to serve and give ‘His life’ as a ransom for many.  It is the same with communion.  It is a holy meal – a meal that the Lord serves to us, a meal that the Lord grants us forgiveness of sins.  We come to the Lord’s Table in faith and with open hands.  The only thing we bring to the table is the confession that we are poor miserable sinners in need of forgiveness.    

But back to who should come to the altar for communion?  It could be said that good people should not commune at the altar.  Why should they?  Those who do not want their feet washed, those who do not think that they are sinners… they have no need for Jesus and His Holy Supper.  Keep in mind that the Gospel is for sinners only.  Communion is a holy meal for those who need the forgiveness of sins.  Those who do not see themselves as sin-sick sinners really have no use for the Lord Jesus Christ and really have no business being at the Lord’s Table or in the church.  The church is a hospital for sinners, not a country club for the self-righteous.  The church is for feeding and tending to sheep, not entertaining goats.  In fact, the Scriptures go so far to say that a goody two-shoe person taking the Lord’s Supper in a flippant way without faith is actually unworthily of the body and blood of Christ and is taking communion unto judgment, not life.  In other words, if a person rejects the idea that they are a sinner or love sin more than grace or reject the real presence of Jesus in the supper, they should be warned not to take the Lord’s Supper – they should fear the table of the Lord. 

But you, yes you Baptized Saints, you should not be scared away from the Lord.  The Lord did not give His life and shed His blood to hurt you, but He gave Himself unto death, for your benefit, to your comfort and strengthening, for the redemption of your soul.  Furthermore, you should not be scared away from the Lord’s Table, for the Lord does not give you His body and blood in and under the bread and wine to hurt or destroy you, but to give you new life.[2] 

The Lord meets sinful mankind and sinful mankind receives forgiveness, life, and salvation.  The Lord is the one who sits down with sinners to eat.  He is the one who came for the sin-sick.   He is the one that forgives sinners.

 

Therefore, as Christians we approach the Lord’s Supper with joy, confidence, and comfort, saying,

I am a poor sinner, I need help, and comfort.  I wish to attend the Lord’s Supper!

And the Lord surely does help.  You, who are hungry, and you, who are thirsty, come to the Lord’s Supper, for you will be nourished and refreshed.  You, who feel the weight of sin, the guilt of your failures, and the sting of death, come to the Lord’s Supper, for here at the altar you receive forgiveness, life, and salvation.  Come and receive, the Lord does not hold back; He meets you, because He is for you. 

Come and receive the body and blood of Christ this evening in the Lord’s Supper – a holy meal instituted for you that Maundy Thursday long ago. 

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

---

[1] Martin Luther, The Large Catechism: The Sacrament of the Altar.

[2] Martin Luther, The Complete Sermons of Martin Luther: Volume 5 ed. Eugene Klug (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2000), 459.

His Body Into Your Mouth; His Blood Into The Dust Of Your Flesh

Painting by Stephen Dawson

Text: 1 Corinthians 11:23-32

Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Son of God came to be with us in the incarnation, being born of the Virgin Mary in the town of Bethlehem.

The Son of God left us when He bowed His head on the cross and said,
“It is finished.”

The Son of God came to be with us, for death and the grave could not hold Him down. He was resurrected.

The Son of God left us forty days after the resurrection when He ascended to heaven to be seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. 

He came, He left, He came, and He left. 

We are now forced to ask,
“Are we now alone?” 

No, we are not.

“When Christ had arisen from the dead and was just on the point of going into heaven, as He parted from His own He comforted them once more with the assurance, ‘Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’”[1]

This is comforting for us to hear.  He will be with us to the end of the age.  That is certain.

Indeed, Christ is not some religious founder who only gives a bunch of theories, ideas, and inspirational bumper sticker slogans, dies, and then leaves nothing more than a bunch of philosophies.  Furthermore, Jesus is not like a jolly good ol’ fellow that only exists in our midst when we remember him.  He is not dependent upon the strength of the fond memories passed down from generation to generation.  He also is not some iconic figure that exists in our midst through statues and monuments erected to exert his ongoing presence in our midst.[2] 

Jesus Christ and His church are really different from the rest of the creation and the rest of the great leaders and teachers of the world.  Yes, “the Christian Church differs from all other religious organizations in that she has not only the teachings of her founder, but she [also] has the founder Himself in her midst.  Her Savior, her Redeemer, her helper, her protector is not absent from her but is really and truly present at all times and in all places.  This is the highest, sweetest, most blessed, and greatest comfort that the Christian Church has.”[3]

The Evil One and the World attack this reality though.  The World is convinced that we are on our own, left to fend for ourselves, and the Evil One will do everything possible to strip you of the Lord’s ever present comfort.  Satan will attempt to convince you that you do not have Jesus, that Christ is no longer with His church, and that all we have is a faint mere memory of Jesus. 

