07-29 – – Good News- The Lord’s Supper Feeds You
July 29, 2018
Grace to you, and peace, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is the sixth message in a series of ten sermons. Last week we discussed Holy Baptism. The sixth message is called: “Good News: The Lord’s Supper Feeds You.” On this subject I really am sensitive to the the questions people have about close/closed communion. I really do listen to, and hear, the concerns and questions about our practice of serving this Meal. Questions like:
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Why can’t we just let everyone decide for themselves, rather than us imposing our rules on everyone else?
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Why is the Meal Jesus gave to bring us together, the Meal that causes the most divisions among us?
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Does it really matter what people believe or understand about this Meal?
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This Meal provides forgiveness of sins which we all need, so shouldn’t all come to this Table?
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Can’t we just forget about all the controversy and enjoy this time together with family and friends?
I’m sure some of you may have other questions. I probably won’t be able to answer all of them in this message but I’ll try to tackle a lot of them.
I’d like to start out by saying that on this subject I think the job our Missouri Synod has done in explaining our reasons for our practice, or answering the questions, about this Meal, is a bit inadequate. At the seminaries the subject is not a primary point of instruction. In fact because of the political infighting, and threats of charges being brought against individuals within our own Synod, many pastors feel uncomfortable giving a definitive answer in writing.
We have this vile problem where one pastor teaches one thing, and another pastor in the next town teaches another. No one seems to agree on what is right. Quite frankly if the pastors in a circuit, or a district, or synod, can’t get themselves organized on this subject why should we entangle the congregation members in all of this nonsenses?
As I read the conversations and papers on this subject I am often amazed at how seldom Holy Scripture is mentioned. It is conspicuously absent. Far too often people quote the synod constitution and bylaws, which ebb and flow with synodical administrations, they quote the Confessions of the Church, which although are a solid place to go for understanding, are not the foundational source of our faith Scripture is. It is Scripture we should go to when deep controversy arises. If our opponents would deny Scripture’s truth, then the debate is over because God’s Word is the final word.
With that introduction let’s answer the question: what is the Lord’s Supper? The event where Jesus finally instituted the Lord’s Supper is recorded four times in the Bible:
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Matthew 26:26-28
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Mark 14:22-24
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Luke 22:19-20
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1 Corinthians 11:23-25
All of these records explain that Jesus used the bread and wine of the Passover Meal and instituted a new Meal which the New Testament Church was to regularly enjoy for the feeding of one’s faith, for the forgiveness of sins, and to obtain eternal life.
Jesus gave this meal on Maundy Thursday1 on the same night that Judas would later betray Him in the Garden of Gethsemane. In less then 24 hours Jesus would be nailed to posts hanging dead on a cross. That is when He gives this meal. This however is not the first time Jesus introduced and explained this new Meal that He was giving. In fact Jesus first started teaching about this Meal already in His first year of His three year ministry.
The Jewish people had been celebrating the Passover for about 1,500 years. Every year, year after year, this tradition is what was done. Jesus did not change all of that in a couple of hours. He spent years teaching what this new tradition, this new Meal, was about. You heard one of those teaching moments in the Gospel lesson for today from John 6. It is here that Jesus Himself is most clear about what this meal provides and answers the question: what is present at the Lord’s Table?
Listen to Jesus own words:
John 6:53-56 Jesus told them, “I can guarantee this truth: If you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, you do not have the source of life in you. Those who eat my flesh, and drink my blood, have eternal life, and I will bring them back to life on the last day. My flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh, and drink my blood, live in me, and I live in them.
So later on Maundy Thursday:1
Matthew 26: 27-28 While they were eating, Jesus took bread and blessed it. He broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said, “Take this, and eat it. This is my body.” Then he took a cup and spoke a prayer of thanksgiving. He gave it to them and said, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood, the blood of the promise. It is poured out for many people so that sins are forgiven.”
He really means His true and very real physical body, and His true and very real physical blood. That is what He has been teaching them for three years.
Present on this Holy Table are bread and wine because Jesus told us to use bread and wine. In coming to this Table and taking that bread and wine you also receive Jesus’ true and real body and Jesus’ true and real blood. Here at this Table you are coming into physical contact with Jesus Himself. Here God is reaching down and touching you.
