In case you’re wondering, my church has communion on the first Sunday of each month. I truly look forward to this sacrament and long for it the other weeks of the month. I was out of town for the first Sunday of June and regret having to be away on that day for that very reason. Personally, I would rather celebrate the Lord’s Supper every week.
It has been said that a weekly observance of the Lord’s Table actually lessens the impact of the sacrament compared to a less frequent partaking. I have heard some say that it would not seem so special if it were done at each meeting. In response, I ask if it is cheapened more by being relegated to a certain day according to the decisions of men. Is this act something that should be given a lesser portion of prominence?
I suspect that any given person’s answer to this question will be based on their understanding of the sacrament. Is it merely a reminder tool installed by God? Is it a means of grace by which we are reminded in a tangible way what has been done on our behalf? Or is it something else entirely? I have my opinion already, but would like to hear what others have to say about this.
How often do you think communion should be given and what reasons do you use to base this opinion?
Jeremy tells his Moniker Origin story: why “Parableman†Rebecca has a sumariquote* from the Westminster Larger Catechism (Q32 – 35; which always cracked me up since it sounds so dispensational). Doug asks how do you worship Messy Christian moves on. ::Raises glass:: Mike on choice, evil, God’s Sovereignty and Gandalf. ThirstyTheologian on makes a thirst-quenching point… Shane points out Ten Things Not in the Bible (Like there is no book of Hezekiah).
Our church has it the first and third Sundays of every month, but I would prefer to have it weekly.
I believe that if one truly understands the significance of the Lord’s Supper, it will never, never become “less special”, only more and more blessed and strengthening, for I know it is and have experienced it as a tangible means of grace.
In my opinion, however, I think that apart from a traditional, liturgical service, (in which there is a Call to Repentence, Corporate and Silent Confession, followed by a Declaration of Forgiveness) it would be very difficult for the congregation as a whole to understand and enter into the corporate aspects of the Lord’s Supper.
I have been in churches in which Communion was tacked on at the end of the service with little preparation–abrupt and disconnected from the rest of the worship. In that setting, I do think it would be more difficult for the Lord’s Supper to be experienced as it was given.
I also long for communion every week, but am in a context in which it is done only every other month. To me, the clear biblical pattern is that communion was celebrated every time Christians gathered together, and that its celebration was a central part of their worship. To attempt to worship habitually without making the only means by which our worship is acceptable — the sacrifice of Christ on the cross — tangibly central in a divinely-mandated way seems rather presumptuous to me. More frequent and more central celebration of communion would be one of the first practices I would reform in our church, if I were able.
We have it weekly and sometimes (around Thanksgiving) we have it twice a week. Each week men offer up songs and texts and prayers in worship and rememberence of the Lord. We devote about an hour twenty minutes to the Lord’s Supper and at the end of it we break with a prayer and a hymn.
I see my wife every day and not once have I thought “man, I see my wife too much. These daily interactions cheapens our relationship.”
The breaking of bread, as with all the other sacraments are physical actions which convey genuine spiritual blessings – means of grace. They are made effective not by any magic in the ritual, nor in the administration, but through the faith of the partaker. For this reason you don’t have to wait for a “communion service” to celebrate the Lord’s table. Ac 2:46 says the believers broke bread in their homes. The church is the body of Christ wherever and whenever it meets; some of the best times I have had at the Lord’s table have been in homes during midweek meetings.
In acts it says on the 1st day of the week, when the diciples came together to break bread. This is our example to observe. On the 1st day of the week. Not any other day. Yes the the bible speaks of others breaking bread in homes as they ate a common meal. You have to study to understand what it is talking about. The Lords supper or a common meal.
We have it twice a month on the the first and third sundays. However, when I did an internship for a Reformed Church in Sweden two summers ago we had common cup communion and broke bits off the same piece of bread every Sunday morning. It was awesome.
I think the argument that frequency diminishes the value is ridiculous.
Do you think that Protestants moved away from communion every week because the Roman Catholics do it?
Having had grown up in a Roman Catholic Church I had communion every time there was a service. When we left the RCC and started attending a Baptist church that was the main distinction I noticed as a kid – communion was only once a month. Perhaps Protestants wanted to seperate themselves from weekly communion as one of the distinctions.
Here’s a link to an article by Richard Bacon re: the Westminster Standards and the Frequency of the Lord’s Supper.
http://www.fpcr.org/blue_banne.....munion.htm
The Reformed Baptist Church I used to attend observed the supper once a month but they did something I hadn’t seen before.
They met 30 minutes before the Sunday School hour to insure that the supper was observed by members only. I thought this created more of a family atmosphere.
Doug,
Our church offers communion every week.
For three weeks it is “self-service.” Four communion stations exist in the corners of the church sanctuary. During worship, people are free to go up and partake. Usually, people go up in family groups or with other people in the church; most people don’t go up alone. No words of institution are offered by the pastor or elders, but people typically pray together once at the station.
One week a month, we have a “sit down” style communion where the elements are passed out. Usually, one of the elders invokes a blessing and people take one element at a time between his blessings. I go to an independent Pentecostal church, so the blessing is not read from a liturgy, though I am very familiar with a liturgical approach to communion.
Our church regularly breaks bread together after meetings, an enhancement to the whole idea of communion, and I really appreciate this in our church. Once in a while they do a “communion-style” banquet, but have not done one recently.
