The Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity

The Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity – October 20, 2024

Psalm 119; Isaiah 25:6-9; Ephesians 6:10-17

St. John 4:46-54

In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The nobleman in our text today went on a journey in three parts.[1] First was his trip from Capernaum to Cana to meet with our Lord. Second, he journeyed back to Capernaum after hearing of the promise that his son lives. Finally, there is the reunion in Capernaum. This three-fold journey will serve as the basis for our understanding of this text.

Although we don’t know for sure where Biblical Cana is located, Scripture indicates that it is about a day’s walk from Capernaum. The nobleman was desperate enough to leave his dying son behind and make a two-day trip to and from Cana to entreat Jesus. We know that this man had heard the Word of God sometime prior to making this trip. Perhaps he had been at the wedding in Cana and knew of Jesus from the miracle performed there. Perhaps he had even returned to Capernaum with Jesus after the wedding, hearing Him teach along the way.[2]

What we know for certain is that this nobleman had faith at the beginning of our text. If he didn’t, he would not have risked leaving his dying son in the care of servants. What kind of faith did he have? We can answer this in two ways.

The tiniest drop of faith is all sufficient for the salvation of man. The newly baptized child has the same faith as Elijah, the great prophet of God who was carried into heaven without experiencing death.[3] The young man newly converted to faith in Christ has the same faith as St. Paul, who endured scorn, beatings, prison, and martyrdom on behalf of Christ.[4] The lonely widow weeping over the death of her son has the same faith as Blessed Luther, risking his life to proclaim the purity of the Gospel against the Pope and his minions. This saving faith is one and the same. There is “one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”[5] It is not the work of man but the free gift of God, wrought in you by the Holy Spirit through the proclamation of the Gospel – the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.

At the same time, this faith necessarily needs to grow and be strengthened.[6] It is one thing to possess something. It is something entirely different to care for it, use it, and benefit from it. This faith is exercised in three ways – meditation on the Word of God, prayer, and affliction.[7]

Meditation on the Word of God is best illustrated by a cow chewing her cud. She eats of the grass, chews and swallows into her first stomach, but only a small portion of her nutrition is gained. The grass is brought back into her mouth to be chewed a second time and swallowed again. More nutrition is gained. This continues over and over again until the full measure of nutrition is gained from the mouthful of grass. In this way, we are to chew the cud of the Word of God. The first eating of the grass is hearing and reading the Word of God. Each subsequent chewing is revisiting this Word in contemplation – reading the Word again and again and filling your mind with it. For the cow, there is an end to this process. For the Christian, it is a life-long endeavor.

Prayer exercises faith in taking the spiritual nutrition gained from the Word of God and turning it into action, into words given back to God. The Word of God forms our own words, for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit of God gives form to our prayers.[8] Not only is prayer an act of turning our hearts and minds toward God and expecting all good things from Him, but it also trains our flesh to do the same. By turning to God in prayer, we train our flesh for all future times when we find ourselves needing Him. It trains us to turn to Him always; to expect all good things from Him always; and to trust whatever He delivers to us to be for our benefit.

Finally, there is affliction or suffering. Our Lord promised that all who follow Him would suffer in this world. In a sense, our suffering is doubled because we know that we deserve it. When we suffer in this world, we know that it is on account of our sin. We also know that we deserve this suffering because of our sin; even as the beloved children of God. In fact, because we are beloved children of God, we hate our sin and wish to be free from it. We desire that God would purge our bodies and souls of sin, of the love of sinning, and of sin’s effects. And we endure this suffering because we know that God chastens those whom He loves.[9] We know that the suffering of this present age is nothing compared to the joys of the world to come.[10] A wise man loves the rebuke of his Father because he knows by it, he will be wiser still.[11]

As the nobleman journeys to Cana, his faith is weak. He insists that Christ come to his son. He trusts enough to know that Christ’s presence is the one thing his son needs but his faith is weak because it believes that his son will not be healed without the physical presence of Jesus. This is why our Lord rebukes him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.”[12] The nobleman wants a display of the power of God in signs and wonders. He is already suffering the sickness of his son and now he wants a great miracle of God in grand visible gestures.

But he will not receive it. Our Lord offers a second, albeit subtle, rebuke. “God your way; your son lives.”[13] It is as though Jesus is saying, “My Word is enough for you and for your son. Your weak faith needs to be nourished and to grow. Let it be nourished on My Word alone. Go in the promise of this Word and your soul shall be healed.”

