Finality of a Will

There are a lot of legal documents that you might run across in life. Usually there is a date attached as to when it starts, or even when it ends. A Will, a document stating what will happen upon one’s death, has no pre-dated starting point. It isn’t something that one can borrow against. If I were to outlive all the beneficiaries (those who would inherit something), new names would have to be given or there is a legal order if there is no paperwork. The truth is, the Will doesn’t take effect until the one who wrote the Will passes away. So, why does this matter to you? We were looking at Luther’s Catechism concerning the Lord’s Supper. We hear the words, “Take and eat. This is the blood of the new covenant/testament shed for you for the forgiveness of sins”. The promise and assurance of this Sacrament took effect upon the death of Jesus. At this point, it cannot be withdrawn or altered. Jesus is not sacrificed over and over again, but the death He died, He died once and for all. The promise doesn’t need to be offered over and over again. The promises are made all the more sure when His will was put into place. The blood that assured the legality of the covenant was not symbolic. The blood of bulls and goats were not offered, as was spoken of in the law. This covenant was put into effect when Jesus’ shed blood sealed it. When we receive Holy Communion, we don’t just think of what Jesus did, but we claim the promise of forgiveness that was part of that covenant. Take and eat. Take and drink. Come in faith and be cleansed by that blood. A covenant was never made to be symbolic. It was an agreement between two parties and if one failed, the blood usually indicated death. In this covenant, our responsibility is to walk in faith and receive it with believing hearts... which by the way will cause us to desire to walk in righteousness all of our days. God, on the other hand, has taken both the responsibility of making the covenant and suffering the consequence of breaking that same covenant. Jesus doesn’t want us to remember His dying... He wants us to remember what He did so that we might live our lives fully... free from the law and the power of sin. It is more than remembering... it is receiving. Father, thank You for sending Your Son to pay a price we could not pay. Give us a true heart of faith. Amen