1. Communion
Benefit of Communion
Recognizing Jesus' Real Presence in the Lord's Supper
Memorization Verses:
"Given and shed for you for the For where there is forgiveness of
forgiveness of sins.” sins, there is also life and salvation.
2. LSB 643 to work for God's kingdom and answer
http://rockhay.tripod.com/worship/music/ his call.
sentforth.htm
2. With praise and thanksgiving
1. Sent forth by God's blessing, to God ever-living
our true faith confessing, the tasks of our everyday life we will
the people of God from this dwelling take face.
leave. Our faith ever sharing,
The supper is ended. in love ever caring,
Oh, now be extended embracing the children of each tribe and
the fruits of this service in all who race.
believe. With your feast you feed us,
The fruit of Christ's teaching, with your light now lead us,
receptive souls reaching, unite us as one in this life that we share.
shall blossom in action for God and for Then may all the living
all. with praise and thanksgiving
His grace did invite us, give honor to Christ and his name that we
his love shall unite us bear.
3. Communion Gifts
Think of all the
communion –like gifts
from God throughout the
scriptures.
What did they mean to
the people in context?
4. Pray: junipers.
10 He makes springs pour water into 18 The high mountains belong to the
PRAYER the ravines; wild goats;
it flows between the mountains. the crags are a refuge for the hyrax.
• Shed for you 11 They give water to all the beasts of 19 He made the moon to mark the
• Forgiveness the field;
the wild donkeys quench their
seasons,
and the sun knows when to go
• Live and thirst.
12 The birds of the sky nest by the
down.
20 You bring darkness, it becomes
Salvation waters; night,
• Victory and they sing among the branches.
13 He waters the mountains from his
and all the beasts of the forest
prowl.
21 The lions roar for their prey
Strength upper chambers;
the land is satisfied by the fruit of and seek their food from God.
• Confession his work.
14 He makes grass grow for the cattle,
22 The sun rises, and they steal away;
they return and lie down in their
and Unity and plants for people to cultivate— dens.
P raise bringing forth food from the earth:
15 wine that gladdens human hearts,
23 Then people go out to their work,
to their labor until evening.
R epentance oil to make their faces shine, 24 How many are your works,
A ppreciation and bread that sustains their hearts.
16 The trees of the LORD are well
LORD!
In wisdom you made them all;
Y ou watered, the earth is full of your creatures.
E veryone the cedars of Lebanon that he 25 There is the sea, vast and spacious,
planted.
R esolve 17 There the birds make their nests;
the stork has its home in the
5. •What is the benefit of this eating and drinking?
•What is the benefit offered in this sacrament?
•______________________________
SS Shed for you
M Forgiveness
T Life and Salvation
W Victory and Strength
Th Confession and Unity
Say Mean Matter
Key phrases Own words Answer the
questions/
Personal
application
6. Or how about this, "Business might be
slow. I might have lost my biggest
account but I know I'm not buried, I'm
planted. I know God's got another
victory in my future. I know my best
days are still out in front of me.“
When you're in tough times and
everything that could go wrong
does, you've got to dig your heels in
and say "This attack was meant to
destroy me but i've got inside
information that it cannot bury me. It's
only planting me. And I'm not only
going to come out, I'm gonna come out
like Job - with twice what I had before.
7. The scripture talks about in James how we should
wait for God's promises like a farmer waits for his
harvest. I've never seen a farmer plant a crop, then
worry night and day if it's gonna come up. He
doesn't lose sleep at night and say, "Please pray that
my corn's gonna take root. Please pray that I'm
gonna have a harvest." No. He waits with a
knowing, with a confidence. In fact he doesn't
neccessarily hope that it happens, he doesn't even
have to believe that it will happen; He takes it one
step further - he knows that his harvest is on its
way. He's seen it happen time and time again.
Somebody asks you, "You still think you're gonna
get out of debt with the economy being as bad as it
is?" Tell him, "I don't think so. I know so. It's just a
matter of time."
