The Criteria of Communion Part 4

Let's pray and we will continue with the multi-week series that we've been doing. Looking at what makes a valid consecration. What are the requirements for communion? According to scriptures and then as laid out in the Lutheran confessions and the solid declaration.

Let's pray Lord Jesus again as we open up your word. We pray for your Holy Spirit a right understanding of your words so that we believe confess do and hang on to the promises That are given to us. When we have the Lord's Supper together and feast on the body and blood of Christ given and shed for the forgiveness of our Sins, we ask all this in Jesus name.

Amen. All right by way of Reminder last week we talked about the fact.

That.

What what is it that makes a valid sacrament and we noted that it's Christ not the pastor. It's Christ his verba his words of institution that make it the Lord's Supper. Not the pastor's reciting of the verba.

So when a pastor recites the words of institution they are. They are that is done as part of the do this and so we recognize that the Lutheran confessions Put the emphasis on Christ. He's the one who makes it the Lord's Supper not the pastor.

His word makes it the Lord's Supper not the pastor's. The pastor speaks the verba for a blessing in the wide sense. But in the narrow sense of now Christ's body and blood being present. Given and shed for the forgiveness of our sins within the Lord's Supper that is all done by Christ not the pastor.

So that's that's an important bit and then we noted that the do this. What Christ says do this that this is what is required a Christian assembly bread and wine. The speaking or reciting or the singing of the words of institution.

Last week I took a crack at singing and it's been a while since I've heard it sung. I've only done it. I've only sung the words of institution maybe once or twice here at Kongsvinger. So Let's just say that when I when I do not have confidence.

I have I'm experiencing insecurities regarding the melody. My voice cracks and heads in bad directions. So I figured that that wouldn't actually bless the Lord's Supper it might actually curse it so I'm Just a little bit of note there, but No, my bad singing would be performative only in invoking a curse on the listeners.

You know, but but so because the pastor's verba is not performative. It can be spoken. It can be Sung it can be chanted. These are options that are available and I'm not required to say it in Aramaic or in Hebrew which is also very helpful and.

Then you'll note that the bread and wine are distributed and that there there is no prescription on how or who distributes them. And then bread and wine are consumed. That's what makes a valid sacrament and that's all there is and so.

That being the case then we're gonna we're gonna focus then on some further theses that I wrote in this regard. And we're gonna emphasize the fact that Christ is present wherever Christians are present wherever they are present.

And again, we the internet is not a place. It's We do not live in the world of Wreck-It Ralph and Tron Is as good as Wreck-It Ralph was as a movie. I really enjoyed that movie and Tron not so much. But I had to go see Tron when I was a kid because it was so cutting-edge with the CGI graphics and things like that.

But.

It really wasn't that compelling of a story, but you guys do not live in cyberspace. In fact. As I'm looking at Stephen Elliott's, you know, always the background there. I see that thing. He's I'm convinced.

He's he's got a torture device in his basement there, you know. He assures me that when he gets on that thing that you know. He hangs upside down that he's able to not be stuck there, you know. And but you know that being the case you'll note that Stephen Elliott is joining us from a place.

So are Louise and Bill you guys are in a place. And and in a place where they don't root for the Yankees, which is very good. And of course the Sylvester family great to see you guys and in New Mexico.

We'll see you guys this week and and others that are joining us. So it always and again, you'll note that y 'all are somewhere but you ain't in the internet. So the question then comes up and this is and this is an important bit.

Because when I originally wrote these theses, I didn't think I would have to actually defend this bit because it seems kind of self-evident that we all exist in in places that. That the internet is a medium of communication.

It is a medium if the technologies that are here that God has allowed for us to have are have been vital. You know, can you imagine if kovat had hit in 1979 Josh so they wouldn't have locked down our yeah.

Don't put it we're talking about politicians here. You don't put it past them. Don't tempt them like that, right? But you know if they had been, you know lockdowns what what would have been the implications regarding church services and things like that?

