{"id":1668,"date":"2021-02-28T03:45:32","date_gmt":"2021-02-28T03:45:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/?p=1668"},"modified":"2021-02-28T03:45:32","modified_gmt":"2021-02-28T03:45:32","slug":"holy-communion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/2021\/02\/28\/holy-communion\/","title":{"rendered":"Holy Communion"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Maundy Thursday Sermon| Rev. Rolf Preus| 1 Corinthians 10:16-17| April 18, 2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?  For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the first Maundy Thursday, Jesus was betrayed into the hands of evil people who handed him over to the Romans to be crucified.  Before he was betrayed, he washed his disciples\u2019 feet.  He taught us that true authority is exercised in humility.  Today he is highly exalted.  But he comes to us in a humble way.  On the first Maundy Thursday, Jesus gave his church Holy Communion.  In Holy Communion we commune with God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Communion is when two or more are joined together to become one.  In Holy Communion a threefold communion takes place.  First, there is a communion of the elements of the Supper with Christ\u2019s body and blood.  The bread is Christ\u2019s body.  The wine is Christ\u2019s blood.  Second, there is a communion of the Christian and Christ.  Third, there is a communion of the communicants at the altar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As with all holy mysteries, we can confess what the mystery is, but we cannot understand how it is.  How can God be three distinct persons \u2013 Father, Son, and Holy Spirit \u2013 each person being God, and yet there is only one God?  How can the Second Person of the Holy Trinity become a human being while remaining almighty God?  We confess the that.  We leave the how to God. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we try to explain the how we end up denying the that.  A body cannot be in more than one place at the same time.  Your body cannot be here and in Billings at the same time.  How can Christ\u2019s body be in Sidney and in Billings at the same time?  So then, when Jesus says, \u201cThis is my body,\u201d he didn\u2019t mean it literally.  When St. Paul wrote that the bread is the communion of the body of Christ, he didn\u2019t mean it literally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But we don\u2019t decide what we will believe by figuring out the how.  We believe what is written in the Bible.  The Bible says that the bread that is broken or distributed in the Lord\u2019s Supper is the body of Christ.  The Bible says that the wine that is blessed in the Lord\u2019s Supper is the blood of Christ.  We don\u2019t know how.  We cannot figure out how the bread can be the communion of Christ\u2019s body or how the wine can be the communion of Christ\u2019s blood.  But we believe it because the Bible says so.  There is a communion between the bread and Christ\u2019s body.  There is a communion between the wine and Christ\u2019s blood.  The Bible says so.  That makes it so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second kind of communion in Holy Communion is the communion between the believers and Christ.  Since the bread is Christ\u2019s body and the wine is Christ\u2019s blood, everyone who eats and drinks eats and drinks Christ\u2019s body and blood.  It is what it is.  Faith doesn\u2019t make the Lord\u2019s Supper the Lord\u2019s Supper.  Christ does.  His word does.  His institution does.  Whoever eats the bread eats Christ\u2019s body regardless of what he believes.  Whoever drinks the wine drinks Christ\u2019s blood regardless of what he believes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The mouth receives the body and blood.  Faith receives the benefits of Christ\u2019s body and blood.  Jesus says of his body and blood, \u201cGiven and shed for you, for the forgiveness of sins.\u201d  Jesus says, \u201cGive for you.\u201d  Faith believes Jesus.  Jesus says, \u201cShed for you for the forgiveness of sins.\u201d  Faith believes Jesus.  Where there is forgiveness of sins there is also life and salvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Holy Communion Christ communes with us and we commune with him.  Communion isn\u2019t close.  We aren\u2019t close to Jesus.  We are one with him.  We, being many, are one body.  We are one with Christ.  He is the head and we are the body.  Eating and drinking his body and blood, trusting in his body and blood for the forgiveness of sins, we commune with Jesus and are at one with him.  Not just close.  In communion with.  One with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are also joined in Holy Communion to one another.  Joined to Christ as his mystical body, we are joined to one another.  St. Paul penned the words of our text for this evening to address the heretical practice popular among some in the Corinthian congregation and elsewhere of communing at pagan temples.  You cannot join yourself to the altars of false gods.  You cannot join yourself to the altars of false teachings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The altar and the pulpit go together.  