MidWeek Lent - Part 4

When Christ Speaks, It Happens

The Power of the Lord’s Supper

Text: Mark 4:35–41 Supporting: Psalm 33:1–12

Goal

That the hearers trust the power of Christ’s Word in the Lord’s Supper to forgive their sins, cleanse their conscience, strengthen their faith, and calm their fears.

Malady

We see only bread and wine on the altar and cannot grasp how such simple things can do such great things. We forget that it is the power of Christ’s Word that accomplishes everything. Like the disciples in the storm, we doubt that Jesus truly cares or is present to save us.

Means

Christ speaks His powerful Word—both in the storm and in the Sacrament—bringing peace, forgiveness, and faith.

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Before we step into this Gospel reading, it helps to understand something about the Sea of Galilee.

The Sea of Galilee sits nearly seven hundred feet below sea level, surrounded by steep hills and mountains. Cold air rushing down from the heights can suddenly collide with warm air rising from the lake. When that happens, violent storms can form with almost no warning.

The disciples knew this lake. Several of them had spent their lives fishing these waters. They had seen storms before.

But the storm described in Mark’s Gospel was different.

The wind roared. The waves crashed over the sides of the boat. Water poured in so quickly that the boat began to fill.

Experienced fishermen were terrified. This was the kind of storm that could kill them.

And in the middle of all that chaos— Jesus was asleep.

Finally the disciples woke Him.

“Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”

It is a desperate cry. But it is also a revealing one.

“Don’t you care?”

They assumed that because Jesus seemed silent, He must not care. They assumed that because He appeared inactive, He must not be present to save them.

The storm outside the boat was real. But the bigger danger was inside their hearts.

So Jesus stood up. He rebuked the wind. And He said to the sea,

“Peace. Be still.”

And instantly the storm stopped. The wind ceased. The waves became calm.

The Word of Jesus has power.

Psalm 33 reminds us:

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

God speaks—and creation obeys.

And on the Sea of Galilee we see the same truth. Jesus speaks.

And the wind obeys.

The sea obeys.

Creation obeys.

Because His Word does what it says.

But the disciples had forgotten that. They had seen Jesus teach. They had seen Him heal. They had seen demons cast out. Yet when the storm came, they doubted.

“Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”

Their problem was not the storm.

Their problem was unbelief.

They didn’t trust the power of Christ’s Word.

We face a similar temptation—not on a stormy lake, but here in Christ’s Church, especially when we come to His Table.

And if we are honest, we often struggle with the same thing.

What do we see on the Altar?

Bread. Wine. Simple things.

What our eyes see is bread and wine. What our ears hear is Christ’s Word.

Faith lives by what it hears, not by what it sees.

And our reason asks the same question the disciples asked in the storm. “How can this help us?” “How can something so simple do something so great?”

Some doubt that Christ is truly present. Some of us doubt that He is present for us. Some of us come so routinely that we hardly expect anything at all.

Martin Luther asked that very question in the Small Catechism. “How can eating and drinking do such great things?”

And he answers:

“It is certainly not the eating and drinking that does such things, but the words ‘Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.’ These words, along with the bodily eating and drinking, are the main thing in the Sacrament.”

The power is not in the bread.

The power is not in the wine.

The power is in the Word. Christ’s Word.

The same Word that calmed the storm. The same Word that created the world. Is the same Word that raises the dead.

That Word is spoken at the altar.

“This is My body.”

“This is My blood.”

“Given for you.”

“Shed for you.”

“For the forgiveness of sins.”

Luther points us to two little words that matter so much in the Lord’s Supper: “For you.”

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

You see, it is these two words turn the Sacrament from a general truth into a personal promise.

Christ does not merely say His body was given. —He says it was given for you.

He does not merely say His blood was shed. —He says it was shed for you.

—For your sins. —For your guilt. —For your troubled conscience. —For your salvation.

The body given for you at this altar is the very body nailed to the cross. And the blood shed for you in this cup is the very blood poured out at Calvary.

The same Jesus who hung on the cross now comes to you in His Supper. The same sacrifice once offered there is now delivered here— into your mouth, into your heart, with His own words, “For you.”

That means when you come to the altar, you are not receiving a symbol or a reminder. You are receiving the personal promise of Christ Himself.