We wouldn't have been able to move our services quote online and and I say that because. You know Don Mason, we're gonna have him actually speak in the in the near future on this talking about these things.

That right now we talk about have you know, we have our meetings online, but in the future we won't talk about online meetings just like When the automobile first came out when the automobile first came out, what did they call those things?

Horseless carriages. All right. Do we even need to invoke horses nowadays? No, this is an automobile, right? But so the idea then is is that as a technology? Embeds itself in our culture. You know, you're always there's a there's an adoption curve when it comes to any technology you have your people who are first to use it and implement it and.

They're there you're kind of Innovative Entrepreneurial types and and we always thank God for people like that because they got all the bugs worked out. They're the ones who have to stay on tech support and and and have their hair pull out and stuff like that but after after a particular amount of time a large sizable amount of the population Adopts them and then you'll know time passes time passes and What happens when time passes?

Nobody remembers what it was before. You know, so in just a month and a Week and a half. We're going to be observing the 20th anniversary of the 9 -11 attack. Okay, 20 years. Okay, and I know some of the younger folks here at Kongsvinger they have no memory none whatsoever of the of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center none.

Their entire existence has been post 9 -11. They have no memory of what the country was like before that every time they get on an airplane. They just think it's normal for them to get a full body scan and have to go through that rigorous security check and all that.

Kind of stuff, right? They have no memory of what it was like before none. So that that being the case in the in the years ahead. The generation that's coming up they will there will not be a Moment of their lives where the internet has not played an integral role.

You'll note that all the kids that are in grade school today all the kids that are in grade school today who last. You know school year spent in the majority of time in class on the internet. That that's normal for them that's normal and.

So in the in the in the years ahead. We we can we can see where this is heading.

In fact.

I begin to wonder if one of the major long-term impacts not only of kovat and the technologies that we have is going to be the Decentralization of work. So right now work is centralized among large cities, you know.

Yeah, and here we are out in the middle of nowhere, you know. Sugar beet fields of.

Of.

Minnesota actually, I think that's they were. They just planted wheat that year. So they're next to us, but all that being said we're out in the middle of nowhere. But the internet makes it possible for people to live anywhere to do their work.

Anywhere. Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, right.

Right, yeah, right and I mean Dwayne you you got two jobs that you do from Mayfield Mayville Mayville, North Dakota. All the way up to Francis. He works for a Catholic health care system, so the Pope is involved.

Yeah, exactly. So so it's it's not. It is not Crazy to think that you know here in you know. Like where I live Grand Forks that we could be seeing an influx of people fleeing cities for the purpose of living somewhere smaller more local for the regaining of a sense of community and things like this and It and when people talk about meetings now in the future a meeting is just gonna.

It's just gonna automatically take place on the internet. And it's gonna include disparate people people who are who are geographically disconnected. But we're only talking about geographically disconnected in hundreds and thousands of miles, but you know we're not we're all still part of the same planet.

Right yeah, and so you know all of a sudden everybody's recognizing wait a second this. This is this is a valid medium for the purpose of and I would note this. Let's talk about the different ways in which you can use this technology.

So my wife she recently went to visit the doctor and the doctor doesn't even work here in Grand Forks. She sat in an office. Where there was a big teleprompter set up and he phoned it in. He spoke with her about her meds talked to her about her medical conditions.

He diagnosed where she was re you know. Redid her prescriptions, and he wasn't physically in the room all the tests that needed to be done were done locally by you know a nurse practitioner or whatever.

But you know my wife was never in the physical presence of her physician and yet her physician. Legally cared for her and is actually responsible for her and took care of all of that via the medium of what the internet.

Okay, so that this is news to me. I'm not even familiar with how technology are being implemented, but those of. Yeah, so we here in the in the rural middle of nowhere, which is where we are. We have electronic ERs now.

Emergency rooms, and it's a CNA or a nurse practitioner who does all the work. But she's the orders are being called in via the internet.

