Sermon for Palm Sunday/Sunday of the Passion - Zech 9:9-12

 

    Palm Sunday/Sunday of the Passion

                                                            Zech 9:9-12

                                                            4/13/25

 

            The signing ceremonies for laws and presidential executive orders are carefully staged political events.  The administration makes sure that individuals who have ties to the issue in question are present for the signing.  The presence of these people is meant to emphasize the importance of the matter as the president signs the document.

            The occasion when the president signed the executive order banning biological males from competing in women’s sports in schools was no exception. The president sat a desk on the stage.  Behind him in the first row were girls in their various sports’ uniforms.  Behind them were women who had advocated for the fact that males should not compete in girls’ and women’s sports.  So for example, Riley Gaines was present. She had been denied a swimming national championship because a man had finished first.

            The event was carefully scripted.  And then, apparently, the president did something spontaneous.  He said to the girls, “You know, if you like to gather around, I think it will be ok.” As the group of girls pressed in around the president, he quipped, “The Secret Service is worried about them?” Spontaneous or not, it produced a memorable scene that emphasized what he was doing.

            On Palm Sunday we focus on how Jesus entered into Jerusalem at the beginning of Holy Week.  We find that he carefully staged this event in order to make a theological point.  He did it, in order to fulfill our Old Testament text from Zechariah chapter nine.  He demonstrated that he was the Messiah sent by God to bring salvation through the humility of service and sacrifice.

            The prophet Zechariah wrote in the latter portion of the sixth century B.C. Judah had experienced the trauma of God’s judgment when they were taken into exile in Babylon, and the temple had been destroyed in 587 B.C.   Yahweh had promised through Jeremiah that the exile would come to an end, and that the people would return.

            There seemed little chance that this would happen. But then, in an unexpected turn of events, Cyrus and the Persians defeated the Babylonians.  The following year, in 538 B.C. Cyrus issued a decree that the Judahites could return to their land and rebuild the temple.

            The joy of return was soon replaced by frustration. The foundation for the temple was laid.  But then those who were not Judahites and had inhabited the land during the exile raised opposition. They bribed Persian officials in order to stop construction. The project was halted for around fifteen years, and no progress was made.

            God sent the prophet Zechariah to urge the people to resume the project of building the temple.  He sent the prophet to encourage the people.  Currently they were a small group in Judah, which was province of the Persian empire.  But Yahweh set forth through Zechariah the great things that he was going to do for his people in order to give them hope.

            In the verses before our text, Yahweh had described how he would bring judgment upon the enemies of God’s people.  Now, in our text he says, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”  The references to “the house of David” in Zechariah tell us that this king is the Messiah. He is the promised descendant of David who brings God’s end time salvation.

            Jerusalem is told to rejoice because their king is coming. He is righteous and has salvation, as you would expect of the Messiah.  Yet then, Zechariah describes him as “humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” All of the descriptions of the Messiah in the Old Testament present a mighty and victorious figure.  So why is he described here as “humble”? The donkey did have royal associations in Israel’s past. But paired with the adjective “humble” it seems puzzling that this figure is not mounted on a war horse.

            This is all the more so, because Yahweh says that the arrival of this king will mean the presence of peace. There will be no more need for weapons, and he will rule over all.  We read, “I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace to the nations; his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.”

            In the Gospels we learn that as Jesus was approaching Jerusalem with other Passover pilgrims, he stopped and had his disciples procure a donkey.  Jesus had been walking.  But now he very intentionally chose to ride into Jerusalem mounted on this animal.  Matthew tells us, “This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, ‘Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”

            Jesus is the Messiah – the Christ.  He is the son of David.  He is the king who enters into Jerusalem in a way that fulfills the words of the prophet Zechariah.  Yet he comes as the One who is humble, and mounted on a donkey.  He comes to bring God’s saving reign, but his entrance demonstrates that he will not do this in might and power.

            The Gospels tell us that people spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches and spread them as well. The crowds around Jesus were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”  They shouted out praise in language that spoke of the coming Daividic Messiah. 

            But did they get it? Did they understand who Jesus was as he rode in on the donkey? Did they understand that he was fulfilling Zechariah’s words?  The clear answer is no.  Matthew tells us, “And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, ‘Who is this?’ And the crowds said, ‘This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.’” Just a prophet.  That is all they saw in Jesus. And this was a rejection of Jesus and his work.