Thankfully, Jesus and this Gospel are more than a philosophy or an ideology, for if Jesus and His Gospel were only a religious idea, you and I would only have Christ’s Gospel as long as we could keep it in our mind, so that it could give us comfort. 

Very much, Christ is not some floaty and intangible Lord off in the distance or some dusty memory, but He is the ever present Lord for you, His Church. 

But if He is ever present, where shall you look to find Him? 

Should you look in the deep caverns of your hearts? 

No, we do not look to our hearts, for all that we will find in our hearts are layers upon layers of sin.

Should you look upward to the heavens and construct a spiritual ladder to find Jesus and put Him in your midst?

No, we cannot climb high enough.

Should you construct a time machine and transport yourself to 32 AD to have Jesus in your midst?

No, our Lord is not back there today.  He is no longer on the cross.  He is no longer in the grave.  Yes, at the cross forgiveness was won for you, but there it was not given out. 

So where should one look to find Jesus, for He is truly in our midst?  Where can one find the comfort of forgiveness and His abiding presence?  Dear friends, look no further, He is here with you tonight.

Where?

He is here in your midst.  Our Lord is here having His word spoken to you.  The Lord is here with you in the bread and the wine, His holy meal that He instituted that Maundy Thursday two-thousand years ago for you. 

Painting by Stephen Dawson

Forgiveness, the Lord’s abiding presence, and comfort are all here in your midst.  No need to look inward, backwards, forwards, or upward!  Here before you, the Lord delivers Himself in the bread and the wine, for He is truly present in this Holy Meal.  “In the Lord’s Supper Christ gives [you] the consecrated bread with the words, ‘Take and eat, this is My body which is given for you,’ and the consecrated cup with the words, ‘Take and drink, this is My blood which is shed for the forgiveness of your sins.’  With these words the Savior clearly wishes to say: ‘Take My body and eat it, not as food for your body but as that body which was given into death for your sins; take My blood and drink it, but not as drink for your body but as that blood of the reconciliation which was shed on the cross for the forgiveness of your sins.’”[4]

In the Lord’s Supper, “Christ takes ordinary bread and wine, ordinary earthly things, and uses them to give Himself to us. Completely to us. Nothing of Himself held back from us. ‘Here I am,” He says, “given FOR YOU.’”[5]

Blessed Saints, tonight we remember that we are not only washed clean, body and soul, through Holy Baptism in His name, but the Lord also is present in our midst giving us “His body into [our mouths] and His blood into the dust of your flesh.  And thereby you are transformed, changed from a lowly son of the dust to an adopted son of God most high.  Every natural food we take into our bodies is transformed into our bodies.  Only the supper of our Lord [though] is different, for this food transforms you into that which it is.  You, the Church, are the body of Christ and the blood of Christ.  When you [eat and drink, Christ goes into your bellies and] you assume [Jesus’] rightful place on the Father’s heavenly throne.”[6]

“Take, eat; this is My body, which is given for you.  Drink of it, all of you; this cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.”[7]

Tonight, these words are for you and they testify that Jesus is not a mere memory or an abstract idea, but is with you and for you.  He is with you always, to the end of the age.  He invites you to His Table, so that what was finished at Calvary and given over might be received with certainty by you.  Take, eat; Drink of it, all of you, this is how much He loves you. 

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

---

[1] C.F.W. Walther, Gospel Sermons: Volume 1 (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2013), 215.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid, 217.

[5] Donavon Riley, “Midweek Lent VI, Lord’s Supper Meditation 5” https://thefirstpremise.wordpress.com/2015/03/31/midweek-lent-vi-lords-supper-meditation-5/ (1 April 2015).

[6] Chad L. Bird, Christ Alone: Meditations and Sermons (Copyright 2014), 175.

[7] The Lutheran Service Book (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2006), 197.