When you commune at the altar you commune with the pulpit.  We read in Acts 2:42, \u201cThey continued steadfastly in the apostles\u2019 doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers.\u201d  The bread that is broken is the communion of Christ\u2019s body.  The cup that is blessed is the communion of Christ\u2019s blood.  Those who participate in Holy Communion together are one body.  They are one in the faith.  They are joined together by the same gospel \u2013 the same doctrine.  The gospel we preach by eating and drinking is the same gospel that is preached from the pulpit.  We do not commune at churches where the public preaching and teaching is contrary to the Holy Scriptures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Closed Communion is not an option for those who believe, teach, and confess the true gospel.  We may not invite to Holy Communion those who commune at altars that teach a different doctrine.  The word for different doctrine is heterodox.  The word for sound doctrine is orthodox.  We must distinguish between orthodox and heterodox if we respect God\u2019s truth.  Open Communion is a denial of the truth.  It is to say that there is no difference between the true teaching and false teaching. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s be specific.  If we were to invite members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to commune at Trinity\u2019s altar, we would be saying that it is alright to teach that women may be pastors, homosexual couples may marry each other, the Bible contains errors and contradictions, we evolved from the animals, and so forth.  These teachings are heterodox.  That is, they are a different teaching than the teaching of God\u2019s Word.  When we do not invite to Holy Communion those who commune at heterodox altars we are not standing in judgment of their faith.  We are standing in judgment of the heterodox doctrine with which they regularly commune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whenever you commune at an altar you are confessing the doctrine of that church regardless of what you believe in your heart.  Nobody but God can see your heart.  We can recognize what is orthodox and what is heterodox.  We confess the orthodox doctrine and reject the heterodox doctrine.  To commune those who regularly commune at heterodox altars is not to show love toward them.  Christian love tells them to leave the fellowship of the heterodox church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To be orthodox does not mean you are without sin.  We would not need Holy Communion if we were not sinners.  Holy Communion makes us holy.  Christ\u2019s body and blood are holy.  Christ\u2019s sacrifice on Calvary could not have taken away our sin and this sacrament could not give us forgiveness of sins if his body and blood were not holy.  But Christ is holy.  His body and blood are holy.  Holy Communion is holy.  This holy sacrament is given to us sinners to make us holy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We need it.\u00a0 God\u2019s law examines us and reveals that we are full of sin.\u00a0 Our hearts are corrupt.\u00a0 Our desires are sinful.\u00a0 Our minds are dulled.\u00a0 We are unworthy to partake of Christ\u2019s holy body and blood.\u00a0 But Jesus invites us.\u00a0 He invites sinners.\u00a0 He invites sinners who know that they are sinners.\u00a0 He invites sinners who are sorry for their sins and want to live holy lives.\u00a0 He invites those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.\u00a0 Here is the body and blood that took away our sin on the cross.\u00a0 Here God communes with us and we with him.\u00a0 He who will come to judge the living and the dead, who knows everything there is to know about us, looks on us with his favor.\u00a0 He forgives us our sins.\u00a0 He joins himself to us and joins us to one another.\u00a0 This is the that of Holy Communion.\u00a0 The how we leave in God\u2019s hands. Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Maundy Thursday Sermon| Rev. Rolf Preus| 1 Corinthians 10:16-17| April 18, 2019 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?  For we, though many, are one bread and one body;…<\/p>\n

Read More Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,42,17,4],"tags":[377,190,238],"class_list":["post-1668","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-latest-sermons","category-maundy-thursday","category-sermons-by-historical-lectionary","category-sermons-by-rolf-preus","tag-1-corinthians-10","tag-maundy-thursday","tag-rolf-preus"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1668","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1668"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1668\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1669,"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1668\/revisions\/1669"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1668"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1668"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1668"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}