8. But we, as recovering alcoholics, are still
prone to the “I-am-Unique” syndrome that
many of us felt when we were drinking. We
may be even more prone to it now as we look
around church at our fellow believers. After
all, we are/were the most miserable sinner(s) in
this congregation, weren‟t we? Our past sins
were much larger than their petty sins could
ever be, aren‟t they? After all, Lord, we
“wallowed in alcoholism” and all the sins that
came with it, didn‟t we? Weren‟t we the
unfaithful spouses, the bad parents, the gross
liars, cheaters and thieves? And on top of all of
that, some of us did all that while loudly
professing to be “good Christians” didn‟t we?
Can we really expect equal forgiveness for all
that, Lord? I mean, we know that you forgive
the „regular sinners‟, but us, Lord??
9. These words, "Given and shed for you
for the forgiveness of sins," show us
that in the Sacrament forgiveness of
sins, life, and salvation are given us
through these words. For where there
is forgiveness of sins, there is also life
and salvation.
•
10. “No one can read the Gospels
without feeling the actual
presence of Jesus. His
personality pulsates in every
word. No myth is filled with
such life.” Albert Einstein
The Lord‟s Supper resonates
with the human soul because:
It is a simple meal between
friends
It is a sacrificial meal that
underscores a promise fulfilled
It is a physical meal that brings
to us the natural designer of
both body and soul (as opposed
to other “naturals”)
11. “He who hears you hears
Me” - Jesus
The Eucharist, and all the
descriptive and
prescriptive sacraments
throughout scripture bring
to active remembrance in
us Christ‟s true presence
Active bodily through
elements and words
Active spiritually through
love and faith
12. “This is my body given for you; 1. Didomenon:
do this in remembrance of me.” giving to you from one‟s authority
to swma mou to uper um
wn didomenon 2. eu)logeÑw
That which you set apart and
Therefore, my beloved, flee praised. Allowed to bring forth and
from idolatry. I speak as to wise prosper
men; you judge what I say. Is
not the cup of blessing which 3. Koinwnia
we bless a sharing in the blood Intimate coupling
of Christ? Is not the bread Becoming one flesh, as in
which we break a sharing in the intercourse
body of Christ? 17 Since there is Intimately, spiritually, and
one bread, we who are many are physically united.
one body; for we all partake of Context: How to exist in the world
the one bread. while being loyal to the Supper
(which binds us to the church and
to Christ) and not be accused of
idolatry ourselves.
13. Christ sees all of the guilt we
rack up daily. Understanding
we are utterly cut off and in
rebellion because of a corrupt
nature.
Our sin is like a cancer that
boils into violence and
destruction
Christ KNOWS how to
forgive, DOES the
forgiving, and brings that
forgiveness like a blood
transfusion.
14. A. The chief blessing of the 1 John 1:7 The blood of Jesus, His
Sacrament is the forgiveness of sins Son, purifies us from all sin.
which Christ's body and blood have •Pray: O my God, though I am a
won for us on the cross. (The Lord's sinner, yet I am not a sinner. On my
Supper is a means of grace.) own and apart from Christ, I am a
Matt. 26:28 This is My blood of the sinner. But in my Lord Jesus Christ
covenant, which is poured out for many and apart from me, I am no sinner. I
for the forgiveness of sins. firmly believe that He has destroyed
1 Peter 1:18-19 You know that it was all my ins with His precious blood.
not with perishable things such as silver To show this, I am baptized, cleansed
or gold that you were redeemed from by God’s Word, and declared
the empty way of life handed down to absolved and freed from all my sins.
you from your forefathers, but with the In the Sacrament of the true body
precious blood of Christ, a lamb and blood of my Lord Jesus Christ I
without blemish or defect. have received the forgiveness of sins
as a sure sign of grace. This He has
Col. 1:22 He has reconciled you by
merited, won, and accomplished for
Christ's physical body through death to
me by the shedding of His precious
present you holy in His sight, without
blood. For this I thank Him in
blemish and free from accusation.
eternity. Amen. (Luther).