Every “first day of the week”, as commanded and show example in the Bible.
where is it in the bible that you take it on the first day of each week? Thanks
Scriptural answer: once a year.
Though it is not “communion” but Pesach (Passover). Communion is an RCC “sacrament” that comes from the Mythraism (pagan sun god)practice of eating with the dead in the tombs. Breaking bread on the ‘first of the week’ (notice the word ‘day’ is added by translators) is the havdalah and is a blessing at the end of Sabbath. This is Saturday after dusk when the ‘first of the week’ begins. Remember, Elohim (God) did not create a Roman calendar. Days are measured from evening to evening. (Genesis 1)
Examine any of the accounts, but particularly Luke 22. They are to prepare Passover. He eagerly awaits to eat… Passover. When you do this… the “this” is Passover. Notice the liturgy… cup… bread… supper (Greek, deipneo)… cup.
Act 2 is speaking of communing together. The context here is their life together. “Breaking bread” is eating. This was and is still a customary practice of the near-eastern. That is why they, “received their food with glad and generous hearts”.
If you are unsure that this is true, (”communion” being Passover) please examine 1 Corinthians 11. Ask yourself, “How could there be an issue of gluttony or drunkeness if it is simply a piece of bread and a sip of wine?”
Shalom.
“How often do you think” is not the question to ask. You should ask where is the authority to offer the Lord’s Supper once a month or every other Sunday. What example in the bible do you have with the 1st Century church with regards to how often they observed this memorial? 1Cor 11:20-34 talks about the abuse of the Supper and Acts 20:7 gives us the example of each first day of the week.
[...] Doug asks how do you worship [...]
I believe Holy Communion should be had each and every Sunday at least in the morning worship service. After all, we are in God’s house, not the “corporate” meeting place. I was raised as a Roman Catholic, however, I converted to Southern Baptist. The church I am a member of really, really disappointed me on Easter Sunday when my family and I attended only to find that there was no Communion to partake of the body and blood of Jesus on Easter Sunday. I was told that they had Communion the Sunday before at the evening service at 6:00 p.m. I was also told that it was in their “By-Laws” to only have Communion one time a month…..somebody decided to throw it in at a 6:00 service…..However, both Easter Sunday and today, the preacher asked for $10,000.00 donations to help build another building behind our church. I called just before the 6:00 service and reached the secretary…..The addition they are wanting donations for has nothing to do with a totally new auditorium they are building for which they already have $1,000,000.00 and they have that money in some sort of securities, stocks, etc…..and are borrowing $2,000,000.00 more, I guess for some new building they want to start building. At today’s service, the pastor announced he is going to Israel tomorrow morning and won’t be back for two weeks. 40 church members are also going, and when I asked the secretary if he was paying for his and his wife’s and whoever else in his family’s tickets, she said the tour company is paying for his tickets…he is not paying for his own tickets…….I asked the secretary how many seats we have in our present auditorium and she says it accommodates 350 people. I asked her how many people were at the Easter Sunday service and she told me 1,000. I told her I was there and there was enough seating for everyone……I see something wrong with this picture….Our last pastor added on to the auditorium we are now in….noone was left standing.
I’m going to have a talk with my pastor when he returns and need some guidance as to how to approach this…..Does anyone else see a problem with this? The Bible tells me that at the Last Supper, Jesus said..(in same or similar words)…Do this in memory of me….(referring to Communion and receiving the body and blood of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. I don’t think he meant to do it at the convenience of the Church at the 6:00 service when only the usual members attend….They don’t have any problem with taking the time to pass around the offering baskets to collect money for this or that special reason… but their feathers get ruffled when you mention Communion…..Also, I truly feel this money could better be used to feed the hungry, give shelter to the homeless, preach to the hundreds of souls at the Salvation Army, and those living in Group Homes for Alcoholics Anonymous and Drug-related facilities, give to the Children’s Cancer hospitals, Leukemia Society, Diabetes Foundation, Breast Cancer Foundation, and the list goes on and on….right here in the Untied States and even in our own home town……instead of spending millions of dollars of church members’ money building more buildings so the same amount of church members can attend….the church has been around for over 20 years….with a youth ministry, overseas missionary program, etc….What’s wrong with using money for building a facility for “Wayward or troubled children and preaching to them the Word of God……The Bible also has something to say about….removing the splinter in our own eyes before we go forth and start looking at other countries and their problems……Sorry, I am having a very large problem with this.
Sorry….I left the wrong email address. The correct address is “patbarbara@tampabay.rr.com
Pat
I can see that this is troubling to you, and it sounds like a problem to me as well. Did the pastor just announce that he and 40 others were going, or was there some discussion beforehand, say in a meeting?
The church does have certain responsibilities to point to Christ, and these must come before the desire to build a monument to success.
it seems pretty simple to me; when ever we come together, we need to aways remember why we are together. “Do this in remembrance of Me”. where there is two or more together in My Name, I am there with them!
God is with us. lets just stay focused
I think communion should be every Sunday,protestant churches,the one I attend too,always seem to have this fear of being Catholic,for goodness sake we all claim to adore one God,and be saved by his beautiful Son,then why the nonsense,come on guys ,Jesus isnt a Catholic or a protestant,is he?