And then through high-definition video.

Yeah now let me ask you a question. So anybody who's whose life has been saved using an electronic emergency room. Have they ever been told you weren't really saved that was it really medicine. You weren't really cared for it because it doesn't count.

Because that was on the Internet. Okay got it. Okay, so it's plausible deniability now. Actually I saw your hand up. Tell a stroke. Really.

Wow.

Yeah, so it's it's becomes the the internet has made it possible for us to leverage The skill of doctors that aren't even in our region and who we do not have enough of a population to afford such a skilled physician.

Right.

All right, so that's one. That's one use of the internet. The other is is that I let's kind of walk through some of the things here, so we got telemedicine. Tell them you know we got the virtual ERs. And then virtual stroke places, and you know the medical world is using these things.

How about the business world as far as like not merely like work groups? But do you think of like you know different Board of Directors meetings and things like this and in the high-end you know the fortune?

500 corporations, they're not using zoom. They're using super high-end technologies and very very large Television screens high-def you know 4k screens. So you know that so that the person who is not physically in the room is you know? For all intents and purposes is in the room and the way that the sensors and the cameras are working.

They can see all the subtleties they can see all the subtleties in people's Body language and stuff like that our politicians gather via these these these technologies. Right and they can make decisions using the medium of the internet that impacts every one of us.

You know yeah.

Really.

And it counted. And it counted. Okay, I'm just asking. I mean. And then also think about the courtroom courtrooms. Nowadays people can actually be brought into a courtroom using internet technologies sworn in using internet technologies and give Depositions that are then recorded into court records for both civil and criminal cases and their and their testimony counts.

It's considered valid.

Okay.

So you can get okay, this is news to me. I'm learning more about all right, so you can you can perform you can perform a actually legally binding wedding ceremonies for two people that are Geographically disconnected from each other using an internet technology their companies that do that.

It's that is crazy, and then you think about this remember remember all the news reports after it. We're all locked down. Where were the where were the news reporters working from? Their homes of course I really enjoyed watching some of the Some of the bloopers that happened because like you know some some people their kids were like Hiding in the background and like popping their heads around you know like the quarter and stuff like that.

It's great, right. You know so the idea then is is that okay? We have Clearly leveraged the medium of the internet for the purpose of really conducting all types of business of Doing all kinds of things and so my immediate question is well if we can use the internet for purposes like this Why have we blocked Christ from doing it?

We can use it Jesus, but you can't. It doesn't make any sense. It just it absolutely makes it no sense, and you're going to note that those who are against the use of internet technologies for the purpose of making disciples fulfilling the church's commission of You know of word and sacrament ministry.

They are arrogating to themselves the ability to use the internet for whatever will they deem? Necessary, but they've blocked Christ from it without any biblical prohibition. Against the use of the internet for the purpose of fulfilling the Great Commission.

So I come back to that Romans 4 passage that says where there is no law there is no transgression. Jesus didn't say go and make disciples of all nations Baptizing them in the name of the Father Son and Holy Spirit teaching them all that I have commanded you and lo I'm with you always even to the end of the age, but Asterisk you know then six inch Helvetica six-point Helvetica type you can't use the internet as part of fulfilling the Great Commission.

There is there is no prohibition whatsoever, and I come back to the fact. That's that that the the do this you need a Christian assembly need bread and wine. You need a speaking in the words of institution, and that's not performative the bread and wine have to be distributed.

It doesn't say who or how and the bread and wine are then consumed all that being the case. Then we recognize as we were pointing out That all of you who are present with us right now via the medium of the internet.

You are present in your homes and the medium of the internet makes it possible for us to be joined together into a bigger assembly. But that Christ is present with you. This is most certainly true. So coming back then to to my theses here Thesis 7 when these things are done the fight.

You know the things that are required as Christ is commanded wherever they are done in all places that they are done. We can confidently believe that Christ attaches his verba and his work to the pastors.