The nobleman must now make the journey back to his son. This journey is fraught with more anxiety than the first. He now has a clear Word of God, but he does not necessarily know the meaning. He is like Martha after Jesus said to her, “You brother will rise again.” She answers, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”[14] The nobleman must be meditating over and over again on this Word of Jesus. “When I get home, will my son have breath in his body? Or will he live in the life eternal?”

It is not until the nobleman is almost home that he receives an answer. His servants meet him outside his home and announce the healing of his son. They even repeat the words of Jesus, “Your son lives!”[15] The father recognized that his son had been healed at the very Word of Jesus the night before. He receives confirmation of his joy, and his faith is now praised in the eternal Scriptures.

As we near the end of the Church year and the celebration of Advent, our minds begin to turn toward the last things, toward the time when Christ will reveal Himself to the world for the final time. The three-fold journey of the nobleman can be seen as an allegory for our journey in the church.

The journey from Capernaum to Cana signifies our faith in its infancy. It is complete unto salvation, but it is unformed by meditation, prayer, and affliction. When we encounter suffering, the only outcome we can imagine from God is according to our wishes. It does not occur to us that God’s ways are not our ways. We know what we want from God, and we demand that He give it to us in grand and splendid ways.

Then, as we mature in the Word of God and begin to be formed by meditation, prayer, and affliction, we join the man on his journey home. We know and hear the Words and promises of God, but we do not have visual confirmation of them. Faith has grown and it continues to grow. This is the majority of our life on this side of glory. This knowledge of the Word of God, while it exercises our faith and results in its strengthening, also leads to more frustration and anxiety. This is because Satan wants nothing more than to drive the Words and promises of God from your heart. I’d say the nobleman was in greater danger of losing his faith on the journey home than the journey to Cana. And yet the nobleman endures. He endures because he holds to the Word of God and continues to contemplate it in his heart.

The joyous reunion at Capernaum is the consummation of our faith. It is the glorious revelation of our Lord in glory. It is that day when faith will no longer be necessary because the promises of God will be manifest before your very eyes.[16] It is the reunion with all the faithful in heaven and the Marriage Feast of the Lamb.[17] In that day, there will be no tears, save tears of joy and rejoicing.[18] On that side of glory, you will look back at your time of affliction, your time of suffering, and realize that the joy and bliss of heaven was made yours at that very hour, before you ever set foot on the final leg of your journey home. It was in the Words and promises of God given to you from the very lips of Jesus. 

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] This outline of the text is loosely based on Fred H. Lindemann, The Sermon and The Propers, Volume 4 (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 1962), 111-112.

[2] St. John 2:1-12.

[3] 2 Kings 2:11.

[4] 2 Corinthians 11:22-33.

[5] Ephesians 4:5-6.

[6] Hebrews 5:13-14; Proverbs 9.

[7] This is a reference to Martin Luther’s oratio, meditatio, and tentatio.

[8] Romans 8:26-27.

[9] Hebrews 12:6.

[10] Romans 8:18-19.

[11] Proverbs 9:8-9.

[12] St. John 4:48.

[13] St. John 4:50.

[14] St. John 11:23-24.

[15] St. John 4:51.

[16] Job 19:27.

[17] Revelation 19:6-9.

[18] Revelation 21:4.

The Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity

The Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity – September 22, 2024

Psalm 119; Proverbs 25:6-14; Ephesians 4:1-6

St. Luke 14:1-11

In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

When Christ our Lord went to the house of a ruler of the Pharisees for dinner on the Sabbath, he posed a question to the lawyers and Pharisees. He asked, “It is lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” He is not asking them to compare the Third and Fifth commandments. This is not a question of whether it is more important to love God or love your neighbor. Rather, our Lord is asking these experts in the Word of God which is more important, the moral or ceremonial law?

When we consider the Law of God, we are right to distinguish the laws given by God to man into three categories: the civil, moral, and ceremonial laws. This division of the law is given by God, Himself when He says, “Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the Lord your God has commanded…”[1]

The civil law is a particularization of the moral law, given by God, to produce a certain kind of outward behavior by which the civil society might be best governed among the people of Israel, the Old Testament nation of the Hebrew people.[2] That is to say, the civil law takes the precepts of the moral law and makes them fit the particular nation of God’s people in the Old Testament.

