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.
