Maundy Thursday 2015

+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti Amen +

Text: John 13:1
Theme: The End and Beginning of Love

Dear friends in Christ Jesus,

The love of Christ is never deficient. Heavy in heart, tired in body and burdened in spirit, Jesus gathered His fledgling band of disciples to entrust them with the most sacred gift the church possesses. On the eve of His sacrificial death He instituted the sacrament of life. He celebrated with them the final Passover meal. No longer would they wait for God’s redemption. It had arrived. They would be the first to partake of this blessed meal that the church enjoys to the end of time.

Why did God choose bread and wine? Bread was essential to maintain life. Wine helped to make life palatable. Bread was critical for survival, wine was useful for celebration. After disembarking from the ark Noah planted a vineyard. Unfortunately he also overindulged. All things- godly things, that is- in moderation. Bread and wine were always at the heart of the Passover meal. Manna bread was supplied by God for the Israelites during their journey in the wilderness. It was provisional food until they reached the Promised Land. Now the true spiritual food was given by Jesus.

“What is the benefit of this eating and drinking? 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 through these words. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.”1 The Lord’s Supper is a perpetual, life-sustaining, soul-nurturing gift to the church. It establishes the consciences of the faithful in the certainty that Christ is among us. At His ascension Christ entered fully into the sacramental life of the church. When we avail ourselves of this sacred blessing we are participating in the life of the triune God through the only Man who is God.

This participation is only possible because Christ removes the offence of sin for the believer. Evil and unbelief cannot coexist peacefully in the presence of the Holy One. Some people believe they can avoid facing the guilt of sin. But that is only a temporary situation. All will be present at the Last Judgment. Attendance is compulsory. There will be no apologies. To believe otherwise is to live in a dangerous deception. Yet there are many who still believe they are masters of their own destiny. God alone can break through such idolatry. Only the Holy Spirit can correct the falsehoods of the spirit of the age.

Has the food of the church gotten stale? Is the heavenly banquet out of date? Are so many souls so gorged with the delicacies of the world that there is no appetite for the meal of immortality? Have spiritual taste buds become dulled? These questions have obvious, but not simple answers. Fewer people are at the dinner table because they don’t see the value of being part of the family at all. Often the reason given is there are more important things to do.

What makes God’s truth, His promises and His presence relevant and important? The cry for relevance must be framed in a way that reveals selfish ulterior motives. Invalid assumptions must be deconstructed. Prerequisites and preconditions that censure God must be named for what they are- idolatry. The will of God is always relevant. It is not, however, pliable. It is not subject to human consensus and manipulation. Holy Week brings us face to face with these questions.

The timid conscience sometimes shies away from approaching the altar. The devil would have us to believe that some measure of holiness is necessary first. His temptations are sinister. Repentant souls should rush to the rail like lovers rushing to embrace after a long absence apart. To be sure, the self-righteous and unrepentant will only bring judgment on themselves and should refrain. So too, those who do not hold the public teaching of the church where the sacrament is offered. A false motive is not hidden from the Lord and neither can a hardened heart be concealed from the Spirit.

But Holy Communion is the best antidote for a struggling faith. Baptism washes sins away. Communion poisons them. The pure blood of Christ is a potent remedy to sin’s ailment. His body is the food of immortality. The Israelites gained access to the presence of God through the sacrificial blood. Not even the high priest entered into the Holy of Holies without the blood of atonement. But now the baptized receive the blood of Christ Himself. His blood justifies us before God and empowers us to love one another. The Christian community is a forgiven fellowship. Its members do not seek honour for themselves but the well-being of others. Christ modeled that in the Upper Room.

The disciples were not sure how they would face tomorrow. What did Jesus say to them? “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth.”2. He said, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”3 How will you face tomorrow? You will have the sacrament today. How will you handle the regrets of the past? You will receive the comfort of the present. How will the failures of yesterday be resolved? They will be relieved by the gifts of the present day. How will doubts about the future be laid to rest? They will be shouldered by Him who possesses eternity. You have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. You now receive Him as immortal food. The mountaintop is not reached without treading through the valleys. Christ has done that for us. He has passed through the valley of the shadow of death.4 He is our Light at the end of the tunnel. He lives! Amen.





+ In nomine Jesu +

1 Luther’s Small Catechism
2 John 16:12-13
3John 14:18
4 See Psalm 23:4

Maundy Thursday
2 April 2015
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt