St. John 13:1–15, 34–35
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Peter thought he was clean. He thought he could stand up on his own two feet. He thought he could never forsake Jesus, even if it meant dying for Jesus. Peter was wrong. His feet were unclean, and he could not stand against temptation by his own strength. He didn’t just forsake Jesus, he denied Him. In the face of suffering, in the grip of fear, his true heart was exposed.
Trials and suffering, crosses and sicknesses often expose our hearts. They reveal what we truly fear, love, or trust. For many of us, this crisis has done just that. What do you miss most? What’s stinging your conscience? What have you been willing to give up? What are you most afraid of losing? This reveals your true heart.
This epidemic and our reactions to it, have struck hard at our churches. Normally, in times of crisis, the pews get more full. In this one, many churches stand empty, locked, the pastor and the people at home. We all have had to give up a lot in the past few weeks. But what should hurt most is what many have had to give up in the church. Many people have severe risks. Many must take extreme measures for their own safety or for the safety of others. And sadly, for many, this means not being able to attend public worship, and worst of all, not being able to receive the Lord’s Supper.
I am not here passing judgment on anyone’s personal decision. I am not binding anyone’s conscience as to whether they should be coming to the Supper at this time. Each of us must always make that decision and preparation for that holy meal for ourselves. I will never force anyone to receive the Lord’s Supper, especially at this time of danger and uncertainty. I will never urge you to risk your health. That is not my place.
But here’s what I do need to say, tonight of all nights, on the night our Lord instituted His most gracious Supper: Being unable to receive the Lord’s Supper should make you want to weep. It might very well be the right call for you to abstain for now, I’m not doubting that. Nevertheless, it should tear you up inside. Being kept from your Lord’s body and blood should be a cause for mourning, and for longing.
But if your response to not being able to receive the Lord’s Supper at this time is simply to say, “Oh well. Yeah, it’s too bad. But I’ll get by. Anyway, what can you do? Just one of those things.” Then your heart has been exposed. And it’s not a heart clinging to Christ alone. Also, I know it’s true that God never promised us that germs and viruses couldn’t spread within the walls of our sanctuary, but if you have concluded that germs are somehow more of a threat in our church building than they are anywhere else, then your heart has been revealed. If you think it’s too dangerous to receive the Lord’s Supper, but you’re still going to the grocery store, the gas station, the bank drive–through, fast food drive–through, and all the other supposedly essential businesses that are still open, then you are declaring through your actions that Wonder Bread is worth the risk, but the Bread of Life is not. In all of this, you are not seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. You are not hungering and thirsting for the body and blood of Jesus, because it’s not the very beating heart of your life. You don’t believe that you need the righteousness of Christ more than anything else in this world.
You do need it. Our Lord gave this Supper, He commanded us that we have this Supper. It’s nonnegotiable. It’s not an option for when we feel like it or when it fits in our life. Our Lord gave it because we have a much worse sickness than any virus. We have the absolutely terminal illness known as sin and death. So, we need our Lord’s medicine, in every way He prescribes it.
We need this Supper, not only in the sense that we need to do it because Jesus says so, but more importantly, more wonderfully, we need this holy food because we need the health and peace, the comfort and strength it gives us. If you still have a body, then you need this Supper. As long as you are in this flesh and blood that’s so corrupted by sinful desires, then you are going to need your Lord’s holy flesh and blood. If you are still in this fallen world, then you still need this heavenly Supper. Because in this life, there is no end to the sickness, the disasters, and the crises. You will need the peace He gives through His body and blood. And, if you’re still a flesh and blood sinner, and you still live in this fallen world, then the devil is coming for you, and you will need this Supper for your protection. As long as you are a Christian you have to be on guard, because the devil is not going to leave you alone. In fact, if you say, “I think I’m fine. I don’t really need the Lord’s Supper right now,” then that’s probably a good sign that the devil has tricked you, that he’s convinced you everything is fine and you don’t really need Jesus at this moment. And that’s exactly where he wants every Christian to be, thinking, “I’m fine on my own.” Then he’s got us.