The moral law is written in the hearts of man from the moment of creation.[3] It is the eternal will of God and it is summarized most clearly in the Ten Commandments. Our Lord summarizes the moral law even further when asked about the greatest commandment in the Law, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind…and You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”[4]

The ceremonial law is a particularization of the moral law regarding the worship of the Triune God. Put another way, the ceremonial law is God’s description of how man is to keep the First, Second, and Third Commandments. However, the final purpose, or the goal of the ceremonial law is in three parts: 1) to be a reminder of sin;[5] 2) a shadow of what is to come, that is, Christ Himself;[6] and 3) to guard our consciences until the coming of Christ.[7]

Everything about the ceremonial law was given so show our need for a savior and to tell us about Him. Therefore, once the Christ came, once the Son of God took on flesh and dwelt among His people, once He bore the sins of the world upon His shoulders and died to atone for them, the ceremonial law was fulfilled and no longer had a purpose. God showed the end of the ceremonial law to His people by tearing the temple curtain in half from top to bottom at the death of Jesus.[8]

Our Lord’s question to the Pharisees is the same as asking, “Which takes priority: the eternal will of God, rooted in the love of God and love toward neighbor or the temporary law given to point to the Savior who is sitting in your midst?” The silence of the lawyers and Pharisees is deafening. When phrased this way, the answer to our Lord’s question is obvious. It was probably obvious to you from the moment it was read because you’ve read your bibles and listened to sermons on this text before. But, if you allow your conscience to be silent and content not to meditate on the meaning of the question, then you do not know the Scriptures nor the power therein and your silence is as deafening as that of the Pharisees.[9] “The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things.”[10]

By asking the Pharisees what seems like a simple question, our Lord is asking if they are babes requiring spiritual milk or if they are mature and prepared for spiritual meat.[11] The same Word of God is spiritual milk for the unlearned and hearty meat for the mature. These Pharisees, who thought themselves mature, are not willing to speak up, to engage with Christ. They are also not willing to put their supposed mature faith to practice as they would’ve done nothing for the dropsical man. Their faith is sluggish and immature and yet they would claim to be the teachers of Israel. In this way, our Lord is mocking the Pharisees that they would see their error, repent, and begin anew to receive the Word of God.

The same is true of us. Our Lord’s words seem simple, but they hold a deeper challenge to our spirituality and our understanding of the Word of God. Upon hearing such a question that seems simple, your soul ought to begin to wonder, “Why is our Lord asking this question?” “Is He referencing the Old Testament?” “To whom is He speaking and what do I have in common with them?” Such questions will foster the faith given to you by the Holy Spirit into a more mature understanding of God’s Word. And, guided by the light of the Holy Spirit, you will find yourself growing in wisdom and understanding.[12]

And should you take an honest assessment of yourself and find that you are the immature and in need of spiritual milk, then you have the example of the man with dropsy. He was likely a fellow Pharisee, though we don’t know for sure. He may have been a servant or even someone passing by on the street. The only person recorded as speaking in our reading is Christ but the man with dropsy is the only person who was not expected to speak. He stood silent before the dinner party and silent before Christ. Our Lord knew his needs without him saying a word. He came into the presence of Jesus and our Lord healed him with three straight forward actions: He took him, and healed him, and let him go.[13]

So too, Christ has had mercy on us all. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, was crucified, died, and was buried. On the third day He rose again and ascended into heaven. Such a simple, straightforward miracle for the recovery of your soul from hell. There is an infinite depth of understanding to be had in these words, but the simple truth is easy to grasp for all the immature requiring spiritual milk.

It is fashionable among Lutherans to always speak of how we are all children before God and therefore we require nothing but spiritual milk. Christ even says, “whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”[14] But these words are often misunderstood (at best) and abused (at worst). It would be false humility to make a show of being immature. It would be false humility to assert your rights as being more humble than someone else. It would be false humility to insist that no one is exalted. Such false humility is nothing but the height of sinful pride.

 Pride is the love of your own excellence, even if you’ve fallen in love with your excellence in false humility.^[15] “[True] humility is the virtue by which a man recognizes his own unworthiness because he really knows himself” and agrees with God’s assessment of man.^[16] It is so very easy for us to overlook our own pride because it brings results. Results make us feel better. Feeling better about ourselves causes us to love our own efforts, our own ideas, ourselves for our own excellence.

Pride is not the same as striving for excellence, or godly ambition. As a Christian, you are called to grow in wisdom and understanding of God’s Word. The entire life of the Christian is one of catechesis, growing in the Word of God. No one ever outgrows the Word of God. There is always more to learn and more to receive.

