| Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church |
|
Holy Communion
(Also called The Lord’s Supper, the Sacrament of the Altar, and the
Eucharist)
Just as in Baptism the entire person and work of
Christ are present, so also the entire Gospel is contained in the Lord's
Supper.
1 Cor. 11:23
"For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to
you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread;
24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it, and
said, "This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me."
25 In the same way He took the cup also, after supper,
saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as
you drink it, in remembrance of Me."
Many churches teach that Jesus was speaking symbolically
when He said this is my body and this is my blood. Lutherans teach that
Christ is fully human and fully divine and as such He has the power to
be present in the Sacrament of the Altar in a mysterious way. This is called
His "sacramental presence." In Holy Communion Jesus is present and a person
actually receives the forgiveness of sin when he eats and drinks the body
and blood of Christ in a worthy manner.
Holy Communion is the "holy of holies" in the Christian
church. Those who come to the altar are to be "worthy" of it.
"For anyone who eats or drinks without recognizing the Lord's
body brings a judgment on himself as he eats and drinks." (1 Cor. 11:29)
To be worthy to receive Holy Communion a person must
confess that he is unworthy, a sinner in need of forgiveness of sins, depend
solely on Christ's work for salvation, and believe Christ's words,
"This is my body, this is My blood . . . which is being poured
out for many for the forgiveness of sins." (Matt. 26:28)
A person is also to believe the true doctrines of Christ
(1 Cor. 1:10) and be able to examine himself in light of the Law and Gospel.
(1 Cor. 11:28-30)
Worthy reception of Holy Communion is the most comforting
experience in the Christian life. To know that we have been taken into
Christ's body and that He enters our body to give to us the forgiveness
of all our sins is a great comfort.
So come to Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church where
the Word of God, the Sacraments, and the liturgy are rightly used.
Immanuel offers doctrinal
instruction to those who seek communicant membership. This is particularly
true for those who come to us from outside the Lutheran tradition. To this
end Immanuel has a course that can be studied privately in your home, with
one-on-one meetings with the Pastor, or in a more formal classroom setting.
The outline of this class is published on this Website (click
here). We encourage everyone to seek this instruction. We are
confident you will find this class interesting and helpful in your spiritual
pilgrimage.
Back to Teachings Page
|