Here is where Satan is currently winning the battle because we are too often so wrapped up in the controversies around this Holy Meal that we forget what is really happening here and the importance of what this Meal is really about. It is a Meal that comes with blessing and curses. The blessing are just as important as the curses and we need to take both very seriously. The problem is we’re so entangled in the arguments that the grave sobering import of the Meal is lost in mundane repetition rather then the awe, fear, and respect that should fill our hearts as we approach this altar.
Here is another place I wish I had the skills to smith words eloquently enough to instill in you the trepidation and trembling that we should all have when we come to this Table. This Holy Meal is not about your right to receive it. It is about God’s command to give it, and God’s command concerning how it should be received. No one has the right to demand access to this Table. In the time that I’ve been pastor I have had only two people who were upset with me because they believed it was their right to come to the rail, whether I thought so or not.
(…and just as a side note one of them, after sitting down and chatting with me for a little while, changed his position. The problem was not what we teach but what his pastor had taught him, labeling us as arrogant, uncaring, and unwelcoming. Arrogant, uncaring, and unwelcoming is not how anyone could describe this congregation and I pray could not describe me either.)
It is unfortunate that others might call us names but we cannot allow their bullying and childish name-calling to change the truth of Holy Scripture, that we teach here.
What do we teach? What do we get from this Meal? Through this Holy Meal of bread and body, and wine and blood, you are forgiven of your sins and given the gift of eternal life.2 By enjoying this Meal, as Christ commanded us to enjoy it, we are given a promise by Jesus Christ Himself that on the Last Day you will be raised up and live forever in a new creation that will never be touched or stained by sin.
In this Meal a miracle happens that we cannot explain any more than we can explain the miracle in Holy Baptism that we talked about last week. The miracle is that God Himself comes to you at this altar and physically touches you, blesses you, changes you to be what He wants you to be and makes you holy and precious in His sight.3 If that is what God offers to us in this Holy Meal then the question must be asked: does everyone who comes to this altar receive that blessing?
Everyone who approaches and receives the bread and wine offered also receives Jesus’ true body and true blood. That is true whether they believe it or not. That is true even if the pastor believes it or not. This Meal and what it contains is not based on my faith or your faith. It is what it is, because God’s Holy Word declares it to be so.
When you come up here you get what God say you get regardless of what you or I or anyone else believes. Which is why Scripture says:
Hebrews 11:6 No one can please God without faith.
That is also why there is a very serious warning in the Bible concerning this Meal.
1 Corinthians 11:27 Whoever eats the bread or drinks from the Lord’s cup in an improper way will be held responsible for the Lord’s body and blood.
Those who come to this Holy Meal without a proper understanding; those who come without repentance will receive Jesus’ body and blood but it will hang around there neck like a stone. It will brand them as one enslaved to Satan. It will be held as evidence against them, and before the Father’s throne that stain of body and blood on you will convict you of Jesus’ murder. The Father will hold you guilty of murdering His own Son.
1 Corinthians 11:28-29 With this in mind, individuals must determine whether what they are doing is proper when they eat the bread and drink from the cup. Anyone who eats and drinks is eating and drinking a judgment against himself when he doesn’t recognize the Lord’s body.
That is why we take the time to teach people what this Meal is really all about. Because I as your pastor, and we as a congregation, must take these things seriously and, in true genuine Christian love and concern, we should desperately want to protect anyone from such a curse. A person cannot determine what is right without being told how to do it.
The Lord’s Supper should not be a country club snack given only to card carrying members of the LCMS. We should take the responsibility seriously and not just allow anyone and everyone to come to the altar. I think perhaps the biggest problem is that we have to deal with other denominations that teach their people that we are “arrogant, judgmental, and exclusionary” in our practice, so that when visitors come they arrive with preconceived ideas which are simply wrong. What we do here in this church should, above all else, always be done in Christian love for all who come to this holy house to offer here their worship and praise.4
So the question is: who should be invited to come to the Lord’s Table? An answer I have heard a few times is, “it’s the Lord’s Supper not yours so you have no right to decide who can and cannot receive it.” Well, it is true that it is the Lord’s Supper. It is also true that the Lord has given us grave warnings about what happens to those who receive it incorrectly.
