Meditationen am Gnadenstuhl: Pentecost Monday - Luke 22:14-23

Pentecost Monday

Daily Lectionary Readings: Numbers 22:1-20; Luke 22:1-23; (Augsburg Confession 4-13)

Luke 22:14–23

[14] And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. [15] And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. [16] For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” [17] And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. [18] For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” [19] And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” [20] And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. [21] But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. [22] For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!” [23] And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to do this. (ESV)

Many of you have heard me talk about the essays of Herman Sasse. Herman Sasse was a Lutheran Pastor who fled Nazi oppression and relocated to Australia. Look up his Wikipedia article, it’s well written, for the most part. What follows are summaries of a couple of essays Sasse wrote about the Lord’s Supper in our Lutheran churches. Wise words to ponder from a great theologians.

Hermann Sasse in his essay of 1941 The Formula of Concord’s Decision About The Lord’s Supper lays out a vast and detailed history of FC SD VII. While it is not the scope of this essay to summarize what Sasse outlined in such a clear manner, we can comment on a few key points. Once again, we see the devil at work in the world to bend the minds of men to follow their own sinful inclinations and make our Lord’s words into something other than what they most plainly state. The world despises the fact that we have one essential and eternal truth in the Word of God, that we base our liturgy on words taken from this Scripture, and that we believe, teach, and confess that Christ’s institution of His Supper for our benefit is and does exactly and plainly what He says it is and does. We are here called once again to man the ramparts and defend this sound doctrine against falsification no matter the origin. This, in fact, was the greatest struggle faced at the time of the Reformation and again Sasse is prescient as the struggle continues into our day. Sasse comments “It is clear that no dogmatic decision in the history of the church has been assailed more than the decision of Article VII of the Formula of Concord (Vol. II p.36).” The confessors were able to so boldly proclaim their confession regarding the Supper because of their conviction that they had done nothing other than clearly express what Scripture teaches. Here we see the establishment of the terminology “in, with, and under” to describe the sacramental union and demonstrates by is lack of such imprecise language as “real presence” the importance of clarity in the face of great opposition. Even Augustana X shows that the Body and Blood are conceived of as bound to the bread and wine. Luther himself knew that amid the controversy surrounding the supper that his doctrine was the doctrine of Scripture. There can be no other. Manducatio oralis stands or falls with our confession of the sacramental union. This confession is set against the opponents, called “Sacramentarians” who deny this sacramental union. The decision reached in FC SD VII is summarized in the four these of FC Ep VII 6-7, 15-16 regarding the sacramental union, the manducatio oralis, as well as the manducatio impiorum; that is to say eating and drinking to one’s judgment. With this article of the Formula, the 16th-century divisions regarding the Lord’s Supper are put to rest and that sound doctrine handed down to us to fight the errors of our day. This was the final and only basis of the Lutheran understanding of the Lord’s Supper in 1577 and for us as well. Only when it is understood can the church pray “That we keep pure until life is spent Your holy Word and Sacrament. (Vol. II p.92).”

With Circular Letter 5 To Westphalian Pastors [The Holy Lord’s Supper], Hermann Sasse takes us through the history of the very early encroachment of Reformed theology into the Lutheran practice of the Lord's Supper which caused division among the Lutheran’s themselves. As there is nothing new under the sun, once again Sasse’s words are prescient cautionary wisdom in our own day where the influence of the world increasingly tempts us toward syncretism and unionism, thus abandoning our confessions – particularly those regarding the Lord’s Holy Supper. The teachings of Karl Barth remain an ever-present specter from Sasse’s own experience even into our own time. It is telling that in Sasse’s day there was only 30-40% participation in the Lord’s Supper. Thanks be to God, it has been my own experience that within my congregations everyone who comes to church regularly also regularly receives the Supper. Lest this grant overconfidence, we find that we only see 30-40% of our rostered members on Sunday morning. Indeed, we may make a correlation between the importance of the Lord’s Supper in one’s life and regular church attendance. The need for continual catechesis and reaching the lost is as paramount today as yesterday. As Sasse timelessly states: “We dare not tire, even outside of the celebration of the Sacrament itself, of proclaiming in sermon and Bible class, in catechism lessons for adults and in lectures the deep truths of the NT regarding Baptism and Supper (Vol. II p.164).” As Paul teaches that we are one body united in the eating and drinking of the One bread and drinking of the One blood forming a single Church (cf. I Cor. 12:13; 10:17), the “spiritual world of the church” remains, tangible and visible in liturgy (Vol. II p.165). Sasse develops many themes in this essay which we covered well in class regarding liturgical developments of Reformed influence which we will not revisit here. The important question Sasse raises once again in this essay is a direct question which pierces through the ages: “Why do we not more often and more emphatically explain to our congregations the liturgy and its individual components? (Vol. II. p.166).” What needs to be emphasized is the truth which the Easter church has never lost: there is no need to “lift up our hearts” to heaven because heaven comes down to us in the Holy Supper. This is most certainly true for we Lutherans. I echo, why do we not more emphatically teach this beauty and comfort? Those who argue against a “liturgical” church must argue against the form of worship of the Apostle’s and the early church as well. Such an argument cannot stand when viewed through the lens of Scripture. Lutheran worship is learning to die: to die and Christ and be raised as He was raised through the gifts He freely gives. It is in the liturgy, particularly through His most sacred Body and Blood that through Him the world is conquered for us, and that we need not fear: indeed we are fortified to spread this Gospel until His glorious return.

