It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and wine, instituted by Christ Himself for us Christians to eat and to drink. (Luther’s Small Catechism- Sacrament of the Altar)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
What is the Sacrament of the Altar? As Luther wrote, it is the true Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and wine, instituted by Christ Himself for us Christians to eat and to drink. This confesses a multitude of things in a concise sentence. It says what it is, why it is, and who it is for. Firstly, it is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. We confess that Jesus was true man and true God. True man because God does not have blood, and true God because otherwise the Body and Blood can not be present at every altar. We still confess that the Body and Blood are under the bread and wine. This retains that the bread and wine are still present and are not removed at any point. It also confesses that the Body and Blood are truly present. This meal does what it says because it was instituted by Christ Himself. The Word of God is where the promises come from, and the words of Christ are efficacious; they do what they say. Therefore, we hold to the promises of God that when Christ says that “This is my body and this is my blood,” we believe that it is truly his Body and Blood. Finally, it is for us Christians to eat and to drink. We do this for the forgiveness of sins. But we do not do it alone; it is in community that we go to Communion. We partake in the only flesh and blood that can save us from our sins because it is only through Christ's sacrifice that we are justified before God.
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Not all the blood of beasts On Jewish altars slain Could give the guilty conscience peace Or wash away the stain. But Christ, the heav'nly Lamb, Takes all our sins away; A sacrifice of nobler name And richer blood than they. My faith would lay its hand On that dear head of Thine, While as a penitent I stand, And there confess my sin. My soul looks back to see The burden Thou didst bear When hanging on the cursed tree; I know my guilt was there. Believing, we rejoice To see the curse remove; We bless the Lamb with cheerful voice And sing His bleeding love. (LSB 431:1-5)
Jonah Clausen, seminary student at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne.
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