            The crowds didn’t understand. And John tells us that the disciples didn’t understand either.  He says, “His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him.”

            On Palm Sunday, Jesus entered into Jerusalem in fulfillment of Zechariah’s words.  He came as the Messiah – the One descended from King David upon whom the Spirit rested.  He came to bring God’s end time salvation – to bring peace.

            But the manner in which Jesus entered Jerusalem foretold the way in which he would do this.  He did not come with might and power.  Instead, he arrived humble and mounted on a donkey.

            Just before they entered the city, Jesus said to the disciples, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.” Our Lord said that the trip to the city would lead to crucifixion.  The Messiah – the son of David – would be enthroned on the cross.

            The angel had told Joseph that Jesus would “save his people from their sins.” Christ went to Jerusalem to do this for the Jews.  He went there to do this for the Gentiles – to do this for all people. He entered Jerusalem during Holy Week in order win forgiveness for all of the ways that we fail to love God with all that we are; for all the ways we do not love our neighbor as ourselves.  Jesus declared that “the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

            Jesus went as the humble One mounted on a donkey.  He humbled himself to the point of death – even death on a cross.  But on the third day – on Easter – God raised Jesus from the dead.  In the resurrection of Christ, God has defeated death.  Jesus has been exalted for as he told the disciples on the mountain in Galilee, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

            God says through Zechariah in our text this morning: “I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace to the nations; his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.”  Judah did not see this in Zechariah’s day.  We have not seen it in our day.

            But Jesus Christ will bring this about on the Last Day.  He will because he is the risen and ascended Lord who has been exalted to God’s right hand.  The Lord has promised that he will return in glory.  When he does, he will bring eternal peace.  He will bring a peace that is not only for the nations, but for creation itself as the words of Isaiah about the Messiah are fulfilled: “The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together.”

            He will raise our bodies from the dead and transform them to be like his resurrected body.  He will be seated on the throne as he pronounces the final judgment.  His rule will encompass all of creation.  No longer will there be anything humble about him, but instead at his name every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

            In our text this morning, God says through Zechariah, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”  On Palm Sunday Jesus fulfilled these words. He entered Jerusalem as the Messiah who was humble and mounted on a donkey.  In humility, he offered himself into the suffering and death of the cross to save us. Risen from the dead and exalted by God, he will return in glory on the Last Day to give us victory … and there will be nothing humble about him.

    

           

 

 

 

  

             

 

           

 

 

 

 

  

 

Sermon for the fifth mid-week Lent service - The Sacrament of unity - 1 Cor 10:16-17

 

         Mid-Lent 5

                                                                                    The Sacrament of Unity

                                                                                    1 Cor 10:16-17

                                                                                    4/9/25

 

           

“Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.”  During the last three weeks we have heard those words in the explanations of the Small Catechism about the Sacrament of the Altar.  It is the central truth that we are being taught. 

Again and again, we have returned to the fact that the Sacrament is the true body of Christ which was given into death on the cross.  It is the true blood of Christ which was shed on the cross.  In the Sacrament, Christ gives to you the very price that he paid to win the forgiveness of sins.

We have emphasized that Christ deals with you as an individual as he applies the forgiveness that he won by his death on the cross of Good Friday, and his resurrection on Easter.  He places his true body and blood into your mouth and leaves no doubt that this is forgiveness for you.

This important emphasis could lead us to conclude that the Sacrament of the Altar is solely an individual matter – that is only a vertical matter as God deals with each person.  One could determine that the Sacrament of the Altar is only “about Jesus and me.”

However, such a conclusion is entirely mistaken.  For the full biblical teaching about the Sacrament leads us to understand that Sacrament is also a corporate matter – it is also a horizontal matter that involves all who receive Christ’s body and blood.  The Sacrament unites us together as the Body of Christ.  This fact has important implications for the way we administer and receive it.

We mentioned last week that Paul’s warning about receiving the Sacrament “worthily” was prompted by problems that had arisen at the Corinthian celebration of the Sacrament.  Paul begins by saying, “But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you.” Paul had learned that the celebration of the Sacrament had become an occasion for divisions – a setting where divisions were present.