Recitation of the verba and the end the elements so that what is received then is the true body and blood of Christ again. Here's the quote from the solid declaration. Wherever what Christ is instituted is observed in his words are spoken over the bread and cup wherever the consecrated cup.

Bread and cup are distributed. Christ himself Exercises his power through the spoken words, which are still his word by virtue of the power of the first institution as Christos them says in his sermon on the passion.

Christ prepares this table himself and Blesses it for no human being makes the bread and wine which are set before us the body and blood of Christ rather Christ himself. Who was crucified? He does that and.

So our core text then in this emphasis is again Matthew 18. This makes it possible for Christians to assemble at an internet meeting place and nope, but I'm saying this I'm not saying that the Internet's a place.

I'm saying that an internet meeting meeting place is the medium by which we are able to gather together. This fits then within the definition of wherever and all places a Congregation has then the freedom and that's the important word freedom.

Where there is no law there is no sin and so where there is no commandment we understand that there are there's freedom in this regard a Christian a congregation has the freedom to gather together for the purpose of holding the divine service again in an internet meeting place.

And I think I have to rework this because you know. Clearly people seem to think that by saying that I'm saying that the Internet's a place. I'm not again the media the Internet is the medium by which that makes it possible for this.

The service then begins with the invocation of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit. Therefore as Christ has promised he himself then is truly present. He's present with you. He's present with me. He's present with all of those who are gathered together.

You know wherever they are he is truly present for where two or three are gathered in my name there I am among them just straight up the words of Christ and if this is not true, then Christ is a liar.

You know and I'm gonna go with the Jesus doesn't lie, you know way of approaching it now. Let me check questions because I know that they're coming in and let's take a look here. So Stephen Elliott says Facebook employs Employees.

People who work remotely have similar virtual workplace meeting devices and displays. Yeah, exactly. And yet people don't say walls. Facebook's isn't really a business, you know. They're not really doing work, right.

All right, Victor says the major political parties used virtual conventions to select their presidential candidates. That's a great point Victor. That is an absolutely outstanding point and it was certainly valid that they were nominated and that they were nominated rightly.

That's correct.

Okay.

The Sylvester family Hannah says my husband attended all of his court cases virtually this past year and a half. It was kind of nice for him. Actually, I can't bet you know that that's good, you know.

So yeah, he's in law enforcement and law enforcement guys. They have to show up to court all the time. That's the standard part of their of their work and it's got to be nice to not have to travel to wherever the courthouse is and and.

And you know and just kind of knock those things down, but no one's sitting. Well, his his testimony doesn't count. It's invalid because he wasn't physically in the room with us you know that that's this nobody talks this way except for when it comes to things related to the church and.

And I think that it's absolutely foolish to talk that way. I really do. All right, so we've got thesis thesis eight knockdown and here's one that I want to throw in here that I think is a little bit of a mind-bender and Kind of challenges the concept of you know.

The the requirement of physical presence at first Corinthians chapter 5 the Apostle Paul writes these words. No, actually, let me let me read the thesis and then we'll read the words. It says this this this passage challenges the narrow definition of a Christian assembly that restricts Someone's presence unless they are physically present.

Paul writes it is actually reported that there are sexual immorality among you and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans. A man has his father's wife and you are arrogant. Ought you not rather to mourn?

Let him who has done this be removed from among you. So the presenting issue you'll note that first Corinthians is a is an epistle that addresses some pretty egregious Abuses that are taking place in a in a Christian congregation.

You know I always like reading first Corinthians because it makes me feel like you know, things are not that bad at Kongsvinger, you know. Thank I know what. Right, you know, so I mean you had the the rich keeping the poor from having the Lord's Supper.

You had people abusing the spiritual gifts and behaving like crazy NAR types. You had a guy who was.

Sleeping.