Striving for excellence is not the same as loving your excellence. Loving your excellence is thinking highly of yourself; striving for excellence for the sake of recognition from others; and seeking worldly gain solely based on how great you are. This is pride. This is sin.

Humility, on the other hand, is the basis of our salvation. The Son of God humbled Himself to be born of a virgin. He took on our flesh and made Himself unworthy of salvation by bearing the sin of the world. He who knew no sin became sin for you, so that you would become worthy of His salvation.^[17] It could even be said that Christ humbled Himself so that He could learn our suffering, and having learned our suffering, He might bear it to the cross and bring it to an end.

It is because the Son of God took on flesh for our salvation that humility is the fundamental Christian virtue. It is the basis of the Christian life – humility to confess, repent, learn, grow, and receive the gifts of God with a pure heart. The Christian must always strive toward humility because such an endeavor means you are striving to live as Christ.

There is a single road between sin and salvation. Each step toward salvation is a step away from sin and each step toward sin is a step away from salvation. Thanks be to God we are not left alone on this journey. Christ died for you that you would share in His life. The victory over sin and death is won for you. The gates of eternity stand open. The days of your life on this side of glory are perilous because they contain temptations to pride. Every day presents you with manifold opportunities to turn away from salvation and indulge in your pride, the love of your own excellence; to take the highest seat of honor and stick up your nose at those less fortunate than you.

Yet every day also presents you with the opportunity to repent. Every day offers you the opportunity to look at yourself and recognize yourself for who you are. You are a sinner. Sin lies at the door, waiting to devour you.^[18] You are unworthy of salvation because your heart is willing to turn from God and indulge your flesh.

You are also a child of God. You have been washed in the waters of Holy Baptism. You are the temple of the Holy Spirit, who forms your prayers to be acceptable to the Father.^[19] You have received the mercy of God in Christ Jesus. Because you know the mercy and love of God, you have access to the Father. You may come to Him and beg forgiveness.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] Deuteronomy 6:1.

[2] This definition comes from Martin Chemnitz, Loci Theologici, Chemnitz’s Works, Volume 8, translated by J. A. O. Preus (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2008), 619.

[3] Romans 2:15.

[4] St. Matthew 22:37-39.

[5] Hebrews 10:3.

[6] Colossians 2:17; Hebrews 10:1; 8:5.

[7] Galatians 3:24.

[8] St. Luke 23:44-46; St. Matthew 27:51; St. Mark 15:38-39.

[9] St. Matthew 22:29; St. Mark 12:24.

[10] 1 Corinthians 2:14-15.

[11] Hebrews 5:12-14.

[12] Psalm 119:105; St. John 16:13-15.

[13] St. Luke 14:4.

[14] St. Luke 14:11.

[15] Bernard of Clairvaux, “On the Steps of Humility and Pride,” Bernard of Clairvaux: Selected Works, The Classics of Western Spirituality, translated by G.R. Evans (New York, NY: Paulist Press, 1987), IV.14 [112].

[16] Bernard of Clairvaux, “On Humility and Pride,” I.2 [103].

[17] 2 Corinthians 5:21.

[18] Genesis 4:7.

[19] Romans 8:26-27.

Maundy Thursday

Maundy Thursday – March 28, 2024

Psalm 67; Exodus 24:3-11; 1 Corinthians 11:20-32

St. John 13:1-15, 34-35

In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Our Lord, Jesus Christ, on the night when He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to His disciples and said, “Take, eat; This is My Body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of Me.”

In the same way also, He took the cup after supper, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them saying, “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. This do as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

With these sacred words, Jesus Christ instituted the Sacrament of the Altar. Everything we need to know about the Sacrament is found in these Words of our Lord, namely, what the Sacrament is, what its benefits are, and who is to receive it.

What is the Sacrament of the Altar? “It is the true body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, in and under the bread and wine, for us Christians to eat and to drink, instituted by Christ Himself.”[1]This simple answer is entirely derived from the Word of our Lord when He instituted the Supper. Plain, physical elements are combined with God’s Word and become a Sacrament, a gift of God to man. It is the Word of God which elevates these physical elements to become a Sacrament. Without the Word of God, they are nothing more than bread or wine that you might enjoy with a meal at home. With the Word of God, they become the true body and blood of Jesus Christ.