15. Michael and Cheryl are married for 24 years.
Michael has been fighting kidney disease for 30.
Kidney failure was inevitable, and Michael was
dying. Cheryl is tested for 3 weeks. Doctors
discover a perfect match between them. The
odds: 1 in 30,000.
Christ unites with us. Comes down to
us. Transplants us.
By His body
By His blood
A perfect and unique match
This unity is a new organ, a heart of
flesh, that longs for forgiveness,
repentance, righteousness and peace
with neighbor.
His blood creates this new heart in us.
We are His bride whom He loves.
16. B. Together with forgiveness, God Rom. 8:31-32 If God is for us, who can
gives all other blessings as well, that be against us? He who did not spare His
is, "life and salvation." own Son, but gave Him up for us all-
"We must never regard the how will He not also, along with
sacrament as a harmful thing from Him, graciously give us all things?
which we should flee, but as a •
pure, wholesome, soothing medicine Pray: Lord Jesus, I thank You that
which aids and quickens us in both in the words of institution You have
soul and body. For where the soul is clearly and unmistakably stated what
healed, the body has benefited also" You desire to give me in the Holy
(Large Catechism V 68). Supper, namely, forgiveness of
"We are talking about the presence sins, life, and salvation. O my dear
of the living Christ, knowing that Savior, grant me Your Holy
'death no longer has dominion over Spirit, that I may fasted my eyes
Him' [Rom. 6:9] (Apology X 4). upon these Your words, gathering
Rom. 6:8-9 If we died with Christ, we comfort there in true faith, and so
believe that we will also live with Him. obtain blessing that lasts through all
For we know that since Christ raised eternity by partaking of Your Holy
from the dead, He cannot die again; Supper. Amen. (Zorn).
death no longer has mastery over Him.
17. Tolkien beautifully illustrates
the Threefold office of Christ
Gandalf: The prophet who
declares an end to death and
sacrificing for his friends
Frodo: The Priest and sin
bearer of humble origins who
endures evil and pain for his
friends
Aragon: The King who rules
fairly from both humanity and
divinity, and with the unity of
authority between the prophet
and priest
18. How could it be said that bread and
wine accomplish victory?
It is common; of those who are
starving and afflicted.
Of those who are defeated.
Of those who drink from a sponge
Within a simple meal, the
omnipotence of God is intimately
revealed to us IN SUFFERING
This suffering covenant speaks
directly to a grieving
soul, empowering precisely in its
weakness
Identifying with our plight while
redeeming us from it.
Eating with the Sacrificial Lamb
19. C. In the Sacrament Christ gives
victory over sin and hell and strength
for the new life in Him.
Rom. 8:10 If Christ is in you, your body
is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is
alive because of righteousness.
1 Peter 2:24 He Himself bore our sins in
His body on the tree, so that we might
die to sins and live for righteousness; by
His wounds you have been healed.
•
20. “For MY sins. For MY sins.” He
sounded like he was being given a
precious gift. The joy in his voice
rivaled the joy of any child I‟ve
ever seen on Christmas morning.
This man, in simple childlike
faith actually believed the words
spoken by the Pastor. But they
were not the Pastor‟s words. They
were Christ‟s words. They were
words of forgiveness. They were
words of good news. That night
this young man with the faith of a
child believed the words of Christ
and as a result he tasted the
forgiveness of HIS sins.
21. Christ bids us by His confession; a
simple, child-like confession for which we
proclaim in our own examination and
partaking
He becomes a child for us. Knowing our
weaknesses and difficulties of understanding
We unite with Christ and one another, bended
knee, in front of an exposed and available altar
that merely foreshadows the real altar in
Heaven
Whether we eat or drink, or whatever we
do, we do it to the glory of God and in service
to neighbor.
The supper is meant to be shared with all who
are elected and called. Proclaim its importance
however you can!