Sexually with his father's wife stepmother and the church rather than being horrified mortified calling this fellow to repent and of his sin they. They were arrogant about it. Well, isn't the grace of Jesus wonderful, man, you know.

And so Paul is like no and he says let him who has done this be removed from among you. I mean watch these words for though absent in body. I am present in spirit and As present I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing.

So when you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present. With the power of our Lord Jesus. You are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh. So that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.

This is even before there was an internet connection. This is before there was even a computer in the truest sense. There wasn't there there weren't even phones. I mean They didn't even figure out that you can take two kin tin cans and put a string between them because they didn't have tin cans right and What does Paul say that he is present with them?

Now this this actually gets to one of the things that we confess in the creeds. We believe in the quote communion of the saints so those of you who've spent time in the Missouri Synod know exactly what I'm talking about it when you're Catechized into a Missouri Synod Church and you get to the part where it talks about the communion of the Saints.

Missouri Synod guys are very faithful to point out that one of the proper ways of understanding the communion of the Saints is what we hear in the liturgy that we are Worshiping with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven who law to magnify your glorious name, right?

And I remember when I was being catechized at st. John's Lutheran Church in Orange, California. That's where my wife and I were initially catechized. They had this beautiful 18th century 1900 so yeah 19th century.

Beautiful beautiful a-frame Cathedral, I mean just huge high Gothic ceilings and During that part of our catechesis as we were being taught the faith there the pastor took us into the sanctuary and He points up at you know, like, you know one part of the a-frame, you know.

Which is like towering above us and he says a good way to think of it. Is this is every time we have the divine service. We are not alone. That the angels and archangels and all the company of heaven worships with us.

And he says we don't know how that works but a good way to think of it is is that they're sitting in the rafters up there on the a-frame and I Remember, you know for like weeks that you know We I'd hear the part of the liturgy where it says angels and archangels and all the company of heaven.

I'd look up to see if I'd see anything, right? Okay, but I'm gonna note this that the belief in the communion of the Saints is a is a belief that we Are united in one body Christ and that when we worship we never worship alone.

So we're gonna note this then that because we believe in the communion of the Saints. That's really part of what's instrumentally at at work here in this text that although Paul.

Is.

Physically. Absent from the Corinthian Church and it would take him a long long long long time. To get there because you got to get there by road or by boat. He is present with them in spirit. The same way every time we worship we are never alone in the divine service.

We always worship with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven and so I would argue then based upon this passage that those who would argue against the use of the Internet for the purpose of Serving Saints like we do who are disconnected geographically from being able to get to faithful congregations that Failing to use the Internet been saying you can't do this.

This doesn't count. It is an overt attack against something that we confess and that is the communion of the Saints if when we worship The dead are with us and here at Kongsvinger We have a cemetery and I think people here can attest to this.

We can even find it in the audio archives from time to time. I've made a point especially on All Saints Day that every time we worship here at Kongsvinger The folks in the cemetery are worshiping with us also.

Right if we can believe that the people in the cemetery can be with us. But the people who are joining us via an internet connection are not. What are we saying? This is absolutely inconsistent biblically with the concept of the communion of the Saints and what Paul here is talking about and that is to set that Paul can actually be physically present not physically absent but spiritually present for the purpose of excommunicating an impenitent sinner.

Well, it didn't count the Apostle Paul wasn't here. Yeah, he was. Well, I didn't see him. Well, you weren't looking the text says he's here. You see the idea. So though absent in body I am present in spirit and as present I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing.

So when you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus, so they assemble there's an invocation and my spirit is present with you. How is he doing that by virtue of the communion of the Saints? With the power of our Lord Jesus you were to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh.

So the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. So note the Apostle Paul was present with the Corinthian assembly, even though he was not Physically present and see it is a passage like this that I think speaks directly to many of the really bad arguments about the Using the internet for the purpose of serving the Saints that that if the challenge is is it?