However, in this Sacramental Union, the physical elements of bread and wine are not lost. Christ joins His Holy Body and Precious Blood to the physical elements of bread and wine through His Word. The result is His Body in, with, and under the bread; His Blood in, with, and under the wine. In the Holy Supper, you therefore receive four things: Body, bread, Blood, and wine.

Since it is God’s Word which effects this Sacramental Union, you can be certain that what you receive at this altar is the Body and Blood of Jesus. His presence in the Sacrament does not depend upon your faith or the faith of the man administering the Sacrament. “The Word by which it was constituted a Sacrament is not rendered false because of an individual’s unworthiness or unbelief. Christ does not say, ‘If you believe or if you are worthy, you have my body and blood,’ but rather, ‘Take, eat and drink, this is my body and blood.’”[2]

Our Lord also commands that we “do this.” In the first place, He is referring to “take, eat and drink.” This is what we are to do with His Supper. The command to “do this” also refers to the administration of His Supper. We are to administer the Supper in the same way that Christ did. We are to take bread, give thanks for it, break it, and give it to His people to eat. We are to take wine in a cup, give thanks, and give it to His people to drink.

This is why pastors recite the Word of Institution, the Verba, at every celebration of the Lord’s Supper. It is not a magical formula that changes the substance of the bread and wine into Christ’s body and blood. If that were the case, then a single misspoken syllable would give reason for doubt. Rather, pastors recite the Verba according to Christ’s own words, “Do this in remembrance of Me.” Reciting the Verba is how the elements are blessed and it marks them as partaking of the very blessing Christ gave on the night when He was betrayed. It is as though I am saying, “These elements gathered here are what Jesus was referring to on the night when He was betrayed. Christ, who is not bound by time, has marked this very bread and this very cup to be His Body and Blood, as His own words and promises declare.”

What, then, is the benefit of the Lord’s Supper? “In the Sacrament forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given” to you.[3] We go to the Sacrament to receive the forgiveness of sins and where the forgiveness of sins is found, there also is life and salvation. The whole council of God, the entirety of the Scriptures could be used to point to this truth, that life is in the blood, that by the Wounds of Jesus’ own body you are set free, etc., but for this evening, you need only to trust in the Words of Jesus. He has said, “Take, eat and drink, for the forgiveness of sins.” That is enough to be confident of what benefit you receive in the Lord’s Supper.

Put in another light, if the Sacrament gives the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation, then it is also the weapon against sin, death, and the devil. In the Large Catechism, Dr. Luther says it this way,

Therefore, it is appropriately called food of the soul, for it nourishes and strengthens the new creature. For in the first instance, we are born anew through baptism. However, our human flesh and blood, as I have said, have not lost their old skin. There are so many hindrances and attacks of the devil and the world that we often grow weary and faint and at times even stumble. Therefore the Lord’s Supper is give as a daily food and sustenance so that our faith may be refreshed and strengthened and that it may not succumb in the struggle but become stronger and stronger. For the new life should be one that continually develops and progresses. But it has to suffer a great deal of opposition. The devil is a furious enemy; when he sees that we resist him and attack the old creature, and when he cannot rout us by force, he sneaks and skulks about at every turn, trying all kinds of tricks, and does not stop until he has finally worn us out so that we either renounce our faith or lose heart and become indifferent or impatient. For times like these, when our heart feels too sorely pressed, this comfort of the Lord’s Supper is given to bring us new strength and refreshment.[4]

Knowing what the Sacrament is and when benefit it provides, we must necessarily ask, who is to receive it. “He is truly worthy and well prepared who has faith in these words, ‘Given and shed for you for the remission of sins.’”[5] The fundamental requirement for receiving the Sacrament, according to Jesus, is faith.

Now, we need to expand our understanding a little, also according to the Words of Jesus. This faith must be in Jesus and in what He has given and shed for you, that is, this faith must be in the death and resurrection of Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins. That also means that you must believe that you are a sinner. Believing you are a sinner means that you believe there is nothing you can do to save yourself. You are a sinner who is in need of a Savior. Who is that Savior? Jesus Christ. What did He do for you? He died for your sins. Where do you receive that forgiveness? In His Word and Sacraments, which are His Word combined with physical elements—water, bread, and wine. This is what it is to have faith in these words, ‘Given and shed for you, for the remission of sins.’

This ought to be enough for our entire understanding of the Sacrament of the Altar—what it is, what benefits it gives, and who should receive it—but the Old Adam clinging to our flesh is an expert at deceiving us. He and his father the devil, would either have us fling the Sacrament to all open mouths, knowing them all to be sinners, or restrict the Sacrament according to manmade laws, ceremonies, or customs, until no one receives it. For this reason, we will need to turn to another passage of Scripture.

