Do not presume for a moment that in this meal the Lord Jesus Christ is a hapless victim. He became a victim, once for all, at a particular point in history. But God vindicated Him, raising Him from the dead, and He was ushered before the Ancient of Days, and was a given a throne there. In that throne, upon which He has been sitting for two thousand years, He exercises dominion over heaven and earth, and over every tribe, language, nation, and kingdom.
He is no victim. We do not have to fence the Table in order to keep Him from getting hurt. We do not have to fence the Table so that He will not be again victimized. We do fence notorious sinners away from the Table, but not for the Table’s sake. This is the meaning of excommunication. God in His mercy drove Adam and Eve away from the tree of life so that they would not combine their rebellion with sacramental insolence.
But if you are baptized, and not lawfully excommunicated, then the Table fences you in. You do not protect the Table from becoming a victim; the Table protects you from becoming a victim. The world is a sinful place, and we all struggle with our remaining sinfulness. We need food for the journey; we need strength for the fight.
So here it is. Come, take and eat. Come, take and drink.