Eucharistic adoration
Could you clarify the Lutheran view of eucharistic adoration? My understanding is that because Luther acknowledged the scriptural teaching of the Real Presence of Christ, he also supported the adoration of the body and blood of Christ during the worship service, and modern day Lutherans continue to hold this view. However, I am less clear on why modern Lutherans do not practice eucharistic adoration as a devotion or aid to prayer (unless I am mistaken and it is actually a practice). If Lutherans believe the body and blood of Christ are present in the bread and wine, and Scripture does not forbid us from having consecrated bread remaining exposed to the congregation in a reverent way outside the normal worship time, why not have it visible in the church for, say, an hour before or after a service, or on some other occasion, to give church members a visible reminder of Christ's sacrifice and an opportunity to pray in church in front of the real presence of Christ outside normal worship times? Some people may not find it beneficial, but I suspect others may find it useful in helping them focus their thoughts on Christ and his saving work in a specific, reverent, and prayerful setting. I understand that is not necessarily the primary purpose of the Lord's Supper, and therefore seen as extraneous, but thinking of 1 Corinthians 11 and the Gospel accounts of the Last Supper, eucharistic adoration is also not forbidden. Thank you for your explanation.
Martin Luther acknowledged that any adoration of the sacrament lies in the area of Christian freedom. “We say that one should not condemn people or accuse them of heresy if they do not adore the Sacrament, for there is no command to that effect and it is not for that purpose that Christ is present. Just as we read that the apostles did not adore the Sacrament since they were sitting and eating at the table. On the other hand, one should not condemn and accuse of heresy people who do adore the Sacrament. For although Christ has not commanded it, neither has he forbidden it, but often accepted it [that is, he accepted it when people bowed to him]. Free, free it must be, according as one is disposed in his heart and has opportunity” (Luther’s Works 36, p. 295).
Having the earthly elements of the Lord’s Supper on display for worshipers would not provide them with “an opportunity to pray in church in front of the real presence of Christ outside normal worship times.” Lutherans do not teach that the body or blood of Christ is present in the bread and wine apart from the sacramental use (i.e., eating and drinking). “For nothing can be a sacrament without God’s command and the appointed use for which it is instituted in God’s Word.” (The Formula of Concord. Thorough Declaration. VII. Of the Holy Supper, 108) With the symbol of the cross in mind, Christians can “focus their thoughts on Christ and his saving work in a specific, reverent, and prayerful setting.”