St. Paul writes to the Corinthians, “Therefore, whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason, many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.”[6]

 One must examine himself in order to receive Holy Communion. Since ancient times, this examination has involved knowing the fundamental texts of the Christian faith as a way of expressing the faith within. These fundamental texts are the 10 Commandments, the Apostles’ Creed, and the Lord’s Prayer. They summarize the content of Holy Scripture while fulfilling the words, “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.

In the shorter preface to his Large Catechism, Martin Luther says, “For the common people we are satisfied if they know the three ‘parts’…These are the most necessary parts of Christian teaching that one should first learn to repeat word for word…Now, when these three parts are understood, a person must also know what to say about our Sacraments, which Christ Himself instituted: Baptism and the holy body and blood of Christ.”^[7]

All Christians, no matter how long since you first received the Sacrament of the Altar or if you have yet to receive it for the first time, must examine himself before communing. The standard of knowing the primary texts of the catechism and being able to define the Sacraments and what you receive applies to all Christians.

Unfortunately, somewhere in history, admission to the Lord’s Supper became tied exclusively to the rite of confirmation, a rite that has no basis in the Scriptures and is itself strictly a man-made ceremony. The rite of confirmation then became associated with “graduating” from something. It was a sign you had accomplished learning a certain amount of information and then, sadly for many, you no longer needed to study God’s Word, the Catechism, or even attend the Divine Service.

One reason for this is that the examination which typically follows catechetical instruction has sometimes been understood as a one-time event. If someone can pass this test, then they are prepared to receive the Sacrament on a continual basis. Another reason is that the rite of confirmation became associated with a particular age, a transition into High School; almost a rite of passage into adulthood.

Scripture knows of no such singular examination, just as it knows nothing of confirmation. Every Christian is to examine himself each time he desires to receive the Sacrament. Again, Luther says, “It is the duty of every father of a family to question and examine his children and servants at least once a week and see what they know or are learning from the catechism.”^[8] Luther’s “Christian Questions and Their Answers,” found at the back of the small catechism, are a guide for all Christians to use in preparation to receive the Sacrament.

To this end, we ought to evaluate what it means to examine oneself before receiving Holy Communion. Should the youth be held to a higher standard than the rest of the congregation? That is, should a baptized child who can recite the basic texts, express a basic understanding of the Sacraments, and has been examined accordingly, be prevented from receiving the Sacrament of the Altar based on age? Or, should all members of the congregation be required to recite the entire catechism from memory, or at least undergo the thorough examination found at the end of most catechetical instruction each time they desire to commune?

The witness of Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions answer both questions negatively. St. Paul admonishes us to examine ourselves before receiving the Lord’s Supper. To examine oneself is to know the primary texts of the faith, to know what the Sacraments are, and to know what you receive in the Sacraments. Then, to him who is given much, much is expected.[9] That is, an adult ought to be able to show a more thorough understanding than a youth. “For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”[10]

Should a Christian find himself believing false doctrine or living in manifest sin, when he examines himself, he will find himself unworthy to receive the Sacrament. This Christian should repent and seek the counsel of his Pastor, who can help guide him back into the way of truth. Then, when such a one has a right understanding of the faith and can examine himself according to these texts of Scripture, he is truly worthy and prepared to receive the Body and Blood of Christ.

Is faith an expression of academic knowledge? Is faith a physical ability, perhaps to speak something word-for-word? Neither, since the former excludes children, and the latter excludes the mentally and physically infirm. Faith is trust in Christ, trust in things unseen. The reason to require catechumens to recite memory work is that the servants of Christ and stewards of God’s mysteries—that is to say, pastors—cannot peer into their hearts. It is necessary that catechumens of any age make a confession of their faith such that the pastor can, according to his office, admit them to the Supper without danger to their bodies and souls. This admission is according to faith in these words, “Given and shed for you, for the forgiveness of sins.”

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] Small Catechism VI 1; Large Catechism V 8.

[2] LC V 17-18.

[3] SC VI 2.

[4] LC V 23-27.

[5] SC VI 4.

[6] 1 Corinthians 11:27-32.

[7] “Short Preface of Dr. Martin Luther,” Large Catechism, 6, 15, 20.

[8] “Short Preface,” 4.

[9] St. Luke 12:48.

[10] Hebrews 5:13-14.