Finally, Hermann Sasse shows us the danger for all who work toward renewal of the church in becoming caught up in Hochkirchentum, that is to say the errors of the liturgical movement for the sake of becoming relevant to the world at the expense of clear confession, in his essay “Liturgy And Confession; A Brotherly Warning Against The “High Church” Danger.” This hybrid of secularism and piety is seen in our own time as various pietist groups – notably many congregations in the ECLA – who have the outward appearance of being most pious indeed with beautiful “liturgical” services that at their core are either devoid of the Gospel of Christ crucified for sinner, or replace it with a false gospel. Common to all is a disregard for closed communion and a high esteem for the Sacrament according to Christ’s institution – that it is, in fact, His Body and Blood given and shed for our forgiveness and the strengthening of our faith as well as admonishment that those who do not discern the body and blood consume it to their damnation. We encounter once again both Barth and Bultmann who through outward ceremonies dismantle the clear teaching and confession of the Sacraments. Hermann Sasse makes perhaps his strongest point yet: “that the old saying Lex orandi lex credendi has validity only it has validity in reverse, Lex credendi lex orandi (Vol. II p. 301).” We see the historical development of external liberal influences penetrating their Lutheran church through “converts” who bring their baggage with them into our liturgy and understanding of the Sacraments and the doctrine of Justification. This was most obvious in the developments around the centenary of the Reformation in Germany through Friedrich Heiler and his subsequent colloquy into the Church of Sweden. How insidious the liturgical movement can be – to think that a theologian can call the Lutheran understanding of the Gospel heresy and to have the gall to “re-ordain” pastors to promulgate his false teaching! This is nothing more than the beast from the earth in Revelation 13:11-19, a new incarnation of antichrist. Once such heresy causes the people to err, all sorts of “new” false teachings are adopted, one such being an attempt to resurrect the cult of Mary within the Lutheran church. Once more, when the centrality of the Lord’s Supper as the heart and pulse of the liturgy is compromised and lost, the church falls. As Sasse eloquently summarizes: “In this sense, we ought all begin and end our work in the realm of liturgy with this prayer: ‘Lord keep us steadfast in your Word.’ (Vol. II p.315).”

An essay as brief as this one considering only a few short articles by Hermann Sasse can only begin to summarize the stumbling blocks and pitfalls men place in the way of Christ’s simple words which have and must remain our confession regarding the Lord’s most Holy Supper. Despite the influences of the devil’s one trick – telling us exactly what our itching ears most want to hear – and our sinful flesh’s subsequent acting on our innermost sinful desires, the Church has remained steadfast throughout the ages, continuing to confess Christ crucified for sinner, and His precious Body broken and Blood shed for us humans to eat and to drink. The mystery has spawned thousands of pages of writing, some edifying, like Sasse’s and some of lesser value. The key point to take away from the teachings of Hermann Sasse is that we must approach the accounts of the evangelists and of Paul like a child trusts the word of his dear parents. They are words to be taken at face value, with nothing added or taken away – no matter how well intended or how pious – and simply receive the gifts as a babe from his mother’s breast. Stripped to the core, we can find no greater comfort than in the words “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Mt. 11:28 (ESV).” “Take eat… take drink… given and shed for you.” Amen.