Concerning Both Kinds in the Lord’s Supper – part 9
Lessons in the Lutheran Confessions
Scripture Text: Psalm 23:5
Series: Lessons in the Lutheran Confessions
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From the Confessions: The Defense of the Augsburg Confession
The Sacrament was instituted to console and comfort terrified minds, when they believe that Christ’s flesh is food, given for the life of the world, and that they are made alive by being joined to Christ. Our adversaries argue that the laity is kept from one kind as a punishment. They say, “They ought to be content.”
Pulling It Together
If we are to seek first the kingdom of God (Matt 6:33), what is it that we should desire? The simplest answer is that we should seek Christ. The kingdom is God’s, so it is God whom we should want with all our hearts. There are ways that we may seek him, but there is one way that Christ himself established. God has prepared a table for us, spread in the presence of our enemies (Psalm 23:5). We may as well say that it is spread in the presence of sin, death, and the devil. There, at his table, Christ satisfies the thirsty soul who hungers and thirsts for righteousness (Matthew 5:6). There, in the giving of himself — his flesh and blood — is grace and forgiveness of sins. We should not be content with only a portion of the table that Christ has spread for us — denying ourselves of what he has prepared for us. Our cups overflow; drink!
Prayer: Thank you, Shepherd of my soul, for the benefit of your body and blood. Amen
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Author
Rev. Dr. Mark E. Ryman has served as Pastor for St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Salisbury, NC, since 2021. Previously, Pastor Ryman served congregations in North Carolina and Ohio, as well as a call to specialized ministry with Sola Publishing.
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