Given and Shed for You

Most Certainly True

“Given and Shed for You”

GOAL

That the hearers would believe Christ’s words, “This is My body… This is My blood… given and shed for you,” and receive the Lord’s Supper as God’s living, active means of forgiveness, life, and salvation.

MALADY

We either reduce the Lord’s Supper to a symbol, a mere remembrance, or a ritual habit—or we approach it casually and without discernment—failing to grasp what Christ is actually giving.

MEANS

By His powerful Word—the same Word that created the heavens (Psalm 33:6)—Christ joins His true body and blood to bread and wine and gives Himself to us for the forgiveness of sins.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Last week we heard Jesus say:

“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven… whatever you bind… whatever you loose…”

We learned that Christ holds the keys. That He alone unlocks heaven. That He entrusts His Church with the authority to forgive sins.

And we rejoiced that when Absolution is spoken, it is not merely a wish — it’s heaven’s verdict delivered to the penitent.

But tonight we move one step deeper.

Because the same Christ who says, “I forgive you,”

also says,

“Take, eat.” “Take, drink.”

The Office of the Keys opens the door. The Lord’s Supper brings you to the Table inside.

Binding and loosing deal with your sin. The Supper deals with your Savior.

In Absolution, forgiveness is spoken into your ears. In Holy Communion, forgiveness is placed into your mouth.

In Absolution, Christ removes your guilt. In the Supper, Christ strengthens your faith.

The Keys restore you to the Father. The Supper feeds you as His child.

And notice something beautiful.

Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper on the night He was betrayed.

The very night when sin was raging.

The very night when Peter would deny Him.

The very night when the disciples would scatter.

What does Jesus give them?

Not a lecture. Not a warning alone.

He gives them Himself.

This is the pattern of Christ’s mercy:

He binds in order to save. He looses in order to restore. He forgives in order to feed. He restores in order to strengthen.

The Keys and the Supper belong together.

The same voice that declares, “You are forgiven,”

now says,

“This is My body… given for you. This is My blood… shed for you.”

St. Paul begins by saying,

On the night when He was betrayed.

Notice, it didn’t happen at the height of His popularity, nor after the resurrection.

But on the night when Jesus was betrayed.

The night was thick with tension. Judas was preparing to leave. The cross stood only hours away. The disciples were confused and afraid.

And what does Jesus do?

He gives them a meal.

Not just any meal.

A meal in which He gives them Himself.

“Take, eat; this is My body.”

“Drink of it, all of you; this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

The Institution of the Lord’s Supper is not complicated.

It’s simple.

Bread. Wine. Words.

But those words change everything.

Psalm 33 tells us:

“By the word of the LORD the heavens were made.”

God speaks—and creation happens.

God says, “Let there be light,” and there is light.

God speaks—and worlds are formed.

Now that same Lord takes bread and says:

“This is My body.”

He takes the cup and says:

“This is My blood.”

The question is not whether we understand how.

The question is whether we believe Him.

If His Word created the heavens, if His Word calmed the sea, if His Word raised the dead,

can His Word join His body and blood to bread and wine?

Of course it can.

And yet here is where our sinfulness shows itself.

Some reduce the Supper to a symbol.

A reminder. A picture. A spiritual metaphor.

But Jesus does not say, “This represents My body.”

He says, “This is My body.”

St. Paul does not say, “The cup reminds us of the blood.”

He says, “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?” “The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?” (1 Cor. 10:16)

Participation. Communion. The Greek word is — Koinonia.

Not thinking about Jesus.

Receiving Jesus.

Some go to the opposite extreme.

Unfortunately, they treat the Supper casually.

As routine. As habit. As something we simply do because it’s time.

But Paul warns:

“Anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.”

The Lord’s Supper is no ordinary meal.

This is holy.

This is Christ.

So what is it?

Our catechism says it clearly:

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

Not bread alone. Not wine alone.

But bread and body. Wine and blood.

Not symbol. Not memory alone.

But Christ Himself—

given and shed for you.

Now some people struggle with this.

“How can that be?” they ask.

“How can Christ’s body and blood be present in the Supper?”

But Scripture answers that question the same way it answers many others:

By pointing us to the power of God’s Word.

Psalm 33 says,

“By the word of the LORD the heavens were made.”

God speaks—

and creation happens.

Think about how the Word of God works throughout Scripture.

God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

Jesus said to the storm, “Peace, be still,” and the wind and waves obeyed.

Jesus stood before the tomb of Lazarus and said, “Come out,” and a dead man walked out of tomb alive.

God’s Word does what it says.

(longer pause)

So when Jesus takes bread and says,

“This is My body,”

and takes the cup and says,

“This is My blood,”

we do not argue with His Word.

We believe it.

Because His Word is living and active. It’s sharper than a double-edged sword.

And this is not a repeated sacrifice. The sacrifice was made once for all on the cross.

But in the Lord’s Supper, the benefits of that sacrifice are delivered to us when we eat and drink and Jesus bids us to do. We receive

Forgiveness. Life. Salvation.

