Do This in Remembrance of Me

1 Corinthians 11:23-29 After my grandfather Weidemann passed away, my grandmother gave me a note.  It was written on a little scrap of paper.  It said, “Dear Allan, when I die, I want you to have my 30-30 deer rifle.  Be careful with it.  Love Pappy.”  I had seen him carry that rifle since I was old enough to remember.  He killed dozens of deer with it and I have killed dozens more. 

But what I really treasure is that little note—part of his last will and testament—written in his own hand.  It’s much more than paper and ink—it is a concrete sign of his love for me. And when I read those words and when I hold it in my hand I remember all he meant to me.

So it is tonight throughout the Holy Christian Church on earth as we gather around altars and receive the gifts that Christ gave us in his last will and testament. 

Much more than merely bread and wine, we receive Christ’s true body and blood—the same body and blood born of the Virgin, crucified on a cross, and raised from a tomb—into our mouths to eat and drink. 

And we remember in a new and powerful way just exactly what Christ means for us and the deep and abiding love that he has for us and the incredible gifts of grace he gives to us in his most holy meal.  The Apostle Paul says:  For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you.

In every time and place where Christians have gathered in worship—every hour of every day for the two last thousand years—this meal has been celebrated and the gifts of forgiveness, life and salvation given and received. 

From the hands and lips of Jesus into the hands and mouths of his disciples and then into the hands and mouths of the early church what was given by the Lord was given to others and now has been given to us on this altar tonight:  the Lord’s Supper.

And Paul is very careful to make sure we know that what the Lord gave and what the Lord said has been passed on to us for it is HIS Supper.  It is HIS body and blood.  It is HIS sacrifice upon Calvary offered to God that’s now offered to us upon this altar.  It is HIS testamental gifts of forgiveness and life that we receive as we eat his body and drink his blood. 

We have no right to change his institution-- or attach some new meaning—or deny the plainly spoke words he said, for to do so is to change the Lord’s Supper into something else.

From Jesus to the apostles—form the apostles to the early church—from the early church down through history to us here tonight—God has graciously preserved this meal for our eternal good and has given it into our hands so that it might faithfully be given into the hands of those who follow us. 

When we insist that this meal is the Lord’s Supper and not ours to change in the slightest, we are not be rigid or unloving but are simply passing on a precious inheritance that has been faithfully given to us from the hands of the Lord himself.  Paul say that:

The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

            On the night when he was betrayed.  Those are the words that reveal the deep and profound love that make this sacred meal different than all others.  It is the truest kind of love for it is a love—not for those who return our love—but a love that extends even to an enemy.

My grandfather loved me and I loved him and he gave me an inheritance so that I would remember that love that existed between us.

But the meal we celebrate tonight and the gifts we receive at this altar were given by Jesus to those who would betray him- and abandon him- and deny him.  The meal we celebrate tonight and the gifts we receive at this altar are still given to those whose track record is not much better than the men who sat around the table with him in the upper room on that Passover evening.

We have not sold our Lord for thirty pieces of silver but we value other things above our life with him.  We have not fled from his side because of the threat of an armed guard but we have strayed from his side to simply go our own way.  We have not denied him when questioned by a little girl but our words and actions often deny that we have any relationship with him at all.

But it is exactly to those who betray him and abandon him and deny him that our Lord gives his own body and blood so that we would always be able to call to mind—in a way that is fresh and new every time we come to Holy Communion—just exactly what kind of love it is that Jesus has for us.

It is a love that led him to the cross.  It is a love that permitted his own body to be pierced with thorns and nails and spear.  It is a love that was willing to shed his own life’s blood to pay for a world full of betrayal, abandonment, and denial. 

That is what we remember tonight as we eat his body and drink his blood but it is not just a remembrance of things past—but a recognition of things present-- for this meal is the new covenant between God and us.

The Old Covenant said that the one who sins must die.  The Old Covenant said that the wages of sins is death.  The Old Covenant said that the one who sheds man’s blood, by man must be shed.  The Old Covenant pronounced death on the sinner.

But tonight receive the new covenant that is in Christ’s blood—a new way of living with God by his gracious love to us in Christ.  It is a new covenant where the innocent dies and the guilty lives.  A new covenant where death brings life.  A new covenant of forgiveness for our sins.  A new covenant that was made at the cross.  Paul said:

For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 

            St. Francis of Assisi once said, “Preach Jesus.  If necessary, use words.”  We understand his point—that not only our words but our actions are a proclamation of what we believe.  So it is in this meal. 

As we eat Christ body and drink Christ’s blood we are preaching the basic truths of the Christian faith:  that we are sinners who need these gifts of salvation. 

That such is the greatness of our sins that God had to take upon himself and die to make things right again between us and him. 