And faith simply takes Him at His Word.

Faith says,

“If Christ says this is His body given for me, then it is.

If Christ says this cup is His blood shed for me for the forgiveness of sins, then it is.

And if He says it is for me, then it truly is for me.”

That is the power of the Lord’s Supper. Not because of what we see. But because Christ’s Word does exactly what it says.

And because Christ’s Word never fails, the Sacrament does exactly what Christ says it does. It forgives your sins. It cleanses your conscience. It strengthens your faith. It calms your fears.

In the Boat

Christians have long noticed something beautiful about today’s Gospel reading. The disciples were in a boat.

And for centuries the Church has used the image of a boat to describe the place in which we gather. In fact, proper names have already been given to the various spaces under this roof. The main part of many church buildings—where you all sit—is called the nave, from the Latin word navis, meaning ship.

The Church is like that boat on the Sea of Galilee.

The world is full of storms. Sin. Fear. Death. Chaos.

And we often feel like the disciples— small and fragile in the middle of it all.

But the good news is that Christ is in the boat with His people. And He continues to speak His powerful Word.

Where does He speak that Word today?

He speaks it in the Church. He speaks it in both the Law and the Gospel. He speaks it when His Word is read and preached. And He speaks it in the Sacrament.

If the Church is the boat, then the altar is where the Lord of the storm stands and speaks peace again.

Because the storm that threatens us most is not wind and waves. —It is sin. —It is guilt. —It is the troubled conscience that knows we have not loved God as we should.

But at the altar Christ speaks again. And His Word does what it says.

“Given for you.”

“Shed for you.”

“For the forgiveness of sins.”

Through this Sacrament the Lord gives exactly what He promises: forgiveness, life, salvation.

Your sins are forgiven. Your conscience is cleansed. Your faith is strengthened. Your fears are calmed.

Not because you feel it, not because you see it, but because Christ has said it.

Conclusion

Think again about that moment on the Sea of Galilee.

The storm raging. The boat filling with water. Terrified disciples clinging to hope.

And then Jesus stands and speaks. “Peace. Be still.” And the storm obeys.

Now think about what happens here in this place.

The Church is the boat. The storms of life still rage around us.

But Christ is here. And from the altar He speaks again.

“Given for you.”

“Shed for you.”

“For the forgiveness of sins.”

And with those words the storm inside you grows quiet.

Because the same Lord who calmed the sea now speaks His powerful Word in the Sacrament.

When Christ speaks, His Word always does exactly what He says.

This is most certainly true.

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

Prayers of the Church

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

Lord God, heavenly Father, You have revealed Your power through Your living and active Word, by which You created all things and by which You still forgive, restore, and give life. Grant that Your Church may always trust in this powerful Word, especially as it is spoken in the Lord’s Supper, that we may receive Christ’s body and blood with repentant hearts and steadfast faith. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Lord Jesus Christ, You are the One whom even wind and waves obey. Speak Your word of peace to Your Church in every time and place. Calm the storms of doubt and fear within us, and strengthen us to trust Your promises, knowing that Your Word always does what it says. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Holy Spirit, work through the preaching of the Gospel and the administration of the Sacraments to create and sustain faith in Your people. Draw us again and again to the altar, where Christ gives His body and blood for the forgiveness of sins, that our consciences may be cleansed and our hearts made new. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Gracious Father, we lift before You all who grieve the death of friends and loved ones. [PAUSE]... Comfort them with the sure and certain hope of the resurrection. Remind us all that through Christ’s death and resurrection, death has been defeated, and that all who trust in Him will live even though they die — including the smoldering wicks you refuse to snuff out. Surround them with Your peace that surpasses all understanding. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Lord of hosts, we commend to Your care all who serve in the armed forces, especially those engaged in military operations in the Middle East. Grant them protection and safety. Give wisdom and discernment to those who lead, restrain violence, and bring about a just and lasting peace according to Your will. Sustain the families who await their return with patience and hope. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Merciful God, we pray for all who are sick or in need of healing, especially Michelle Halland as she undergoes surgery tomorrow. Guide the hands of the surgeons and all who care for her. Grant her a successful procedure, a steady recovery, and confidence in Your loving care. Strengthen her faith and remind her that You are near in every moment. 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, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.