22. D. As Christians partake of this sacrament Pray: Lord Jesus Christ, eternal Son of
together, they make a solemn public God, I am not worthy to open my lips and
confession of Christ and of unity in the receive the most precious sacrament of
truth of His Gospel. Your body and blood. For I am a sin-
1 Cor. 10:17 Because there is one loaf, we, stained man, but You are the Lord whom
who are many, are one body, for we all the heavens cannot encompass. How then
partake of the one loaf. can a human being who is but dust and
ashes be worthy to receive Your most holy
1 Cor. 11:26 Whenever you eat this bread
body and precious blood! I well know and
and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's
acknowledge that my sins are many and
death until He comes.
that for that reason I am an unworthy
Note: See also Heb. 12:22-24: But you have guest at Your table. But I also sincerely
come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living believe and confess with my lips that by
God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come Your grace You can render me worthy.
to thousands upon thousands of angels in You can transform sinners into true and
joyful assembly, 23 to the church of the holy men, when by Your grace You forgive
firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. sin and renew us with Your Holy Spirit.
You have come to God, the Judge of all, to Grant me grace, that I may worthily
the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 to approach Your altar. May I not become
Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to guilty of Your body and blood by
the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word unworthy eating and drinking and receive
than the blood of Abel. death in place of life. Amen. (Johann
Habermann, 1516-90).
23. It is for precisely this reason, and at this time that Jesus comes to us with his
Lord‟s Supper. We—just as other „regular sinners‟ can and do become
oppressed and depressed as we each, in our own way, view our past lives of
sin. We all can, and sometimes do, doubt that God can forgive us, . . .
everyone else, yes, of course, but not us, especially not me. Then Jesus
comes to us, much as He did with His disciple Thomas. Thomas needed to
see, touch, taste, handle, to believe that Christ had arisen. He had been
shaken very deeply by the crucifixion. And we too, as with all other
believers—when we are shaken to the point of doubting God‟s love and
forgiveness by the magnitude of our past sinful lives, we, too, need to
see, hear, touch, taste and handle, just as he did. We too need that
tangible, visible, able-to-be-sensed- by-our-senses assurance that we are
truly and in fact, forgiven. And we alcoholics especially, who so often are so
easily reminded of what we have done, lost, or thrown away because of our
drinking—we perhaps more than any
24. LSB 642
3 You gave me all I wanted;
1 O Living Bread from heaven, This food can death destroy.
How well You feed Your guest! And You have freely granted
The gifts that You have given The cup of endless joy.
Have filled my heart with rest. My Lord, I do not merit
Oh, wondrous food of blessing, The favor You have shown,
Oh, cup that heals our woes! And all my soul and spirit
My heart, this gift possessing, Bow down before Your throne.
With praises overflows. 4 Lord, grant me then, thus
2 My Lord, You herehave led me strengthened
To this most holy place With heav'nly food, while here
And with Yourself have fed me My course on earth is lengthened,
The treasures of Your grace; To serve with holy fear.
For You have freely given And when You call my spirit
What earth could never buy, To leave this world below,
The bread of life from heaven, I enter, through Your merit,
That now I shall not die. Where joys unmingled flow.
25. These words, "Given and shed for you for Catechism V 68).
the forgiveness of sins," show us that in the "We are talking about the presence of the
Sacrament forgiveness of sins, life, and living Christ, knowing that 'death no longer
salvation are given us through these words. has dominion over Him' [Rom. 6:9]
For where there is forgiveness of sins, there (Apology X 4).
is also life and salvation. C. In the Sacrament Christ gives victory
A. The chief blessing of the Sacrament is over sin and hell and strength for the new
the forgiveness of sins which Christ's body life in Him.
and blood have won for us on the cross. D. As Christians partake of this sacrament
(The Lord's Supper is a means of grace.) together, they make a solemn public
B. Together with forgiveness, God gives all confession of Christ and of unity in the
other blessings as well, that is, "life and truth of His Gospel.
salvation." •
"We must never regard the sacrament as a
harmful thing from which we should flee,
but as a pure, wholesome, soothing
medicine which aids and quickens us in
both soul and body. For where the soul is
healed, the body has benefited also" (Large