(longer pause)

Because this gift is so holy and so powerful, we are careful about whom we invite to receive the Lord’s Supper. We do not want anyone to bring judgment upon themselves by receiving the Sacrament without understanding what Christ is giving.

That is why pastors have the responsibility to teach and guard this gift.

St. Paul reminds us of that calling when he writes:

“Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.” (1 Corinthians 4:1)

Pastors are stewards of Christ’s mysteries.

Their task is to make sure people understand what is happening at this altar and receive the Sacrament in faith.

Now notice the phrase in Jesus’ words that we so easily overlook:

“Given for you.” “Shed for you.”

For you.

Not for angels.

Not for some distant humanity.

But for you.

(longer pause)

The same body that hung on the cross. The same blood that was poured out for the forgiveness of sins. Is now placed into your mouth.

(longer pause)

It is not merely remembrance.

It is gift. A gift of reconciliation.

In the Supper, that reconciliation is not only spoken.

It is eaten. It is drunk. It is received.

And something else happens as well.

St. Paul says,

1 Corinthians 10:17 (NASB95) “Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread.”

The Supper binds us together.

One loaf. One cup. One Christ. One body.

In a world fractured by division, in a culture where people plug in and plug out of community, Christ gives a communion that is deep, lasting, and real.

Here we do not merely sit near one another.

We are joined together in Him.

(longer pause)

Why does this matter?

Because life is hard.

Guilt lingers.

Temptation returns.

Sorrow presses in.

And on the night of betrayal, Jesus did not give His disciples a theory.

He gave them Himself.

This meal was His testament—His final will and promise.

And what does He leave to His heirs?

His body. His blood. His forgiveness.

(longer pause)

So tonight hear what is most certainly true:

When Christ says, “This is My body,” it is.

When Christ says, “This is My blood,” it is.

When Christ says, “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins,” your sins are forgiven.

Not partly forgiven.

Not symbolically forgiven.

But completely forgiven.

(longer pause)

Because the same Word that created the heavens now feeds you with the Bread of Life.

And so how do we receive it worthily?

By believing these words:

“Given and shed for you.”

By repenting. By trusting. By discerning the body.

By coming hungry.

Conclusion

Dear brothers and sisters,

Tonight the Word tells us something most certainly true.

On the night when He was betrayed, Jesus took bread.

He took the cup.

And He said words that still stand:

“This is My body.” “This is My blood.” “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.”

Those words have not changed.

They still stand.

They stand over every altar where the Supper is celebrated. They stand over every believer who comes hungry for mercy. They stand over every sinner who wonders if forgiveness could really be for them.

And the answer Christ gives is simple:

“Yes. For you.”

In a week and a half we will come to this altar again.

Not because it is routine. Not because it is tradition. But because Christ Himself invites us.

He invites us to receive the very body given on the cross. The very blood shed for our salvation. The forgiveness that cost Him everything.

And when that day comes, come with repentant hearts.

Come believing His Word.

Come trusting that the same Word that created the heavens now gives you the Bread of Life.

For this is most certainly true:

Christ still feeds His people.

Christ still forgives sinners.

Christ still gives Himself for you.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Prayers of the Church

(Midweek Lent – “Most Certainly True”)

Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs.

Heavenly Father, You are the God who speaks forgiveness into a sinful world. Through Your Son You entrusted the Church with the ministry of reconciliation. Bless Your Church on earth that the Gospel would be clearly proclaimed and that sinners everywhere would hear the life-giving words: “Your sins are forgiven.” Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Gracious Lord, strengthen pastors and all servants of Your Word, that they may faithfully steward the mysteries of God. Give them courage to bind what must be bound and to loose what must be loosed, always speaking Your truth in love so that sinners may repent and receive Your mercy. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Merciful Father, we pray for our nation, the United States, and for all who serve in positions of authority. Grant wisdom to our president, our leaders in government, and those entrusted with decisions that affect the safety of nations. Guide them according to Your justice and restrain the powers of evil in the world. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Almighty God, we pray for Israel, our allies, and all nations caught in conflict, especially amid the ongoing military operations involving Iran and the rising tensions across the Middle East. Protect the innocent, restrain violence, and grant wisdom and courage to those tasked with defending peace. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Heavenly Father, we remember those who serve in the armed forces of our nation and its allies, especially those deployed in dangerous places around the world. Guard them from harm, strengthen their families who wait at home, and grant vigilance, courage, and integrity in the performance of their duty. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

God of compassion, look with mercy upon those who suffer in body, mind, or spirit. Bring healing to the sick, comfort to the grieving, strength to the weary, and hope to the troubled. Remind them that Christ bore our sorrows and carries our burdens. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Lord Jesus Christ, You gave Your body and shed Your blood for the forgiveness of sins. Prepare our hearts to receive Your gifts with repentance and faith, that we may cherish the treasure of Your grace and live as those reconciled to God and to one another. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Into Your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in Your mercy; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.