The apostle describes what was happening as he said, “When you come together, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper. For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.”

We learn that the Corinthians were celebrating the Sacrament of the Altar in a way that was similar to the setting in which it was instituted – that of a meal.  They received the true body of the Lord. Then there was the eating of normal food.  Later, “after supper,” they received the true blood of Christ.

This practice would have seemed very natural, since it looked much like the ordering that was found in Greco-Roman meals. Yet this sense of familiarity was causing a problem at Corinth, because they were behaving at the meal that accompanied the Sacrament in the same manner that they did at other meals.

In the Greco-Roman setting it was assumed that the host of the meal would have his friends in the dining room that probably held about twelve people.  Less important guests would sit in other parts of the house. The host and his friends would get their food first. They would get the best food. They would get the most food.  The rest of the guests would get whatever was still available.

Not surprisingly, a member of the Corinthian congregation who owned a home where the church could gather was more wealthy.  The problem was that these members were treating the meal that accompanied the Sacrament in the same way they would any other meal.  The richer members were getting their food first, and were getting the best food. They were acting in a way that shamed and mistreated the poor members of the church.  They were acting in a way that was creating divisions in the setting where the Sacrament of the Altar was celebrated.

Paul’s response to this seems, at first, to be a little surprising.  He quotes the Words of Institution that he had delivered to the Corinthians.  He brings them back to what the Sacrament is – the body and blood of Christ.

Paul does this because he has already prepared the way for discussing this situation.  He did so in the previous chapter when he was talking about yet another problem at Corinth - that of eating at the temple of idols and of eating meat sacrificed to idols.

There, Paul said that Christians who participate in the body and blood of Christ in the Sacrament can’t participate in the cup and table of demons at a pagan temple.  He says about the Sacrament, “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?” Next, he adds, “Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.”

Paul teaches us in this verse that reception of the Sacrament unites us as the Body of Christ.  Each person communing receives the body and blood of Christ, and in so doing they are united as the Body of Christ.  It is the Sacrament of unity as we are joined together.  This characteristic of the Sacrament has nothing to do with what the apostle is discussing in chapter ten.  But it establishes the truth that will be the basis for what he says in chapter eleven.

There, Paul addresses the divisions at the Corinthian celebration of the Sacrament by returning them to the Words of Institution. He returns them to the nature of the Sacrament. It is the body and blood of Christ that makes us one Body – the Body of Christ.  It is the Sacrament of unity, and divisions are contrary to the very nature of the Sacrament.

The Sacrament is an individual and vertical gift as Jesus gives his true body and blood to each person for the forgiveness of sins.  But the Sacrament is also a corporate and horizontal gift as it unites those communing together as the Body of Christ.  It is the Sacrament of unity.

This has great importance for the way in which we administer and receive the Sacrament. Divisions are contrary to the nature of the Sacrament, and have no place there.  This is true first of interpersonal divisions such as those addressed by Paul in 1 Corinthians 11.  Where personal divisions exist, there must be forgiveness and reconciliation before people can receive the Sacrament.

The Pax Domini in the liturgy of the Divine Service is a reminder of this fact.  After the consecration, the pastor holds up the host over the chalice – he holds up the body and blood of Christ – and says, “The peace of the Lord be with you always.” This is a declaration that the body and blood of Christ gives us peace with God.  It also is a reminder that if we are to receive the body and blood of Christ, we must be at peace with each other.

At the same time, what is true of interpersonal divisions is also true of confessional divisions.  Where Christians are divided about doctrine, they need first to resolve their differences and arrive at agreement before they come to the Sacrament of the Altar together.  Divisions are contrary to the nature of the Sacrament.  When we commune together, we are saying that we are united and believe the same thing.  This has been the practice since the early Church.

In order to receive the Sacrament worthily we must examine ourselves to see that three things are true.  First, as we mentioned last week, must confess our sin and repent.  Second, we must recognize what the Sacrament is. It is the true body and blood of Christ. Third, we must recognize what it does.  It gives the forgiveness of sins and unites us as one body – the Body of Christ.

This means that in our practice of closed communion we will not permit division at the Sacrament of the Altar.  This is true of congregation members who must first reconcile.  It is also true of other Christian groups with whom there are doctrinal divisions.

