Maundy Thursday
Faithful and Frequent Reception of the Sacrament
March 29, 2018
Zion Lutheran Church + Nampa, ID
Tonight we turn to the godly habit and Christian discipline of the faithful and frequent reception of the Sacrament of the Altar. Tonight, on this Thursday of Holy Week, we are reminded and our attention is upon the Lord’s institution of His Supper. And this Supper is the Lord’s, it belongs to Him, as He serves both as the host of the sacred meal, and the meal itself. Since it belongs to Him, we are bound then to follow His purpose, intent, and manner in which is done. Rather than thoughtlessly getting in line with everyone else just because it is offered, faithful reception of the Lord’s Supper stops to ponder who, what, and why this gift is given and received.
Jesus presents us with a mystery. The word “Sacrament” is a Latin translation of the Greek word for mystery. It truly is a mystery. But it’s a mystery that the Lord has revealed to us, for on the night in which He was betrayed, He took bread, gave thanks, broke it and gave it to His disciples and said, Take and eat, this is My body…” Then He took the cup and said, “Take and drink, this is my blood.” Often times when talking about the Lord’s Supper, I’ve heard, and done this myself, referring to “it” or a “thing.” But it is much more a “Who.” In the Sacrament, we encounter Christ Himself. The who is Jesus. Think about this hymn we often sing, “Lord Jesus Christ, we humbly pray That we may feast on You today…”
For we know the what of the Sacrament, based upon the Who, “It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and wine, instituted by Christ Himself for us Christians to eat and drink.” It is the Word of God, combined with these physical elements, in the sacramental action of eating and drinking this holy meal.
Which leads to the why of the Sacrament: these words, “given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins,” show us that in Sacrament forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given us through these words. By faith in Jesus’ words, and in the confession of unity that we share, we receive these blessings of life, forgiveness, and salvation.
This is an important point. Christians have sometimes been confused about an important distinction here: the difference between how salvation was won and how salvation is bestowed or given. There is no question that the salvation of the world was accomplished by Jesus as He offered His body and His blood, His very life, once and for all, upon the cross. That salvation is won, but it only applied to a sinner by means of the Word of God and the Sacraments, received by the Christian, by faith, for their benefit. As Lutherans, indeed as all Christians should be, we are highly Sacramental. In other words, we believe the Lord’s Word that He would does not want to work among Christians by any other way than through His external Word and through those means of His Sacraments. In these ways, God’s grace is, this gift, is for you. Approaching the Lord’s Table in a worthy manner means you are approaching it hearing Jesus say that He is giving Himself to you, for you. We know why we are, what we are receiving, and we confess the unity of faith that we share at this altar. Here, the Lord takes His own body and blood which He used to win our salvation and He imparts them to you, received by faith, to deliver that salvation into your mouth, and into your life.
When the Lord says that this gift is for you, that you may properly receive it in faith, with thanksgiving and praise, that the Lord gives it to you as a promise that your sins are forgiven and His grace is yours personally, the reaction of faith is to run to church begging for such a gift from the great Giver of all good things. Those who feel their weakness, really want to be rid of it, and desire a remedy should regard and use the Sacrament as a priceless antidote against the poison of sin that they carry within them. For here in the Sacrament you receive from the lips of Christ forgiveness of sins, and His forgiveness contains and brings with it God’s grace, God’s Spirit, all the gifts of the Spirit, and His protection against death, the devil, and all evil.
How? We know the who, what, and why of the Sacrament. In one sense, we know the how of this mystery. By the Word. He simply says “this is”, and it is so. We do not understand the how, for the Lord has not revealed that to us, and so we leave that to His discretion and do not dare speak where the Lord has not spoken. As He speaks, so we believe, and so we receive because that is what He commanded us to do and promised to give.
Which lead us also to the when and where of this mystery. Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of Me,” and “Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” And St. Paul writes, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.” Whenever and wherever this word of God is combined with the bread and wine as Christians gather together in the name of Jesus, to eat and drink the body and blood of Christ, there God is delivering the benefits of salvation to His people.
Our Lutheran Confessions assume and describe that in our churches, the Sacrament is offered every single Sunday and feast day, but never assert that just because it is offered, everyone present should feel constrained to receive it. At the same time, we have to be careful not to make a law about how often a person ought to receive the precious gift. We should not treat it as a burden or as work or forced to receive this gift on the one hand, nor to regard it as unimportant or optional on the other. In fact, it’s assumed that no one will commune who has not taken the time and effort to examine themselves in order to ensure they are receiving the Sacrament worthily, as St. Paul writes, “Let a person examine himself then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.”
Lastly, a word on etiquette. Because we believe that the Supper is the Lord’s, that the true body and blood are present in, with, and under the bread and wine, that Paul’s admonition to examine oneself and to discern the body lest a person receive it not in faith for their benefit, but under false pretenses or in unbelief receive it to their harm, and that when we commune together we are publicly stating we believe the same things, we take the administration of the Sacrament seriously and according to the Lord’s command. So, as Lutherans, we follow the historic Christian practice of only communing at congregations that share the same confession of faith that we ourselves have professed. If you visit a non-Lutheran congregation, respectfully and politely do not participate in their Communion, recognizing that there are differences in what we believe. If you visit another Lutheran congregation, do not just show up and make your way to the altar unannounced. Arrive a little early, speak to the pastor, introduce yourself, and your desire to receive God’s gifts distributed there. Don’t be surprised if the pastor asks you questions about which church you belong to, or the who, what, why of the Lord’s Supper. And don’t hesitate to ask him what the church believes, confesses, and practices. Lastly, when you bring a visitor here to our congregation, when the Sacrament is being administered, and you know your visitor is not Lutheran, or who has not been instructed in the basics of the Christian faith according to the catechism, or who has not or currently does not profess that same faith, you have a job to do. It’s your job to tell your visitor upfront and before arriving at church that because of our beliefs on what the Bible says about Communion, we do not commune any Christian who has not been examined and absolved, and who does not publicly confess the same understanding of the Christian faith, which is usually done by the rite of Confirmation.
So, we know the who, what, why, and how, the when and the where of the Lord’s Supper. And now the invitation is sent, so come and receive what the Lord has promised. Amen.