Maundy Thursday – April 17, 2025Psalm 67; Exodus 12:1-14; 1 Corinthians 11:20-32St. John 13:1-15, 34-35
In the Name of the Father, and of the +
Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
St. Paul writes of the Sacrament of the Altar, “For I
received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you.”[1]
The Sacrament we celebrate this evening is the same Sacrament St. Paul
delivered to the Corinthians. More importantly, it is the same Sacrament Christ
gave to His gathered disciples on the night on which He was betrayed. We
participate in that same Supper, namely the very Body and Blood of Christ,
given for you for the forgiveness of sins.
What you receive is the same Body and Blood of Christ that
hung on the cross and rose from the grave three days later. So much is it the
same, that it is not my reciting the Words of Christ that makes it the
Sacrament. Rather, the speaking of the Verba marks these elements, this bread
and wine, as participating in the very Words Christ spoke that first Maundy
Thursday. These elements participate in the miracle of Christ Supper and thus
are the Body and Blood of Christ, made so by His very words.
This Sacrament was given for us to “do this” often, namely
eat and drink His Body and Blood, in remembrance of Him. The words, “in
remembrance” mean to call to mind not only what the Sacrament is and what
benefits it bestows, and those are chiefly what it refers to, but also the
sacrifice made by Christ, through which we are saved. To receive the Sacrament
in remembrance of Him is to remember Christ’s perfect life and death and to
know that you are receiving the fruits of His righteousness in this very
supper. You receive the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. None of these
belong to you by right. They are not rewards for your work, knowledge, or personal
righteousness. The Supper belongs to Christ and He has graciously called you to
His table to receive everything that rightly belongs to Him. It is His
forgiveness, life, and salvation that you receive.
And as this Supper rightly belongs to Him, it is the great
gathering of the Body of Christ around His Holy Supper. It is a divine family
meal, shared by those of the same faith, in a shared confession of Christ’s
holy name.
Who, then, should receive the Sacrament? Simply, one who is worthy and well prepared. To be worthy to receive the Sacrament is to have faith in these words, “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.”
As for preparation, St. Paul says, “Let a man examine
himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.” To be prepared
to receive the Sacrament requires examination. This examination is best done
according to the Small Catechism, under the section called, “Christian
Questions with Their Answers.” In summary, this examination has four chief
parts. First, it requires that you know that you are a sinner. This is
necessary since the Sacrament offers the forgiveness of sins. If you have no
sin, then you have no need of the Sacrament. If you think you have no sin, you
deceive yourself, and again, you have no need of the Sacrament. Knowledge and
awareness of your sin also makes you aware of your need for salvation, your
need for a Savior.
The second part of this examination is to see if you are
sorry for your sins. This is called “contrition.” One can be aware of his sin
but not sorry, not sorrowful, over it. Such pride has no place in the Christian,
nor does such a prideful man have a share in Christ’s Body. Rather, to know
your sin and be sorry for it is to desire to be free from it, to be turned away
from it, to be relieved of it.
The third part of this examination concerns faith. If sorrow
over sin is the first part of repentance, the second part is faith, trust that
Christ has and will forgive your sin. Trusting that Christ can, does, and will
forgive your sins is nothing more than trusting that the words of Christ are
true. “Given and shed for you, for the forgiveness of sins.” Christ has said
it, and this I believe.
The final part of examination is the intention, with the
help of the Holy Spirit, to resist the devil and walk in newness of life. This
is the fruit of repentance. A Christian who receives the forgiveness of sins
has received a new heart, and sincerely intends to strive against the
temptations of the devil and walk in the light of Christ.
Such preparation requires at lease some intellectual
ability. It requires the ability to speak or communicate an awareness of what
is happening in the Sacrament. This is especially important for the
relationship between the communicant and the Celebrant, the Pastor who is
distributing the Lord’s Supper. He, as the steward of the mysteries of God, is
responsible for distributing the Holy Communion according to Christ’s
institution and command. And since St. Paul warns against receiving the
Sacrament unworthily, it is necessary that the Pastor do everything he can to
assure that those who receive it from him, receive it to their benefit and not
to their judgment.
This means the Pastor must be able to discern that the
communicant can and has examined himself. It means the Pastor must have the
sense that this person knows he is a sinner, is sorry for his sins, has faith
that Christ has forgiven his sins, and intends to bear fruit according to this
faith. That requires communication and examination on the part of the Pastor.
What about those whose faith is weak or who are struggling with their faith? Should they commune? By all means! The True Body and Blood of Christ strengthens you in body and soul to life everlasting. If a Christian’s faith is weak, if he has been assaulted by the cares of this world or the temptations of the devil, there is nothing he needs more than the assurance of the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation found in the Holy Supper. He needs to be fed on the medicine of immortality that he might go on in the strength of this holy food.
We each ought to be concerned with receiving the Sacrament worthily.
The First Letter to the Corinthians makes it clear that to receive it
unworthily and unprepared is to eat and drink to your own judgment. The Lord’s
Supper is the medicine of immortality, but use any medicine incorrectly and it
will harm you. Failure to consider the right use of the Sacrament runs the
danger of receiving it to your temporal and eternal harm.
