1 Corinthians 11: 23--25 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, 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." In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." --NIV
In the name of the Lord Jesus, amen.
Wouldn't you like to be closer to your Savior? This has been the desire of Christians through the ages. Many have come up with various ways of being closer to Him. Some walk the in the places He walked. Some give up their possessions and leave their homes. Others have tried to suffer like Christ. And still others have sought to be closer to Christ through prayer.
Strangely enough, Christ did not promise to come to us through any of these methods. Rather, He promised to come to us through His word, through Baptism and absolution, and through His Holy Supper. True Christian mysticism seeks to be closer to Christ through the methods He has given us. Those who have been baptized seek to hear the voice of their Savior in His word and through Holy Absolution (forgiveness). Then, forgiven of their sins, they humbly come to His table and receive with their mouths His true body and blood for the forgiveness of sins, strengthening of their faith, for life, salvation, and to be as close to Christ as anyone will ever be. They leave His table closer to their Savior than the very angels in heaven. They have a relationship with Christ that is second only to the relationship within the Godhead of the Holy Trinity itself.
My brothers and sisters, our Savior comes. He comes to us and remains with us. He takes us by the hand and walks us through life. Thanks be to God for His infinite mercy! Amen.
Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, we are truly unworthy of receiving You. Yet You have been perfect for us where we have been imperfect. You have paid the price of all of our sins which we ourselves could not pay. You rose so that we too might rise from the dead. Now you come to us and give us Your own body and blood. Have mercy on us, Lord, and keep us in the true faith so that Your sacrifice is not wasted on us, but brings great glory to Your holy name, amen.
Copyright 1999 Reformation Lutheran Church http://ReformationChurch.org