Holy Communion

Also known as "The Sacrament of the Altar", and "The Lord's Supper"

What is the Sacrament of the Altar?

It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and wine, instituted by Christ Himself for us Christians to eat and to drink.

Where is this written?

The holy Evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke, and St. Paul write:

Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to the disciples and said: "Take, eat; this is My body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of Me."

In the same way also He took the cup after supper, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, "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. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."

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 us through these words. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.

How can bodily eating and drinking do such great things?

Certainly not just eating and drinking do these things, but the words written here: "Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins." These words, along with bodily eating and drinking, are the main thing in the Sacrament. Whoever believes these words has exactly what they say: "forgiveness of sins."

Who receives this sacrament worthily?

Fasting and bodily preparation are certainly fine outward training. But that person is truly worthy and well prepared who has faith in these words: "Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins." 

But anyone who does not believe these words or doubts them is unworthy and unprepared, for the words "for you" require all hearts to believe.

(Q350) Why do we take the words "This is My body" and "This is My blood" at face value?

Only our Lord's words establish the Sacrament. They are to be taken at face value (to mean what they say) because of the following:

A. These words are spoken by Christ, our Lord, the Word to whom all authority in heaven and earth is given and through whom the universe came into existence. John 1:1-3; Hebrews 11:3

B. These are the words of a special covenant, or testament, spoken on the eve of His death, and no person's last will and testament may be changed once that person has died. 1 Corinthians 11:25; Galatians 3:15

C. These words of Jesus recall God's covenant with Israel in Exodus 24:1-11. Then, the blood of the covenant was thrown against the altar and on the people, giving access to God, so that the elders of the people of Israel beheld God and ate and drank in His presence. In the Lord's Supper, we receive Christ's true blood of the new covenant (or testament) and, in it, the forgiveness of sins and communion with our God. Exodus 24:8 

Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, "Behold the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words."

D. God's Word clearly teaches that in the Sacrament, the bread and wine are a communion, or participation, in the body and blood of Christ. 1 Corinthians 10:16 

E. God's Word clearly teaches that those who misuse the Sacrament sin not against bread and wine but against the body and blood of Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:27, 29.

(Q351) What are the earthly elements Jesus uses in this Sacrament?

Jesus uses bread and wine.

(Q352) How then are the bread and wine in the Sacrament the body and blood of Christ?

By the power of Christ's almighty Word, He gives us His true body and blood in, with, and under the consecrated bread and wine. This union of the bread with His body and the wine with His blood is called a sacramental union.                           1 Corinthians 10:16

Note: The mystery of the presence of Christ's body and blood in the Lord's Supper is often expressed using the words "in, with, and under" the bread and wine. The word in reminds us that where the bread and wine is, there is the body and blood of Christ; the word with reminds us that with the bread and wine we receive the body and blood of Christ; and the word under reminds us that the body and blood of Christ are hidden yet present under bread wine, since bread and wine still continue to exist.

(Q353) Do all communicants receive the body and blood in the Sacrament, whether or not they believe?

Yes, because Christ's Word, not our faith, establishes His bodily presence in the Sacrament. However, only those who believe receive it to their blessing. 

(Q359) Do the bread and wine merely symbolize the body and blood of Christ?

No. Although this is the teaching of many Protestant churches, Jesus' own words clearly identify the bread as His body and the wine as His blood. We take Jesus' words —"This is My body...My blood"—to mean what they say.

(Q360) Do Christ's body and blood in the Sacrament replace the bread and the wine, so that the bread and wine only appear to be there?

No. The Scriptures testify that the bread and wine remain in the Sacrament. Communicants eat and drink both bread and wine and the Lord's true body and blood in the Lord's Supper. 

Note: The Roman Catholic Church teaches that Christ's body and blood replace the bread and wine (the theory of transubstantiation). Many Protestant or Evangelical churches teach that the bread and wine in the Lord's Supper are not Christ's true body and blood but only symbols. The Lutheran Church simply accepts what Christ says, that the consecrated bread and wine are His body and blood for the forgiveness of sins. "We believe, teach, and confess that in the Holy Supper Christ's body and blood are truly and essentially present, and that they are truly distributed and received with the bread and wine" (Epitome of the Formula of Concord Article 7 paragraph 6).

It is for the reasons stated above: Peace Valley Lutheran Church offers the Sacrament only to members of the PVLC and those who are members at a sister LCMS congregation who are not under church discipline. 

PVLC practices closed communion. 

The practice of closed Communion seeks to guard those who eat and drink in the Lord's Supper from sinning against Christ's body and blood or receiving it to their harm. At the same time, this practice professes that those who partake of Christ's body and blood together are united in the same teaching and confession. We in no way mean to imply, however, that others who truly believe in Jesus as Savior from sin, yet who are not members of an orthodox Lutheran church, are not Christian.

St. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 11:27-29:

[27] Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. [28] Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. [29] For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. (ESV)

This page is derived from Martin Luther's Small Catechism with Explanation (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2017). 

If you have any further questions regarding our beliefs or are interested to learn more please contact Pastor Benish.