Doctrine, life, witness, confession...

It is a law of intellectual life which applies also in the church, that only that doctrine can be passed on and planted in hearts which the teacher is absolutely convinced is true. A doctrine such as that of the Lutheran Church regarding the Sacrament of the Altar has to be borne witness to. If it is no longer attested but only presented as an historical antiquity, even though it be presented with great care and correctness, it dies.

Hermann Sasse


It is true that something can only be planted in hearts when the teaching is believed by the teacher.  You can see it in the face, in the mannerism, in the tone, in the eyes, and so on.  

Doctrine is considered by some to be dead.  But it is only dead if it is not believed.  It is only "calcified" if it does not live in the heart. 

The Supper as historical antiquity, just remembrance, does not have the power of proclamation.