Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The text on which this evening's message is based comes from our second Gospel lesson (Matthew 26: 17-30) read earlier.

Through our time of Lent we have considered many symbols of Christ's passion for us: The thorns, the nails, the gall, the spear, the cross, the dice. Each symbol has helped us to contemplate the extent of our Savior's love for us.

But now we come to Bread and Wine. For centuries before Jesus, Bread and Wine had been symbols of the Lord's salvation, symbols of the Passover meal, symbols that reminded every Hebrew believer of their great God who had brought them up from out of Egypt with his powerful hand. But now, Jesus would turn these symbols into more than symbols. Jesus' powerful word would turn these symbols, bread and wine, into actual means of salvation, into life-giving, soul-enlivening food.

I've always been struck with the Old Testament story of Naaman, the Syrian general with leprosy at the time of Elisha the prophet (2 Kings 5). Naaman was a powerful, influential man in a powerful country at the time. But leprosy had struck him and he was no longer able to fulfill the role that gave him such influence.

He was helpless to heal himself. None of the incantations of his own religion could remove this dreaded disease. But then the words of a little powerless servant girl, a girl who had been kidnapped and enslaved away from her family in Israel, her words came to Naaman. She told him of Elisha, the prophet of the Lord, who could heal such things as leprosy. Naaman went to Israel to see Elisha. But Elisha didn't even meet with the powerful Naaman. He simply sent word through a servant that Naaman should go down to the dirty Jordan River and wash himself there 7 times. Then, and only then, would he be cleansed and healed. But Naaman was incensed. This Hebrew prophet wouldn't even meet with him and do the sorts of magical incantations Naaman thought might heal him. He didn't even tell him to go wash in clean waters like Naaman had back home. No, the means that Naaman was to use to cleanse himself was normal old dirty Hebrew water, connected with the Word of God through this prophet. At first Naaman refused, but then his other servants convince him that it is worth a try, wouldn't he have done something much harder if the prophet Elisha had instructed him to. Naaman believes enough to go, and when he does he is cleansed, his skin is refreshed and enlivened again. And Naaman goes home, trusting that the God of Elisha is truly the only God, great and powerful to do what he will even through such seemingly normal means, normal instruments as water.

Tonight, this Maundy Thursday night, Jesus establishes new normal means, new normal instruments for cleansing and healing. These instruments are not just for one person like Naaman, but for all people who trust in this Lord, who believe his words. These means are more than just symbols, more than just ways of remembering. Our sinful nature wants to react to bread and wine in the same way Naaman reacted to the Jordan River: "Why can't we do something that seems more meaningful? Why can't we receive something that looks more special, more spiritual? Why bread and wine? What is so special about them?"

I have a dear Christian friend who is a Protestant Christian of another denomination, who does not believe that Christ's actual body and blood is present in this sacrament. For him the Bread and Wine only symbolize or represent Christ's presence. Let's call my friend Jim. Jim is a dear Christian who loves his Lord Jesus greatly and knows his scriptures well, but he does not trust this plain word "IS", "this IS my body".   One day, when I was still a layman, he and I were discussing the Lord's Supper. Now, I know that there are people out there who think any discussion on religion or politics will inevitably lead to an argument. I'm not one of those people. I've had many positive experiences in discussing God's Word with people who disagree with me as long as I approach them with gentleness and respect, not a debating, arguing tone. With Jim, I asserted that we Lutherans believe we actually receive forgiveness through the Lord's Supper, that it is not just a memorial meal, not just a symbol. Jim smiled and confidently said, "No, we don't receive forgiveness through objects like bread and wine. Where would it say that in the Bible?" I responded with "Well it must say it in Scripture because we repeat it every time: For the forgiveness of sins."

Now, at the time, in my layman's days, I didn't know Scripture as well as I do today. I did know there were four places where the words of institution were cited, once in Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 11, and toward the end of each of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. I knew that each of the citations was slightly different, but I assumed that the "forgiveness phrase" was in all four places. I was most certain it was in 1 Corinthians, so we started there.

Unfortunately, I was wrong. "This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." No direct mention of forgiveness. So we went backwards, to Luke 22. Again, no direct mention of forgiveness. Then to Mark 14. Again, no direct mention of forgiveness. By this time, I was starting to get a little concerned. Had Luther's Small Catechism steered me wrong all these years? Had my Lutheran heritage been unbiblical? My friend Jim was starting to look a little smug, but a gentle, polite smug. I could sense in his demeanor that he was thinking "You Lutherans, you've accepted some ancient Roman Catholic tradition without questioning it. Luther simply didn't go far enough in the Reformation." But then we turned, finally, to Matthew 26, and there were the words of Christ I had heard so many times before in services like this. Verse 28 "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." Jim is a good friend. I tried very hard not to appear smug. I definitely didn't say to Jim "HA! There I was right and you were wrong!" I simply sat, quietly confident in God's Word. In this episode of our lives I didn't need to cajole Jim, or debate further. I simply needed to witness to Christ's Words. Jim scratched his head. This Christian man who loves and trusts Jesus' Words simply paused, then said "Hmmm. You were right. It does say forgiveness right there. I'm going to have to think on that one a while."

Bread and Wine. Our Lord's body and blood. Given for you for the forgiveness of your sins. More than a symbol. More than a representation. Our Lord chose to come to earth himself, as an earthly means for our forgiveness by dying on the cross for us. Our Lord has chosen to work through other earthly means, through physical processes like sound waves in words, like water, bread, and wine. These means all bring something that seems so shocking that our earthly minds have a hard time grasping it. These means bring forgiveness. In faith, these means connect and repeatedly reconnect us to our perfect God. In faith, these means remove the leprosy of our sin, and leave us again cleansed before our God. Why does our Lord use these means, these processes instead of others to bring us forgiveness time and again? We don't know, nor should we be like Naaman and doubt that such simple things are parts of God's plan. We simply trust in Him, our Lord who gave his life for us on the cross, who gives us his Body and Blood for strength. We simply trust his simple and plain words to be much more than symbols.

The grace and peace and forgiveness of our Lord Jesus Christ, given to us in all the means he provides, be with us always. Amen.