Why I Am a Lutheran, Chapter 5 Mount Zion and the Sacraments (Remembering)--Daniel Preus

“Anyone who has experienced the suffering and pain of Alzheimer’s disease can begin to grasp the importance of remembering in the Lord’s Supper. Jesus did not give us this Meal only so we could remember Him; the Lord’s Supper does far more than remind us of what He did. It is a family meal in which our Father gives us food to eat. It actually places into our mouths the crucified body of Jesus and His blood, which was shed for the remission of our sins. Along with His body and blood, the Lord’s Supper gives us all the blessings that Jesus’ suffering and death procured for us. Luther clarifies these blessings for us: ‘In the Sacrament forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given us through these words. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.’ Thus when we participate in the Lord’s Supper, we participate in the suffering and death of Christ. Jesus places into our mouths everything that His death achieved for us.”