Questions and Answers

In the ancient world, the early Christian church faced a strange accusation. Non-Christians denounced them as cannibals! After all, Christians talked about eating the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Of course, Jesus ascended (bodily!) into heaven after His resurrection (Acts 1:9-11), but before He died on the cross to atone for the sins of all people, Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper by telling the disciples to eat and drink what He called His body and blood.

Most modern churches still celebrate the Lord’s Supper but differ in practice and doctrine (teaching). Some churches are more traditional, others prefer more modern worship practices. Sometimes church practices are used as teaching tools. Other times, they are structured to help people to understand and appreciate the gifts of God. At Peace Lutheran Church, we try to ensure that practices are always done in reverence and with clarity, informed by historic church practices and founded and rooted in the Word of God.

The Sacrament of the Altar, which is variously called Communion or the Lord’s Supper, is one practice for which reverence and clarity are extremely important. The bottom line is this, we believe Jesus when He says, “this is My Body” and “this is My Blood” (Matthew 26:26-28). We don’t attempt to understand how the elements of the Lord’s Supper can be both bread and body, wine and blood. We simply trust in the words of our Lord. After all, if the Word (Jesus) created all things (John 1:1-3), why could He not unite His body and blood with the bread and wine? We don't say that the elements are no longer bread and wine (we can feel and taste that they are), but simply that they are also the body and blood of Christ, because He says they are!

Since the elements of the Lord’s Supper are the true body and blood of Jesus Christ, we treat them with the utmost reverence. In our services, you may see the pastor and others bow or take a knee at the Words of Our Lord, when the real presence of our Jesus comes to us, offered for the forgiveness of our sins. Participants in the Lord’s Supper may also bow when they approach the Altar, where Jesus’ true body and blood are present. While these practices are not strictly necessary, they help us to recognize the incredible gift that we are given, the forgiveness of sins received through faith when we participate in the body and blood of Jesus.

Another way that the Lord’s Supper can vary is in the type and handling of the elements. To avoid confusion, pastors may strictly adhere to a particular practice that reaffirms our trust in Jesus’s words and actions. For example, we use the same elements that Jesus used when he instituted the Sacrament, fermented grape juice and unleavened bread. We use port wine in the Lord’s Supper because it is simply that, fermented grape juice, without additives or modifications. Similarly, we use unleavened bread in the form of small wafers. One interesting note is that those wafers are created from a larger sheet of unleavened bread, so we all share from the same loaf!

After the entire congregation has communed, the remaining elements are eaten and drunk. We believe that they are truly the body and blood of Jesus, so we do with them what was done in the Gospel, we eat and drink them at Jesus’ command. We do not put them back into a package or pour them back into a bottle or down a drain. When the cups are cleaned after the service, the water used for washing, now mingled with the blood of Christ, is poured on the ground, as Jesus’ blood was spilled on the ground under the cross. Practice informs faith, so we are careful to treat these gifts as they are, holy.

During the Lord’s Supper, you may see that some people prefer to receive the body of Christ in their hands, while others receive it directly on the tongue. Each person has Christian freedom in this reception, but in both cases we passively receive this incredible gift, not earning or taking it, but accepting it in meekness and humility. Similarly, some people prefer to receive the blood of Christ in individual cups, while others prefer to drink of the common cup, as Jesus’ disciples did. The silver in the cup is antimicrobial and a purificator (cloth) is used to wipe the edge before each person drinks, so germs are not a problem. No matter one’s preference, though, we trust that God is using this Sacrament for the forgiveness of sins and to strengthen and enliven our faith, all to our benefit and not harm.

Maybe you are familiar with these practices, or maybe they are new to you. Are they strictly necessary? Perhaps not, but Jesus commanded us do this “often” and “in remembrance” of Jesus (1 Corinthians 11:23-26), that is, in faith. In any case, the reverence and clarity with which we handle the Lord’s Supper is not done as a good work, but rather as a testament to the truth, that in this Sacrament our Lord Jesus Christ gives exactly what He says He does, His true body and blood given for the forgiveness of sins.