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A SERMON FOR HOLY THURSDAY April 2, 2026 Pastor Tom Steers Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto Our Bible Readings: Old Testament – Exodus 24:3-11 Psalm 116:12-19 Epistle – Hebrews 9:11-22 Gospel – Matthew 26:17-30 Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Tonight the Church gathers at the threshold of the Triduum—the holy three days in which Christ hands Himself over for the life of the world. Holy Thursday draws us into the Upper Room, where Jesus gives His disciples—and the whole Church—a gift so profound that Christians should never cease to marvel at it: the Sacrament of His body and blood. Matthew tells us that on the first day of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where will You have us prepare for You to eat the Passover?” It is a simple question, but reveals something important: Jesus is the one directing this night. Events do not sweep him along. He is not a victim of circumstance. He is the Lord who prepares His own Passover, the true Passover, in which the Lamb of God will give Himself to make complete payment for the sins of the world. THE COVENANT IN BLOOD The Old Testament reading from Exodus Chapter 24 gives us the background. Moses sprinkles the blood of sacrificed animals on the people and says, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you.” That covenant bound God to His people, but it was a covenant that required repeated sacrifices—blood that was shed again and again, year after year. Hebrews Chapter 9 reminds us that these sacrifices were shadows pointing forward to something infinitely greater. Christ, our great High Priest, enters not an earthly tent, but the heavenly sanctuary, offering not the blood of goats and calves but His own blood. His sacrifice is once for all, perfect and complete. And now, on this night before the crucifixion, Jesus takes the Passover meal and transforms it. He takes bread, gives thanks, breaks it, and gives it to His disciples, saying, “Take, eat; this is My body.” Then He takes the cup and says, “Drink of it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” The echoes of Exodus are unmistakable. The covenant is renewed—but now with Christ’s own blood. The forgiveness once symbolized is now delivered. The Lamb once foreshadowed is now present. THE REAL PRESENCE OF CHRIST Confessional Lutheran theology has always insisted on taking Jesus at His Word. When He says, “This is My body… this is My blood,” we do not reinterpret, spiritualize, or reduce His words. We confess them. Martin Luther, in the Large Catechism, puts it with his usual clarity: “It is the Word, I say, which makes and distinguishes this Sacrament, so that it is not mere bread and wine but is, and is called, the body and blood of Christ.” Luther’s point is simple: the power of the Sacrament does not come from our faith, our feelings, or our understanding. It comes from Christ’s own testimony. Because He says it is His body and blood, it is. Because He commands us to eat and drink, we do. Because He promises forgiveness, life, and salvation, we receive them. This is not a symbolic meal. It is not a mere memorial. It is not a reenactment. It is Christ giving Himself—His true body and true blood—to His people. THE GIFT OF FORGIVENESS Psalm 116 asks, “What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits to me?” The psalmist answers, “I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.” Tonight Christ places that cup of salvation into your hands. The forgiveness He won on the cross is not left in the abstract. It is not a distant promise. It is placed on your tongue. It is poured into your body. The very body that hung on the cross, the very blood that was shed for you, is given to you for the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. . This is why the Sacrament is not optional for the Christian life. It is not an add-on or a bonus. It is a means of grace from our Saviour. Here Christ provides what He died to give. THE MEAL OF UNITY Matthew tells us that after the Supper, “when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.” The disciples go out together. They will soon scatter, but for this moment, they are united around Christ’s table. The Lord’s Supper is a meal of unity—not a unity we create, but a unity Christ gives. Paul says, “Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.” In receiving Christ’s body, we are joined to Him and one another. This unity is not sentimental. It is sacramental. It is grounded in Christ’s real presence and His true forgiveness. Christians who receive Christ’s grace and mercy love are called to reflect that love to others. THE MEAL THAT SUSTAINS US Holy Thursday also looks forward. Jesus says, “I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.” The Supper is a foretaste of the feast to come. It sustains us on our journey through this world. It strengthens us in our trials, nourishes us as we walk through the sorrows of this life, until the day we are raised to new life in Christ. In the coming hours of the Passion narrative, Jesus will be betrayed, arrested, mocked, beaten, and crucified. But before He goes to the cross, He gives His Church one of the means by which the benefits of that cross will be delivered to every generation. He gives His body and blood as food and drink for sinners. RECEIVING THE GIFT So how do we approach this Sacrament? With reverence, yes—but also with joy. With repentance, yes—but also with confidence. With humility, yes—but also with expectation. We come as people who know our need. We come as people aware of our sin. But we also come as sinners who know our Saviour. We come trusting His Word, His promise, believing that what He gives is exactly what He says: His body and blood, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. That is what Christ places into your hands this night, and each Sunday. Forgiveness. Life. Salvation. Not as ideas, but as gifts. Not as abstractions, but as His very body and blood. This Holy Thursday, we stand with believers throughout the world and across the ages. We hear Christ’s words and receive His gifts. And we are drawn into the mystery of His love—a sacrificial love that goes to the cross willingly for us. A Saviour that rises from the dead, and feeds us until the day we feast with Him in His eternal kingdom. Amen.