That we are incapable of making a way back to God but that in mercy he comes to us and forgives us and gives to us as a gift what we could never earn for ourselves. 

This way of understanding our life with God is to be lived out among the people of God and proclaimed by the people of God until our resurrected Savior returns to gather us to himself—and to fail in this is something very serious indeed.  Paul says: 

Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.

            When Caroline left church last Sunday there were several messages on our phone from different people in Kingsville that one of our former members, Elsie Schubert, had passed away.

I remember a conversation that I had with her and her sister Rubina about Holy Communion.  They said that growing up they were taught, and it was their mother’s example, and still their custom, to wear black to come to Holy Communion.

Not because it was a sad occasion or some morbid memorial of death, but because their piety needed a way to show that they understood what a serious thing it was to come to Holy Communion—for to misuse the sacrament is a sin against the very body and blood of the Lord.

I think that all of us would recoil in horror if we were told to drive the nails into Jesus hand and feet or cast the spear into his side or cause in any way by beatings or thorns, even a single precious drop of his blood to fall to the ground.  We just wouldn’t do it! 

But that is exactly the image that Paul uses to show what the unworthy reception of Holy Communion really is:  a sin that is perpetuated directly upon the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Given just how serious that is, what does it mean to receive the sacrament worthily?  Luther’s Small Catechism says, “That person is truly worthy and well prepared who has faith in these words: ‘Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sin.’ 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.” 

Faith in the words of Christ is what is required-- which is why Paul says that we are to examine ourselves before coming to Holy Communion.

Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup.  For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves.

            Before we come to Holy Communion we should ask ourselves these questions:  Do I confess that I am a sinner and that I am sorry for my sins?  Do I believe in Jesus Christ as my Savior from sin and death and the words that he speaks to me at this altar about what I receive under the forms of bread and wine, that it is his true body and blood?  Am I committed with the help of the Holy Spirit and the forgiveness I receive here, to change my sinful life? 

            Do this in remembrance of me.  These are the words that the Lord speaks to us tonight and to help us remember his love, he places into our hand and mouths the very same body that was pierced and the blood that was shed upon the cross as a reminder of that love.  Receiving these gifts, our faith is and our love for him is renewed.  Amen.

Our King Comes to Us

Matthew 21:1-9 During the Lenten season our focus as Christians is especially on the works of Jesus in his suffering and death and resurrection for our salvation. 

We rejoice in the Good News we heard in our epistle lesson, that Jesus “humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross”.  We recognize that this is the central teaching of all of Holy Scripture.  We remember that it is the doctrine upon which the church stands or falls.

            But it is also important for us to remember, recognize and rejoice in the fact that Jesus is not only our Savior who laid down his life for us—he is also our risen, ascended exalted King who has an absolute right to rule our lives:  each and every part—each and every day.

            And so today, as we join our voices to the citizens of Jerusalem and welcome our king who comes to die for us and as we do that I want to talk first about the rule of Jesus over our lives-- and secondly what kind of Savior we have in him. 

The Bible says that when Jesus and the disciples drew near to Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples and said to them:

Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her.  Untie them and bring them to me…and the disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them.

            Up until this moment the disciples’ track record when it came to obedience was not always everything it should have been.  But this time, at least two of them got it right—Jesus the king commanded and his servants obeyed.  This is to be the pattern for our lives as his people.

            Jesus has a right to command (and expect) obedience from his disciples-both then and now.  It is his word and will that is to have the final say in our lives because he is the King of kings and Lord of lords.

And yet, truth be told, we forget that he is our king whose lordship extends over every part of our life. 

Much too often, we do what our king has commanded us not to do.  We avoid doing what our king has commanded us to do.  We find that often times in our lives there is no submission to his will and no obedience to his word. Why?

            At least part of the answer is ignorance-we don’t know what the Scriptures say because we don’t avail ourselves of every opportunity to read and hear and learn them. 

And yet, just like in the courts of our land, so in the courts of our king—ignorance of the law is no defense.  The king has spoken—his word is readily available in the Bible -- and it is our duty to hear it, learn it, and obey it.

God expects be us to life-long learners when it comes to his Word—that we  would hold his Word sacred and gladly hear and learn it--reading our bibles at home and making Bible class a regular part of our Lord’s Day worship so that we know what God’s Word actually says about how we are to live our lives.

            Second of all, Jesus our King has a right to our possessions.  Everything we have—he has given us—we are simply stewards of what he has placed into our hands, none of which we can lay claim to and say “mine”. 

The two disciples that Jesus sent on into Jerusalem were charged with finding a donkey for the Lord’s entry into Jerusalem—an animal that belonged to someone else.  If the owner said anything about Jesus’ request, they were to:  tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them at once. 