Clearly now in their court will prove to me that Paul wasn't present even though he was physically absent. He wasn't even there via zoom. He was just there in spirit. How much more. So People who are with us not only in spirit.

But joining with us via the medium of the internet. So you see what I'm saying?

You know, I don't even think they would allow for that.

Yeah.

Those who are being consistent I have noted that they are arguing against using the internet period. For anything to do with the church. Right. Yeah, you know, in fact, let's kind of talk about this here, you know.

So one of the things I want to talk about are some of the really bad arguments that are being put forward and You can tell that there's super bad arguments because when when you just apply a little bit of reductio ad absurdum To them the whole things fall apart.

Okay, so, you know. So you were talking about you know via mail, but that that's that's not a good argument.

Yeah.

Right, it's absurd but one of the claims again one of the claims that some are out there are making is Number one that people who are Gathering in their homes and then connecting to a church via the internet that they're lazy.

That they're lazy. That's an absolute argument that they're lazy and I would note that making a claim like that assumes that you understand the motive for everybody who is attending an online service and That all the only motive that could possibly exist is a sinful motive.

Yeah, if they were lazy they wouldn't attend at all, that's a good point. That's a good point. But one of the arguments is is that they're lazy, which this is just this is a ridiculous argument. Another argument that has been put forward Is that that the the pastor must actually physically hold the elements?

Otherwise and he must be the one who physically distributes the elements and the reason why is because.

Because.

That's because Jesus he physically handed out the elements as well. But we'll note that in the things that are required there is no prescribed Distribution. There is no prescribed distribution and we don't know exactly how the disciples received the first communion.

We do know that they were in an upper room. We do know that they had dining couches. They were probably reclining at the table and we don't know if whether or not Jesus took the bread and then Distributed, you know one to one guy on his right and the other guy on his left and it went around the room.

We have no idea if that's how it happened or if Jesus himself physically got up and handed them each Some of the bread and some of the wine. We don't know it doesn't say and So that means that there's freedom and distribution in the past.

I've had people assist me during Distribution and since we're small enough congregation, I don't really need that that kind of help but in large congregations. You will you will have deacons assist in some places.

They have deacon and deaconesses and some people. I have people set up at stations and they did do the distribution. Are we to assume that these are sinful because the pastor hasn't physically handled any of these things?

No.

But one of the one of the more more bizarre arguments that I've recently read and I hate to say it this way is a bizarre argument is The words of institution themselves would have to change. From where Christ says this is my body that the pastor would have to change the words to that is my body.

I want you to think about this for a second here. This and this is this is considered to be an extremely strong argument on their part. But the thing is is that why do I as a pastor say the words of institution?

Because it's required it's part of the do this. And here's the thing the verba the words of institution are a third person singular Arist so in an arist in Greek that's past tense.

Past tense.

For third person singular arist past tense historical narrative. So watch the words. Here are the words of institution. Our Lord Jesus Christ on the night that he was betrayed he took bread and When he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to the disciples and he said Take eat.

This is my body which is given for you do this in remembrance of me in the same way. Also after supper he took the cup and when he had blessed it He gave it to them saying drink of this all of you. This cup is New Testament in my blood which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.

This do as often as you drink it in remembrance of me now note. Their claim is is that if you use the internet for the purpose of administering the Lord's Supper? You would have to change the words from this is my body to that is my body because I'm not physically holding the elements.

But I would also note not only is this a third person past tense Historical narrative if we're being consistent I can't say the words this is my body and this is my blood. Because it's not my body and it's not my blood.

It's the blood of Jesus and His body so I would have to not only say that is I wouldn't say that is my body. I would say that is Jesus's body Rather than my body. You see what I'm saying here. So when you put forward an argument as as poorly thought out as that Claiming that well internet communion means we have to change the words of institution.

You haven't really thought through this. You haven't really thought through this because I assure you that when I serve you the Lord's Supper my blood and my Flesh are not present in the elements if they are then we're dealing with an extremely dangerous biohazard.