“The Divine Service: The Words of Our Lord through the
Benediction”
The Lord’s Supper is the high point of the service; here we are
receiving the very body and blood of Jesus which was given and
shed on the cross all for the forgiveness of our sins.
You may notice at this part of the service that everything seems
to slow down. The Words of Christ are chanted slowly and
deliberately. This gives us a moment to reflect on the Words and
just how important this is for us. We aren’t here just because we
have the extra time and now are trying just to leave. Rather, our
whole lives should be structured around this moment, where Christ
meats us physically as experienced nowhere else in our lives. In the
sacrament we are united to the body of Christ and this flows out
into how we live the rest of the week. Having been united to
Christ’s body we now not only act like Christ but share in the
resurrected body of Christ, bringing us peace in a world full of
suffering and death. In this Supper we have peace with God, let us
take our time to rest in it.
After the Words of Christ and before we come up to receive his
body and blood we make a confession when we sing the Agnus Dei
(which means “lamb of God”). Singing this hear, we confess that
Jesus is the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world and
that in this meal we receive this salvation. Then we go right up to
receive this salvation.
Just as we received the absolution from the pastor as from
Christ Himself, now we come to the altar to receive the body and
blood from the pastor as from Christ Himself. It isn’t simply Kyle Mullins, a guy with a
weird obsession of theology, who gives this out. It is Christ.
After we come up to the altar to receive this wonderful, life changing gift we then
sing the Nunc Dimittis (which means “now we depart”). These are the words sung by
Simeon when he held the Christ child. In them Simeon confesses that now that he has
received Christ, he has peace with God and can now die without a worry. Now that we
have received Christ physically, we have this same peace! There is now no more worry
over the grave, it has been defeated, so we sing along with Simeon, “Lord, now your
servant may depart in peace.”
After the congregation has received the body and blood of Christ, we then return
thanks in prayer and pray that the gift which we have just received may bear fruit in our
lives, that having been united to the body of Christ through this supper we may not only
have peace with God, but also peace with each other. This is paraphrased from what
saint Paul says throughout his epistles: we now share in the body of Christ, therefore we
also have peace with everyone who shares in this body.
Lastly, we have one more blessing. The Aaronic benediction is given. This is the
blessing which Aaron gives to the people of Israel. “The Lord bless you and keep you. The
Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up his
countenance upon you and give you peace.” This is not just a prayer in which we ask that
these things take place, but is a declaration, a solemn promise from God that He will do
this. In this blessing, the peace and grace and love of God are declared upon the
congregation. That the Lord would shine his face upon us means that we have full access
to God and all of His glory. This would be terrifying… if we had not just been given peace
with God through His body and His blood. But since we now have peace with God on
account of Christ, God dwelling among us means life eternal.
Haven been given this blessing, we now turn from the refuge of the Church to the
outside world. But now the sin and suffering this world has to offer have been dealt with.
We leave the church assured in the comfort and peace and salvation of God since we
have just received it directly.
This concludes our series on the Divine Service. If you would like a compilation of
these articles, please request them from me. As always, if you ever have any questions of
why we do what we do please ask. I’m always excited to talk about the wonderful liturgy
we Lutherans have inherited.
In Christ,
Pastor Mullins