            We don’t know who owned that donkey the Lord rode into Jerusalem-- but we do know it was enough for him to know that the Lord had need of it.  He understood that he was merely the caretaker of what actually belonged to the King.

The Bible says that, “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof” and so Jesus our King has a perfect right to all that we have-- for it is his.  We are only stewards of what belongs to the Lord.

            No less now than then, the Lord has need of what we mistakenly call “mine”.  The work of the Gospel in this place is supported entirely by the gifts God’s people give in grateful response to God’s love. 

Unfortunately, too many of God’s people do not have the generous attitude of the owner of the donkey and simply say “no” to the Lord when he asks us to support his saving mission from our tithes and offerings.

            This should not be.  Jesus our king asks for only a small portion of the first-fruits of what he has already give us and so we are to give generously as our Lord commands.

            Thirdly, our King Jesus has a right to expect that we will participate in some way (whether big or small) in his mission. 

Jesus needed two of his disciples to fetch the donkey that day.  He needed the owner of the donkey to give it into the Lord’s service.  Later that week he would need his disciples to find and prepare a room for the Passover meal. 

The King’s mission of mercy and forgiveness (that was about to reach its fulfillment in the cross and empty tomb) needed these workers if it was to take place—and they were blessed to have a part in it.

            That is still true today—the Lord needs you to be involved in his mission. The Bibles says that:  we are salt and light in this dark and dying world to make the world a better place and reveal the presence and purpose of our king—we are a kingdom of priests called to serve others and pray for the lost—we are ambassadors of the king through whom he makes his appeal to the world to come to him and be saved. 

This is not my opinion about who you are.  This is what the Savior has made you to be in Holy Baptism-- and what the King says about you in his Word-- and he has a right to expect our service in the work of his kingdom on earth.

            Besides our serious responsibilities as Christians in the context of our vocations as parents and citizens and workers and students, each of us has an important role to play in in the mission of the King--whether that is helping with VBS, or cleaning up after a fellowship meal, or serving as an usher or greeter. 

And so when I ask for your help, I am not asking for myself-- but I am asking on behalf of the king.  Each of us ought to be doing something with the time and talent that God has given us to build up the kingdom of God in this place. 

Finally, our King Jesus has the right to our worship.  The Bible says that:

A crowd spread their cloaks on the road and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!  Hosanna in the highest!”

            On any given Sunday, about half of the people of Trinity Lutheran Church make a conscious decision not to worship the Lord.  On Wednesday evenings it is even smaller percentage who worship the King.

            And while I cannot call everyone to ask them what they regarded as more important than assembling together to worship their king, let there be no doubt that the question does not remain unasked.

The Lord asks it of each of us:  “Where were you when the people of God came together to worship me”?  To go week after week without worshiping (as so many do) is nothing less than rebellion against the King’s command.

            When we remember and recognize that:   Jesus has a right to our obedience—he has a right to our possessions—he has a right to expect that we will do our duty in his kingdom—he has a right to our worship—then the cries of the people of Jerusalem that first Palm Sunday become our own:  “Hosanna to the Son of David!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Hosanna in the highest!” 

            Lord, save us!  Lord, save us from our disobedience to your word!  Save us from our lack of reverent submission to your will!  Save us from our refusal to acknowledge every day, in every way, your rightful rule over our lives as king! 

Lord, save us!  And so he does—for our King is a Savior who comes to us to lay down his life for us and make a place for us in his kingdom.  Our king is a savior whose crown is not gold and jewels but thorns.  Our king is a Savior whose throne is a cross.  The Bible says that the events of Palm Sunday

Took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king come to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.

Just as then, so today, we have before us a day of the King’s gentle grace—a day to acknowledge and confess that we have not always been obedient subjects in Jesus’ kingdom—a day to praise him that he does not come to us in terror and judgment as we deserve—but comes to us in gentleness, bearing the gifts of forgiveness and mercy that he won for us at the cross.

            For the sake of his disobedient servants and in our place, the King became an obedient servant and died.  It is the blood he shed upon Calvary that is the new covenant between God and us—a covenant of peace for all nations through faith in Jesus—a covenant we receive today at this altar in Holy Communion. The Lord told Zechariah:

Because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.  Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope, today I declare that I will restore to you double.

            On Palm Sunday, our king comes to us, not to impose his will upon us by force or to compel our obedience or demand some tribute.  No!  Our king comes to us to save us from the dark pit of death sins and give us hope in the midst of our sins and restore to us all that Satan has taken from us. 

Because this is the kind of King we have in Jesus—one who is gentle and humble—we will gladly kneel before him in grateful obedience and confess to the world that he is not only our Savior but also our King.  May God grant that it would always be so in our lives!  Amen.