Who, then, should not receive the Sacrament of the
Altar? First, those who are not Christians or are not baptized should not
receive the Sacrament. They have no knowledge of sin according to the Word of
God and do not trust in Christ for Salvation. If they are converts to
Christianity who haven’t yet been baptized, they first need to receive the new
birth of water and the Holy Spirit. Then, they may join in the glorious feast
of Christ.
Second, those who cannot examine themselves should not
receive the Sacrament. This includes infants, who have not yet obtained the
intellectual ability to examine themselves. It also includes those with
significantly progressed forms of dementia or alzheimer’s, who have lost the
intellectual ability to examine themselves. Similarly, those who are
unconscious should not commune. Finally, the uninstructed fit into this
category. The uninstructed are not lacking in skill but are lacking in
knowledge. They must first be shown from God’s Word what sin is, how to find
sin within themselves, who Christ is, what He has done, and receive instruction
in what it means to bear fruit in keeping with repentance.
Third, those who are openly unrepentant, living contrary to
God’s Word, should not commune. These are those Christians who are aware of
their sins but are not contrite over them or do not want to amend their life so
as to flee from sin. This, by the way, includes sins against the Third
Commandment. The one who was baptized and confirmed in a Lutheran Church but
hasn’t come to the Divine Service since the Sunday after confirmation should
not commune. He habitually lives contrary to God’s command to be in Church, to
gather with the saints, to commune often, that is frequently.
In the preface to the Small Catechism, Dr. Luther says that
someone who does not seek Holy Communion at least four times a year is not a
Christian, and he is being generous. God commands frequent attendance to keep
the Sabbath day holy. Attending once or twice a year, let alone a few times in
a decade, does not mean you are a Christian. Such a one should not commune
until he has received fresh instruction, examined himself and been examined
such that he can make the bold confession, “I am a sinner for whom Christ died,
and my soul needs the Sacrament that I might obtain the forgiveness of sins,
life, and salvation.”
Fourth, Christians who are themselves unforgiving and refuse
to be reconciled with their neighbors also ought not commune. Christ says, “For
if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive
you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will
your Father forgive your trespasses.”[2]
To withhold forgiveness and refuse reconciliation is to slap Christ in the face.
It is to say that your judgment is greater than God’s. He gave His life for you,
to forgive your sins, yet you would refuse to forgive someone for their slight
against you. Like the servant who begged for forgiveness from his master but
refused to forgive the debt of another servant and was thrown into prison, the
outcome for refusing to forgive is the same.
Finally, those of a different confession are not to commune
together. Holy Communion is not just an individual act between you and God. It
is a public expression of unity with those who kneel at the rail with you. It
is a statement that you share the doctrine that is preached from this pulpit
and distributed from this altar. It is a meal shared by a family, it is not for
strangers off the street, foreigners to the family.
There are real distinctions between denominations. Any
church body that ordains women does not believe the Scriptures to be without
error. Any church who believes the Sacrament of the Altar is a symbol of
Christ’s Body has a false understanding of who Christ is. A Church who gives
any man other than Christ the authority to determine what sin is or who receives
salvation does not believe what the Bible says concerning the forgiveness of
sins and our justification before God. These are real, core differences that we
should not overlook. There are certainly Christians in all Christian
denominations but there is no unity. To commune together would be to confess a
lie, a unity that doesn’t exist.
To a lesser degree, it is also important to remember that
even within the Lutheran Church -Missouri Synod, a visitor to a church does not
have an inherent right to commune. When you visit another congregation, you are
a guest in their house. It is your responsibility to contact the Pastor ahead
of time so that he knows to expect you. On the morning of, it is your
responsibility to arrive early, introduce yourself, and ask permission to
commune. It is fitting and proper for a guest to ask to participate in the
family meal. And if the pastor, for whatever reason, asks you not to commune
that day, you should not take offense. Your soul will not be harmed by not
receiving the sacrament for that one day. You will still participate in the
service. You will hear the Word of God by which man is saved. Your sins will be
forgiven.
Regarding those who should not commune, the goal is always
to move toward being able to commune. For the unbeliever, that they would be
brought to faith in Christ, moved by the Holy Spirit through the Word of God to
receive Christ as the only way to salvation. For the unrepentant and the
unforgiving, that they would be shown the depth of their sin, moved by the Holy
Spirit to confess that sin for what it is and return to the sheepfold of faith,
sincerely fleeing from sin and clinging to Christ. For the uninstructed, that
they would be instructed in the faith, taught the Word of God so that they
might examine themselves and be found worthy and prepared to receive the Holy
Communion. And finally, for those of a different confession, that they would
see the errors taught in their denomination and brought to a right
understanding of the Word of God, made to see the pure truth of God’s Word. The
Church regularly prays for an end to all schisms. Christ has one Body and it is
the sincere desire of all Christians that the Body of Christ would be united in
a true confession of His Word.
The meal we share this evening is the Lord’s Supper. It is
His meal where He is both host and food. We dine together, being united in one
confession of Christ’s Holy Word. In this divine meal, we receive the
forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation because in this meal, we receive
Christ, Himself. He gives His Body and Blood that we would be united with Him
in body and soul.
In + Jesus’
name. Amen.
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