When we commune at an altar, we are saying that we are united with those who are communing.  We are saying that there are no divisions, and that we believe the same thing.  We use the word Church Fellowship to describe this unity between groups of Christians.  Our congregation is part of the fellowship of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod.  You can go anywhere in the United States and commune at any LCMS congregation because we are united in believing the same thing. And that fellowship extends around the world.  The LCMS is in fellowship with other Lutheran churches who also believe the same thing.  So when I am in South Sudan, I will commune at altars of the Ev. Lutheran Church of South Sudan/Sudan because we are in fellowship with them.  We believe the same thing, and so can share in the Sacrament of unity together.

Paul told the Corinthians, ““The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?  Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.”  In the Sacrament, Jesus gives each one of us his true body and blood for the forgiveness of sins.  And at the same time, he unites those who receive the sacrament as one Body – the Body of Christ. The Sacrament of the Altar, is the Sacrament of unity.

 

 

Sermon for the Fifth Sunday in Lent - Judica - Jn 8:46-59

 

           Lent 5

                                                                                                            Jn 8:46-59

                                                                                                            4/6/2025

 

            “You are a bastard.  You are a Samaritan.  You are demon possessed.”  That’s what the Jews say to Jesus in the course of the conversation in which our text occurs.  Needless to say, the conversation does not go well.  And we find that at the end our text, they take up stones to throw at Jesus.

            The surprising thing, is that the people with whom Jesus engages in this conversation have been described as people who believed in Jesus. However, as the Lord continues to talk with them, these individuals turn on him.  They do so because Jesus tells them the truth about themselves.  They do so because Jesus tells them the truth about himself. They reject Jesus. But in our Lord’s words we find the promise of eternal life.

            Jesus began by saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” The Pharisees challenged Jesus, by saying that he was making claims about himself – that he was bearing witness about himself. But Jesus responded that he was not alone in his work.  He said, “I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.” When the Pharisees asked him, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” The Pharisees did not know Jesus – they did not believe in him – and so they did not know the Father.

            The Pharisees had rejected Jesus.  But not all did. We learn, “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’”  Our Lord urged them to abide in his word – to remain in his word.  He called them to continue to walk in faith for in this way they would know the truth that sets them free.

            However, this indicated that currently they were not free.  The Jews who believed in Jesus took offense at this. They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”

            The Jews were confident in the fact that they descended from Abraham.  They believed that they had a special status before God because of this.  This pride had become something that blinded them to their true spiritual condition.  Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

            Jesus said that they were slaves to sin, and that only he – the Son – could set them free.  The Lord’s words had exposed their true condition, and now they had turned against Jesus.  He said, “I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”

            Jesus had mentioned two different fathers.  And so the Jews responded, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father--even God.” They called Jesus a bastard, and claimed that God was their father.  However, Jesus responded, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.”

            God the Father had sent Jesus.  These Jews were rejecting Jesus. And our Lord explained exactly why this was.  He said,  “Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires.” God was not their father.  Instead, the devil was.  And so Jesus says in our text, “If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”

            In this conversation, Jesus sets forth the fundamental problem of the human condition.  It is slavery to sin.  Sin cuts us off from God.  And our Lord’s words also teach us about the spiritual condition into which all people are conceived and born.  Jesus told Nicodemus, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”  The flesh – fallen sinful nature – brings forth more fallen sinful nature.  All people are conceived and born with the devil as their father – the devil is their Lord.

            This is not what people want to hear.  It is certainly not what these Jews wanted to hear.  They answered, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” They accused Jesus of being a demon possessed Samaritan.  From one Jew to another, it’s hard to get more derogatory than that.

            However, Jesus rejected their charge.  He said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”  This was too much.  Jesus’ assertion sounded absurd.  The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?”

            Jesus was promising that he was the means by which a person can have eternal life – a life that death cannot end.  This was something greater than what Abraham or the prophets had been able to give. After all, they themselves had died.

            In our text, Jesus goes on to say, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word.”  Jesus said that his Father is God.  He declared that he knows God in a way they did not.  He knew God the Father, and kept his word.

