It Is Not A Mere Symbol, Sign, Or Representation

Text: 1 Corinthians 11:23-32

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

What is it that we eat and drink this evening?  What is it that Christ instituted long ago in that upper room with His disciples?  

Many people will answer this by saying that communion is nothing more than a symbol.  They will say that the bread and wine are visible signs of Christ’s body and blood crucified on the cross.

And so, according to this way of thinking, communion is definitely important, but it is not really the real thing.  In other words, as a symbol, communion points to what is genuinely important.  You see, symbols are pictures of real things, but they are not the real thing.  In the end, signs are merely signs.  Symbols are merely symbols.  Nothing more. 

Now, it is important for us to unpack this a bit more. If the bread that we eat and the wine that we drink in communion are symbols or signs, then they are like arrows that point our attention to the body and blood of Jesus on the cross.  In other words, the red wine points away from itself to remind us of the blood of Christ on the cross. And the bread, well… it points us away from itself to remind us of the body of Christ that suffered on the cross.  And so, according to this way of thinking, the eating of the bread and the drinking of the red wine are – again – signs that point us to what is really important: the body and blood of Christ on the cross.  The bread and wine are good but not as important as Christ on the cross, which is why the bread and wine are understood figuratively in this way of thinking.  The bread and wine are to be eaten and drank, which inspires the mind and heart to conjure up images and pious feelings of Jesus dying on the cross.  Again, according to this way of thinking, the bread represents the body of Christ, and the wine represents the blood of Christ which then brings about certain thoughts, feelings, and images – that is it.  Nothing more.  

Now, if this is what communion is really about, then we could agree that it is important.  However, if this is what communion is really about, is it really that important to take communion every week?  After all, how often must a person be reminded about the shed blood and body of Christ on the cross – once a week, once a month, four times a year?  Furthermore, if communion is nothing more than a symbol or a sign or a representation, do the elders and pastors need to be that reverent with the breed and wine? Do we need to bow before mere symbols – a figurative meal?  Do the elders and altar circle need to handle the bread and wine with awe and reverence if the bread and wine are just signs – mere representations of something greater?   

Dear friends, it is important to note that there is a direct link between a church’s theology about communion and its practices surrounding communion.  In other words – hear this very clearly - the more a church sees communion as a symbol, sign, representation, or a figurative meal, the less frequently the church will partake of the Lord’s Supper.  Furthermore, the more a church sees communion as a symbol, sign, representation, or a figurative meal, the less reverence a church and her members will have with respect to handling and receiving the bread and wine.  

You see, that supper long ago, when Jesus was in the upper room with His disciples, He took bread and wine and said, “This is my body; this is my blood.”  Now, take special notice that Jesus says nowhere in the Gospels, “This bread is a sign or symbol of my body.”  He never gives the impression to the disciples that the wine is ‘figuratively’ his blood, as if the wine represents his blood.  Jesus did not hold up wine before His disciples and say, 

“Take a long look at this wine. Now close your eyes and visualize my blood. From here on out, every time you drink this wine, I want this red wine to help your mind visualize my blood. This cup of wine will be a super helpful symbol to get your mind and heart set upon the bloody cross.” 

No, Jesus did none of this.  Instead, on the night when He was betrayed, Jesus took the cup and gave it to the disciples and said, 

“Drink of it, all of you; this cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.”

And so, to the point, the bread that we eat and the wine that we drink are not mere symbols, signs, or representations.  They are not memory aids – things that are used to stir our minds and imaginations.  They don’t point beyond themselves to something more real and more powerful.  The bread and wine are not pious tools that help you eat and drink of Jesus spiritually in your heart.  No, they are none of this!  All of these ways of thinking diminish the importance and power of the Lord’s Supper. 

Dear Baptized Saints, when Your Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, He intended for it to be received by Christians as a gift.  Furthermore, when Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper, we take the plain and simple words of Jesus as literally as possible, knowing that when we receive the bread and wine, we are literally receiving the body and blood of Christ under the bread and wine for the forgiveness of our sins. 

And so, right here at this table and at this altar, we do not receive pieces of bread and sips of wine that signify an absent body and an absent blood of Christ.  Instead, here at this altar and at this table and at this rail, the very body and blood of Christ are truly and essentially present and given to you.  Here at the altar and at this table and at this rail, you eat His body and drink His blood as He bids us to do in the Holy Scriptures.     

And so, when you come to this altar, you do not need to utilize the bread and wine to get your heart and mind geared up to somehow attach to Jesus’ body and blood in a far distant place.  No, it does not work this way.  Instead, when you gather here at this altar, you receive the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and the wine.  Therefore, at this Lord’s Supper, there is nothing held back from you.  Jesus fully gives of Himself – His body and blood - to grant you forgiveness, a cleansed conscience, the strengthening of faith, and a foretaste of the feast to come. At this rail, you have every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus; you lack nothing at this rail and have received everything.  

And so, why do we have communion over 125 times a year at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in our Divine Services?  Because the Lord’s Supper is not a symbol, a sign, or a representation but the true body and blood of Christ for you and for me.  

Why do we bow at the communion rail before receiving the supper; why does the pastor hold the bread and wine high in the air when he brings communion to those sitting in the pews; why do we have a silver chalice, beautiful tile floor, and a pastor with a decorative chasuble?  Because the Lord’s Supper is not a symbol, a sign, or a representation but the true body and blood of Christ for you and for me.

Why do the elders not dump the remaining wine down the sink drain into the sewer with all the other waste of Minot?  Because the Lord’s Supper is not a symbol, a sign, or a representation but the true body and blood of Christ for you and for me.  

Why is communion delivered over 300 times a year to shut-ins and those in the hospital?  Because the Lord’s Supper is not a symbol, a sign, or a representation but the true body and blood of Christ for you and for me.  

Why do we wake up every Sunday morning and drag our tired bodies to this sanctuary when the rest of the world sleeps in?  Because the Lord’s Supper is not a symbol, a sign, or a representation but the true body and blood of Christ for you and for me. 

And so, you, who are spiritually hungry and thirsty, come to the Lord’s Supper this night, which has been prepared for you.  For in this Lord’s Supper, you will be nourished and refreshed by the true body and blood of your Savior.  You, who feel the weight of sin, the guilt of your failures, and the sting of death, come to the Lord’s Supper, for here at the altar, you receive real forgiveness, life, and salvation.  

Come and receive; the Lord does not hold back; He gives His true body and blood for you, for you are His.  

Indeed, come and receive the body and blood of Christ this evening in the Lord’s Supper – a holy meal instituted for you that Maundy Thursday long ago.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.