The Sacrament of the Altar, the Holy Supper of our Lord is the New Testament. But it is not entirely new. Just as we have seen the Lord attaching His Word and promise to physical things throughout the Scriptures and so finally attaching His Word and promise to the water of Holy Baptism, so also the Lord's Supper fulfills a holy meal that came before. On the night of the Passover, which from then on was the first day of the first month of God's Old Testament people, the people killed the Passover lamb, smeared its blood on their door frames and then ate the lamb in a meal preparing them for their escape from Egypt. So in the Lord's Supper: the Lamb of God has been killed and is now eaten. But here this killing does not happen year after year, for the sacrifice of Jesus for our sins is a once-for-all sacrifice. And now this meal is not just for the children of Israel but all of Jesus' disciples who have been taught and live in the faith of Christ. And it is not just a yearly commemoration but an “often” meal which we receive as much as we can, for all of its blessings and benefits. When Jesus institutes the Lord's Supper, He is fulfilling the Passover meal and making it something new, something far greater. For now it is no mere little lamb that we eat, but Jesus Himself, the Lamb of God, His flesh and blood which are given for the life of the world.
St. Paul records for us, as do Matthew, Mark and Luke, the Words of Institution. All that we need to know about this holy Sacrament is given to us in those words of Jesus. Any question about what it is and who it's for and what it does are all answered in the Words of Institution. All errors and misunderstandings of this Sacrament are corrected by these words. Because they are Jesus' words! First of all, TO WHOM is this Holy Supper given? Baptism, you recall is to be done to “all nations.” The Lord's Supper, on the other hand, was given “to the disciples.” What are disciples? Those who are taught by Christ. Those who have learned His Word. Those who are in the church where the Gospel is preached and taught rightly. Paul tells us that as long as we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord's death until He comes again. The Lord's Supper is a proclamation. It is preaching. Therefore, whoever disagrees with our preaching, whoever confesses some other doctrine and some other Gospel, cannot receive this Supper with us. This, what we call Altar Fellowship, or Closed Communion, is taught by Christ who did not give this supper to every person but to those who were in the church, that is, to those who followed Him and learned His teaching. And we know who the disciples are, not by looking into a person's heart, but by hearing their public testimony and confession. “Do you confess the doctrine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, drawn from the Scriptures, as you have learned to know it from the Small Catechism, to be faithful and true?” Answer: “I do.” Those who have not made that confession or who have made it and now attached themselves to some other church, we cannot commune with. This is not by our choice, but by the Lord's institution of the Supper that all those who receive it be one in their doctrine and faith.
Next, WHAT is the Supper? Jesus' words also give us this answer: It is His true body given and His true blood shed. There are many pictures of Jesus' crucifixion, from the earliest icons of the events of Jesus' life to the most glorious paintings of the master artists, that show Jesus hanging on the cross and below Him, someone with a cup, into which His blood is pouring. Such a picture confesses exactly what it is we receive! The bread and wine are no mere symbols of Jesus' body and blood. They are not just “reminders” that we're supposed to send our faith shooting up to space somewhere to grab a hold of Jesus. No, the bread and wine ARE the true body and blood of Jesus, present in a sacramental way so that we may eat and drink them. This is the same body that hung upon the cross and the same blood that spilled from His wounds. Brothers and sisters, the Jesus who hung on the cross is here, truly present among us, every time His Sacrament is celebrated. We love to attend parades and celebrations for astronauts and sports stars. Those who have done some amazing thing or achieved the spectacular are even more impressive when we are in their presence! How much more so He who is true God and true Man, our Savior Jesus Christ who is not just hidden away in outer space somewhere but is right here, upon this altar. He who suffered for the sins of the world, who died in the anguish of the cross and the Father's judgment—that very same Jesus comes to us in this Supper! Brothers and sisters in Christ, never wonder where your Lord is. He is right here in the Holy Supper. You can't get any closer to our Lord than that!
This Supper if for Jesus' disciples. This Supper is the very body and blood of Jesus. Now, then what is this Supper FOR? For what purpose is it celebrated? For what reason does our Lord give us these gifts? Again, answered by His words: “My body, given FOR YOU. My blood shed FOR YOU, FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS.” The Lord's Supper is another way in which what the Lord has accomplished is given to you. YOU were not there to catch the blood of Christ when He hung on the cross. Yet that blood is yours on account of His Word which brings it to you every time you kneel at this altar. Having this flesh and blood, you can be sure that the Angel of Death will pass over you and spare you. With this body and blood of Jesus, you can be certain that the Lord will not judge you for your sins, for they have been answered for by your Savior. The body and blood of Jesus given for you are your proof and guarantee that Christ Himself lives in you and you in Him and that He will raise you from the dead on the Last Day. When the devil rises up and puts into your mind the record of all that you've done, simply reply, “Devil, go ahead and bring up my sins! You just prove why it is my Savior died for me. And now, with His own body and blood in me, God counts me holy for His sake and therefore your arguments have no power over me!” How do you know that Jesus lives in you? How do you know that you are united to Christ? How can you be certain that all of your sins are forgiven? What proof is there that you will rise from the dead? Answer: the body and blood of Jesus given you to eat and drink which deliver and give to you the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation!
Therefore, dear Christian, do not neglect this Holy Supper. Do not stay away from this holy gift. There are some who do. There are many who don't think they need it. At least, I think they think they don't need it because I never see them. Luther asks the question, “What if you don't think you need to come to this Supper?” His answer was to pinch yourself and see if you're still alive. Because if you are alive, then you are a target for the Devil's temptation to sin and despair. And therefore, against all the enemies of hell itself, we need the body and blood of Jesus! Brothers and sisters, the Scriptures are filled with such longings as “Taste and see that the Lord is good!” and “As a deer pants for the streams, so my soul thirsts for the living God.” Brothers and sisters, this is a true hunger and thirst for real food. The answer to these longings is not just some pious opportunity to THINK about God. Christ Himself is really here, with His real food, His flesh given for the life of the world. His flesh and blood given to comfort you against sin and death. His flesh and blood there to remind you of what He did for you on the cross and to deliver that salvation into your mouth. Hunger and thirst for this Holy Supper, dear Christian, because given at this altar is your Savior who keeps you in body and soul to life everlasting.
Because this is a Holy Supper, because it is the LORD'S Supper, because in it He gives us His own body and blood, this is why we learn what the Supper is and pay attention to what the Catechism teaches us about it. It is why we lead up the Supper using the words of the Holy liturgy; it is why we celebrate the Supper with reverence; it is why we celebrate it often. It is why we carefully consume what remains rather than just throw it out or mix it with that which has not been consecrated. So learn the words of institution, dear Christian, learn those words! Because the words of Jesus, handed down to the apostles and from the apostles to the ministers that came after them—these words of Jesus institute and establish this Holy Supper and tell us all about it. Who is it for? For you, the baptized and taught disciples of Jesus. What is given? Nothing other than the very body and blood of the Son of God which hung on the cross for your salvation. Why is it given? To deliver that salvation to you; to forgive you and give you eternal life. And to give you the Jesus who is raised from the dead, who lives in you and will therefore make you conquer death when He raises you up the Last Day to live with Him and the Father and the Spirit forevermore. Amen.