            Then Jesus said, “Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” This too sounded absurd. The Jews replied, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?”  Then Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” “I am” resonated with the statements by Yahweh about himself in the book of Isaiah. When God called Moses at the burning bush and sent him to Israel to bring them rescue, Moses asked what he should say if the Israelites wanted to know the name of the God who had sent him.  God told him, “I AM WHO I AM,” and added, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 

            Jesus had said that God was his Father.  Now he asserted that he himself was God.  The Jews knew full well what he meant. We learn at the end of our text, “So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.”

            Who do you make yourself out to be?  Jesus tells us that he knows God the Father.  He keeps the Father’s word.  He is glorified by the Father. And he is God. 

Jesus’ description of himself reflects the truth that is expressed in the first verse of this Gospel: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” We learn that the Word – the Son – is with God and is God.  He is distinct from God the Father – there is the Father and there is the Son. And yet like the Father, he is God. And as we learn about the nature of the Holy Trinity, John then tells us, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

In our text, Jesus Christ the incarnate Son of God withdraws from those opposed to him.  He does so because he was in the world to keep the Father’s word.  He was here to be glorified by the Father in his time and his way.

At the beginning of Holy Week Jesus said, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” Earlier in this chapter Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.

And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.”

            Jesus, the Son of God, was here to keep the Father’s word.  He was here to do the things that are pleasing to him.  He was here to be lifted up on the cross in order to free us from sin. He was here to be the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  It was in his death that he was glorified by the Father, for it was in this way that Jesus freed us from the slavery of sin.

            During Holy Week Jesus said, “Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”  Jesus was lifted up on the cross in death.  And then on the third day God raised him from dead.

            Earlier in this chapter Jesus said, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.”  Jesus told the disciples that he would return to the Father who had sent him. Our risen Lord has now ascended, and has sent forth the Spirit from the Father.

            You are no longer a slave of sin.  And you are no longer a son or daughter of the devil.  He is no longer your lord.  He is not because in Holy Baptism you were born again of water and the Spirit.  You are children of God because you were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. Now you are of God, and so you hear the words of God.

            You hear the words of God with faith and understanding. And the Spirit works in you through those words to act in love.  The Father loved you in this way, that he gave his Son for you.  Jesus, the Son, loved you by giving himself into the suffering and death of the cross.  Now, you share this love with those around you.  Jesus said at the Last Supper: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

            In our text this morning, Jesus tells us the truth about ourselves apart from him. We are slaves of sin. We are sons and daughters of the devil. But he also tells us the truth about himself.  He is God – the Son of God in the flesh.  He was lifted up on the cross to free us from sin. As the risen Lord he has sent forth the Spirit who has given us new birth in baptism.  Now, we believe and trust in him confident that we have life that will never end. For Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”

 

           

 

 

Sermon for the fourth mid-week Lent service - "Who receives this Sacrament worthily?"

 

 Mid-Lent 4

                                                Who receives this

 Sacrament worthily?

 4/2/25

 

          “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.”  This is what the apostle Paul says about the reception of the Sacrament of the Altar as he writes to the Corinthians.  Paul says that the Sacrament must be received “worthily” – it must be received in a way that is fitting and proper. To fail to do so is to become guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

          Paul is addressing this topic because there were problems at the Corinthian celebration of the Sacrament.  The Corinthians were acting in a way that did not recognize the significance of Christ’s true body and blood. We will speak about those specific circumstances next week as we consider how the Sacrament unites us as the Body of Christ.

          Tonight we focus on what Paul says about receiving the Sacrament.  We confess that the Sacrament is the true body and blood of Jesus Christ, under the bread and wine.  Jesus gives us his body and blood, given and shed for us for the forgiveness of sins.  We receive into our body, the true body and blood of Christ.

          This is no minor thing.  It is the body and blood of the incarnate Son of God. And so Paul says, “Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.”  Paul says that a person must examine himself. The reason for this is that a person eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not discern that it is the body of Christ.

          The apostle describes the nature of the way this was taking place at Corinth.  He says, “That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.”  In the Sacrament, the true body and blood of Christ is received into the individual, and Paul says that this has bodily consequences.  This is no mere bread and wine. It is not just a symbol that that makes us think about something.

          Paul’s words lead us to ask the fourth question in the Small Catechism: “Who receives this sacrament worthily?” The answer given to this question begins by saying, “Fasting and bodily preparation are certainly fine outward training.” 

