Questions and Answers

If you’ve attended several different churches, you’ve probably noticed that practices differ (sometimes greatly) between congregations, even within a particular denomination or church body. Some churches are more traditional, others prefer more modern worship practices. Often, even if unintentional, church practices are teaching tools. They are structured to help congregants understand and appreciate the gifts that God gives us in the Divine Service. In any case, in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, we try to ensure that practices are always done in reverence and clarity.

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The Sacrament of the Altar, which we variously call Communion, the Eucharist, or the Lord’s Supper, is one practice for which reverence and clarity are very important. The bottom line is this, we believe Jesus when He says, “this is My body” and “this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:26,28). We don’t attempt to understand how the elements can be both bread and body, wine and blood. We simply trust in the words of our Lord. Since the elements of the Lord’s Supper are the true body and blood of Jesus Christ, we treat them with the utmost reverence. You may see the pastor and others bow or take a knee at the Words of Institution, when the real presence of our Lord comes among us. 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 (1 Corinthians 10:16).

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!

One big difference in the handling of the Lord’s Supper is communing the remaining body and blood at the conclusion of the last table. Here again, our practice is informed by what happened to Jesus’ body and blood in the Gospel accounts. It was eaten and drunk in the Lord’s Supper and His blood was spilled on the earth at His crucifixion. Since we trust our Lord at His word, “this is my body,” we do not put the remaining bread back into a package. Since we believe Him when He says, “this is my blood,” we do not pour the remaining wine back into the bottle. Rather, we consume it, as He commanded us to do. When the individual cups are cleaned after the service, they are washed in a basin and the water, mingled with the remaining blood of Christ, is not poured down the drain, but onto the earth.

Receiving the Lord’s Supper is another place where you may see some differences from person to person. Some people prefer that the pastor place the body of Christ in their hands, while others receive it directly on the tongue. In either case, we passively receive this incredible gift, not earning or taking it, but accepting it in meekness and humility. Similarly, some people prefer to take the individual cups holding the blood of Christ, while others prefer to drink of the common cup, as Jesus’ disciples did. In either case, we partake of the same wine poured from the same bottle. Interestingly, there are no cases of sickness being spread through drinking from the common communion cup. The silver in the cup is antimicrobial and the purificator is used to wipe the edge before each person drinks. There is some evidence that the common cup is actually less likely to spread germs than the individual cups. 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. 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 you exactly what He says He does, His true body and blood given to you for the forgiveness of sins.