Now, I don’t say any of this out of anger or disappointment. I’m not trying to force people to the Supper. And I don’t say any of this to any specific person, either in our congregation or anywhere else. But I say it out of duty to my office and calling. It is my job to teach and to warn, so that people are not caught and held captive by sin or a bad conscience. And I say this so that I may also give comfort and encouragement to those who are mourning, to all who grieve the loss of the Supper at this time.
If you have had to stay home, if you are kept away from your Lord’s body and blood due to these circumstances outside your control, if you feel trapped by fear and anxiety, then I also want to speak these precious words of Jesus to you: Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28). Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid (John 14:27). Even if you are unable to receive the Lord’s Supper at this time, your Lord Jesus can still give you rest and peace. You are still able to feed upon the His life-giving body and blood through faith. This is what the old Lutherans called “spiritual eating,” and it’s nothing more than what Christians do at all times: hear Christ’s Word with faith and love. In fact, without that faith, eating and drinking His body and blood with our mouths would do us no good, but only harm.
So, we treasure His Word, our souls feed upon Him as He comes to us in that Word. And in every trouble or temptation, we can firmly rely on His Word and know that we have a gracious God who loves us and accepts us, all on account of our Savior Jesus Christ. Our Lord does not limit Himself to only one way for us to receive His gifts. His Word and all His mercy comes to us in many ways, all for the sake of our faith, that we would have a good conscience before Him. So, even if you are unable right now to receive your Lord’s body and blood with your mouths, you still receive Him by faith. One of the Lord’s ways of delivering His goodness has been removed from you for a little while, but you still have His Word. You still are His baptized child. You still are able to call upon Him in prayer. You still feed upon His life by faith and so are blessed.
And yet, while some of the Church is being sustained by our Lord without His Supper, the Church can never really lose the Lord’s Supper entirely. It is still the beating heart of our life. It is the crucified and risen Lord present in our midst. So, those of us who are able to gather still gather. Come to the Feast that your King has prepared for you. Come, all who are hungry and thirsty, all who are scared and weak, all who are sick and tired, all who are sick and tired of the sin still clinging to them. His body fills your emptiness, and gives strength for tomorrow and the next day. His blood drowns your sorrows and worries, and intoxicates with pure heavenly joy. This holy food will sustain His people so long as they remain in the wilderness of this world.
The Church will never stop or vanish from the earth, even if she is reduced to only two or three gathered in Christ’s name. He will not let His Church fall. The Lord will never let His Supper disappear entirely, so that when it comes time for the doors of our churches to be flung wide open once again, the Lord and His Church will still be there, delivering His body and blood to sick sinners in need of His medicine. It is a medicine for the cancer of sin. It is a medicine for the weakness of faith. It is a medicine that cures death, that will bring us, body and soul together, to that life and world everlasting. Oh give thanks unto the Lord for He is good, and His mercy endures forever.
In the Holy + Name of Jesus. Amen.
A Prayer for Worthy Communion and for those unable to receive Communion at this time
O God, who desires not the death of a sinner, but rather that he turn from his evil way and live, we come before You although we have sinned and deserve only Your wrath. But we flee to Your mercy in Christ Jesus, our Lord, who gave His body and His blood for our redemption. Lord, grant that we may ever thus believe and never waver. Grant that in such faith we may worthily come to Your altar to eat the very body and drink the true blood which Your Son gives to us, that we may duly praise, laud, and honor Your love and Your mercy all the days of our life. But, O Lord, many of Your faithful Christians are unable at this time to receive in their mouths Christ’s true body and blood. Stir up their minds and hearts to a salutary remembrance of His benefits. Grant that by faith we all may spiritually partake of Him as we recall the Words of His new and eternal Testament. Grant us ever to rejoice in how Your Son once offered Himself upon the altar of the cross in our place. Fill all Your people now with His blood-bought forgiveness, and pour Your heavenly benediction and grace upon everyone who devoutly remembers His holy sacrifice. Finally, gather us all together from the ends of the earth to celebrate with all the faithful the marriage feast of the Lamb in His kingdom, which has no end. Graciously receive our prayers, deliver and preserve us, for to You alone we give all glory, honor, and worship, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