In the history of the Church, people have engaged in several practices as they prepared to receive the Sacrament.  The most common has been fasting, as the reception of the Sacrament was the way in which the fast was ended.  Another has been sexual abstinence in preparation to receive the Sacrament.

The Small Catechism says that fasting and bodily preparation are fine outward training.  God created us as body and soul in a unity, and bodily preparation such as this focuses the individual on what he or she is going to receive.  However, the Small Catechism goes on to say, “But that person is truly worthy and well prepared who has faith in these words, “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” But anyone who does not believe these words or doubts them is unworthy and unprepared, for the words ‘for you’ require all hearts to believe.”

After the initial definition of what the Sacrament is, all three subsequent questions return to the same words: “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.”  Martin Luther focuses on these words because they summarize the Sacrament.  It is the true body of Christ that was given in death on the cross. It is the true blood of Christ shed as he died on the cross.  This was done to win the forgiveness of sins.  This was done for you, and now it is given to you in the Sacrament.

Luther said, “This Sacrament is the Gospel.” The Gospel is the good news that God sent his Son into the world. Paul told the Galatians, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” In the Sacrament, the incarnate Son of God is present in his true body and blood.  He gives it to us to eat and drink.

Before he entered Jerusalem, Jesus told the apostles, “the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” In this season of Lent we are preparing to remember what happened when Jesus went to the Jerusalem for the final time.  Jesus redeemed us from sin – he freed us – as he gave his life in death on the cross. His body was nailed to the cross and his blood was shed as he received the judgment against our sin.

Yet Holy Week leads us to Easter, when Jesus Christ rose from the dead.  On that first day of the week the angels said to the women at the empty tomb, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?  He is not here, but has risen.”  Jesus demonstrated that he had won victory over death as he was seen by the apostles.

The crucified and risen Lord has given us the Sacrament.  We must eat and drink the Sacrament worthily, so that we do not become guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.  In order receive it worthily the apostle says, “Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.”

About what are we to examine ourselves? We find this in the words, “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.”  First, we recognize that we receive the body and blood of Christ for the forgiveness of sins.  In order to receive forgiveness, we must repent. We must confess our sin.  As David says in Psalm 32, “I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.”  Our examination leads us to consider how sin is present in our life, and to confess this sin to God.

Second, we examine ourselves to see that we recognize and believe what the Sacrament is, and what it does.  Paul told the Corinthians, “For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.” We discern the body as we believe that the Sacrament is the true body and blood of Jesus Christ.  We receive worthily when we believe it is the true body and blood of Christ through which we receive forgiveness.

The Sacrament of the Altar is the precious gift of the Lord.  It is a central blessing in the life of the Church.  But Scripture teaches us that it is possible to receive the Sacrament unworthily.  One can become guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.  A person can eat and drink to judgment. 

The Church does not want this to happen. And so we as the Church, and specifically pastors in the Office of the Ministry, must take responsibility for who is admitted to the Sacrament of the Altar. This practice is called closed communion.  It has been the practice of the Church throughout her history.

Those who do not repent of sin cannot receive the Sacrament, since it is only for repentant sinners who want forgiveness.  Individuals who live in unrepentant sin – who refuse to turn away from their sin – cannot receive the Sacrament until they do repent.

Those who do not believe that the Sacrament of the Altar is the true body and blood of Christ cannot receive the Sacrament.  We recall that it is Christ’s word that causes the bread and wine to be his body and blood.  Christ says it is, and this is true no matter whether a person believes it or not.  To receive the Sacrament while not believing it is the body and blood of Christ is to be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.  It is to eat and drink to judgment. And so those who deny the body and blood of Christ cannot receive the Sacrament – and this for their own good.  At the same time, this does not yet exhaust what needs to be said about the practice of closed communion.  And so there will be more to say next week as we consider the corporate nature of the Sacrament of the Altar.

Who receives this sacrament worthily?  That person is truly worthy and well prepared who has faith in these words: “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.”  We examine ourselves as we repent and confess our sin for which we need forgiveness.  We examine ourselves as we discern – as we recognize and confess – that the Sacrament is the true body and blood of Christ given and shed for us for the forgiveness of sin. For in this way we receive the Sacrament as the blessing from Christ that gives forgiveness, life, and salvation.