Newsletter April 2011

“Our churches teach that the body and blood of Christ are truly present and are distributed to those who eat in the Supper of the Lord. They disapprove of those who teach otherwise.”
Augsburg Confession Article 10

In 1530 when the Augsburg Confession was adopted as a basic statement of the Lutheran under-standing of things, the article on the Lord’s Supper was short and to the point because there was little disagreement between the Roman Catholics and the Lutherans over the true presence of Christ in the sacrament. It is printed in its entirety above. Later on, as the Reformation progressed, some differences with the Church of Rome emerged involving terms and concepts such as “consubstantiation,” “transub-stantiation,” and “sacramental union” for instance, but they were minor compared to the sharp differences the Lutherans had with the radical wing of the Reformation. When this wing of the Reformation asserted that holy communion was nothing more than remembering what Jesus said and did in obedience to the command of Christ, and they put the whole burden of the efficacy of the sacrament on the heart and mind of the believer instead of on the Word of God, the Lutherans vigorously defended article 10. Luther even once wrote a treatise with the unwieldy title “That These Words of Christ,’“This is My Body,’ etc., Still Stand Firm Against the Fanatics.”
As we come to Holy Week this year, we will be remembering all that Our Lord did for us when he went to the cross. On Maundy Thursday we will be remembering his washing the feet of the disciples, his “new commandment” to love one another, his Last Supper, and the disciples’ first communion. Remembering is a part of Holy Week just as remembering is a part of every communion service. But when the bread is eaten and the wine is drunk, there is more than remembering. Lutherans believe that Christ is truly present “in, with, and under” the bread and wine. This is the doctrine of the Real Presence. His presence does not depend on whether the communicant remembers correctly or sincerely. It depends on the Word of Christ hiumself who said that this bread and this wine is his body and blood sacrificed for the forgiveness of sins. Communicants receive Christ whether they know it or not.
All of this ultimately is based on the climax of Holy Week which is Easter Sunday. On Easter Sunday the whole church not only remembers that Jesus Christ rose from the dead on the third day, but that he lives today. Easter is not only the commemoration of a distant historical fact, but the celebration of a present reality: “Jesus Christ is Risen Today” as we sing each year.
The witness of the New Testament is that the risen Jesus Christ continued to accompany the disciples through life. On the Emmaus Road, Jesus appeared to two disciples and comforted them as they walked along. (Luke 24:13-35). In the city of Jerusalem, Jesus came and stood among them as they debated among themselves (Luke 24:36-43). By the Sea of Galilee Jesus came appeared on the shore while they fished (John 21:1-14). And the last words he spoke before his ascension into heaven were “And lo, I with you always, even to the close of the age.” (Matthew 28:20).
While it is true that in several instances people such as the Emmaus Road disciples, Mary outside the tomb, and those gathered in Matthew 28 did not immediately recognize that Jesus was present among them, this does not alter the fact that he was bodily present with them. The Emmaus Road disciples had their “hearts burn within them” as he opened to them the scriptures, even though they did not recognize him until he broke bread with them. And the weeping Mary did not know it was Jesus speaking to her outside the tomb until he spoke her name, yet her tears were dried by the comfort he brought. In both instances he was there despite their failure to recognize him.
The heart of the message of Easter is that he is still here. He still comes accompanies his people on the road of life. He still speaks a comforting word to those who weep by a grave. He still is known in the breaking of the bread. He is a present reality, not a distant memory.
This Holy Week, as we remember his entry into Jerusaelm (Palm Sunday), his Last Supper (Maundy Thursday), his death on the cross (Good Friday), and his resurrection (Easter Sunday) in a worship service each of these days, may we read, listen, sing, pray, and commune with Him who is right there with us every step of the way.