Ezekiel 3 provides a frightening warning concerning how we should care for, and watch out for, each other:
Ezekiel 3:18-19 [God says,] “Suppose I tell you that a sinful people will surely die, but you don’t warn them, or speak out so that they can change their sinful ways in order to save their lives. Then these sinful people will die because of their sin, but I will hold you responsible for their deaths. But suppose you warn the sinful people, and they don’t turn from their sinful ways. Then they will die because of their sin, but you will save yourself.5
You see the Church is a family. We are all united and connected. We are responsible for each other. We have to take care of each other. God commands it.6 That means sometimes we may need to keep one of our brothers or sister away from things that we know would harm them. In fact with such serious warnings it may be better to err of the side of caution. It would be better that we keep someone who is worthy away, rather than allow someone who is not worthy to come.
Understanding the seriousness of this Meal, and what is at stake, even we who do know and understand should take the time to properly prepare. How should you do that? 1 Corinthians 11:28 teaches us that a person should examine oneself before eating the bread and drinking the cup.
Psalm 51:17 The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit.
O God, you do not despise a broken and sorrowful heart.
Mark 1:15 “The time has come, and the kingdom of God is near. Change the way you think and act, and believe the Good News.”
Psalm 119:33-34 Teach me, O Lord, how to live by your laws, and I will obey them to the end. Help me understand so that I can follow your teachings. I will guard them with all my heart.
Before receiving the Lord’s Supper we should take a careful pause and look at our own heart. We have two things readily available to help you and our guests toward that end. First: in every hymnal you will find an invitation card like this. Second: You may or may not know but Luther’s Small Catechism is in your hymnal. If you turn in your hymnal to page 329, you will find Luther’s Questions which he wrote to help people prepare to come to the Lord’s Supper. These items are something you could take the time to read before the service, as you prepare for this Holy Meal.
With all of that done how do we know that we are worthy to receive this Holy Meal? What if we have sinned or what if we have a weak faith? For those who properly understand the blessings and curses in this Meal, solving those problems is what this Meal is all about.
The Bible says:
Isaiah 42:3 He will not break off a damaged reed. He will not put out a smoking wick.
John 6:37 [Jesus said,] “Everyone whom the Father gives me will come to me. I will never turn away anyone who comes to me.”
When you feel weak in your faith, pray like the man who prayed, “I believe! Help my unbelief!7” If you feel your faith is weak, if you understand that all are unworthy to receive this meal, then Scripture says:
You who are thirsty, come! Whoever has no money can come, buy, and eat! Come, you don’t have to pay; it’s free! Why do you spend money on what cannot nourish you and your wages on what does not satisfy you? Listen carefully to me: Eat what is good, and enjoy the best foods. Open your ears, and come to me! Listen so that you will live!8
Why should we come to this altar? Because Jesus said:
Matthew 26:26,28 “Take this and eat it. This is my body.”
“Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood.”
Matthew 11:28-30 [Jesus said,] “Come to me, all who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Place my yoke over your shoulders, and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble. Then you will find rest for yourselves because my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
This Holy Meal is a wonderful gift for those who come to it properly. It is here to strengthen us and to change us into what God wants us to be. It feeds us. It nourishes our soul and bolsters our faith. It marks us as a child of God and provides for us the promise of eternal life.
However this gift comes with severe warnings that we cannot take lightly. This meal is a curse to those who do not take it seriously or who do not understand what is offered here. Our responsibility is to teach, as best as we are able, that if we must ask someone not to attend we are doing so in all genuine Christian love and concern for their soul and their salvation.
I pray they realize and understand the desperation we feel to protect them, as we all wait for the Lord’s return and the time when we can all enjoy the Marriage Feast of the Lamb in His kingdom which has no end.9
Amen.
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NOTES
1(or Mandate Thursday, or Command Thursday) The day Jesus said, “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.” – John 13.34
2John 6:53-54
3Psalm 116:13-15
4LSB Divine Service I, p. 153
5Paraphrased
6Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 22:39
7Mark 9:20-24
8Isaiah 55:1-3 (Paraphrased)
9Revelation 19:9
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