“This is My body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me…This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.”
Luke 22:19-20
Martin Luther once said that if we were handing out gold coins at the altar, the balcony would collapse under the weight of those who would be waiting in line. But on this Maundy Thursday, we celebrate the truth that the Lord’s Supper is a far greater treasure. In this holy meal we have the body and blood of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ – given and shed for the forgiveness of our sin.
At the Lord’s Table, Jesus offers us what the Lutheran Confessions call a visible Gospel. The Lord attaches His Words of promise to the eating and drinking of His body and blood – in, with, and under the bread and wine. God’s promise, “given and poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins,” fills our ears and moves our hearts to faith. His grace touches our lips. We, quite literally, “taste and see that the Lord is good.” Even our sense of smell is permeated with His divine assurance.
As Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of Me”, He is commanding us to remember grace, to trust forgiveness and to stay in His love. We remember that the grace of God is a free gift – just as God gave His one and only Son as the atoning sacrifice to set us free from sin.
What a great blessing we have been given through the Lord’s Supper! In the midst of the struggles we face each day in life, God comes to us in Word and Sacrament. That is our hope in the midst of everything we face – knowing that Christ is with us and for us. Forgiveness, the strengthening of faith, the certainty of heaven, the empowering for new living, being joined with the living Christ – that is real hope!
God’s blessings to you this Holy Week!
Grace Lutheran Church 