When do we celebrate communion?

Written by Administrator

Most believers understand our Lord’s admonition to partake of the Lord’s Supper. In fact this is one of two ordinances of the church: The Lord’s Supper and Baptism. Both are pictures of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection, essentially the gospel message. The Apostle Paul said that he had determined to not know anything but Christ and Him crucified. (I Corinthians 2:2) In our vernacular today it might have sounded like this: “This is our primary mission statement as a church: to lift up the message and the mission of Christ alone, the Scriptures alone, Grace alone, Faith alone whenever we come together as a church.” These are the foundational heart principles of the church of Jesus Christ and of His gospel message. Over the years church tradition has replaced the Scriptural mandate. Churches moving away from the Roman Catholic tradition wanted to make the service of communion around the Lord’s Table special and so their thinking went something like this: “less is more.” In having communion fewer times, like once a month, then it ceases from being religious duty and mundane to becoming “special” and meaningful. The problem with this mindset is that Jesus said, “This cup is the New Testament in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” Note that Jesus didn’t say once a month or every time you come together. It is left up to each church to decide. Church history suggests that they were meeting daily in each others houses and having communion together when they met. And so the historical model, interestingly enough, was daily not weekly. Understand, there certainly is not a “religious obligation” to the number of times in a week, month or year we are to be obedient, but we are to be obedient in coming to the Lord’s Table in remembrance of what Christ had accomplished on the cross of Calvary. I’ve said all of that to say this: We have chosen to celebrate communion weekly because we sin weekly. Every week, every day, every moment we need to be reminded of Christ’s sacrificial life, death, burial and resurrection. The gospel is not appropriate once a month but daily, moment by moment. We remember what we are supposed to forget and we forget what we are supposed to remember. Some of our attendees here at MBC have unwillingly participated in the weekly observance simply out of compliance, others have decided to participate only once a month, but most of the body here at MBC worship willingly at the table weekly and never tire of the meaning and celebration of our forgiveness in Christ. Coming on our own verses being served is more personal and intimate. It is between you and God alone. We certainly do not want our time of worship around the table of the Lord to become just another religious exercise or meaningless observance. Rather this holy moment at the table is a reminder of what Christ has done and that we have been forgiven. It is a weekly reminder of our need for forgiveness, reconciliation and a reunion in broken fellowship with our heavenly Father. Many churches have chosen to have communion once a year, once a quarter, once a month which of course is their right to do. In having families come together weekly we have seen time and time again reconciliation between children and their parents between husbands and their wives, wives and their husbands, between members coming together in a spirit of forgiveness and brokenness. The praise team on more than one occasion has had to look away from the unfolding drama of the morning praise around the Table of the Lord because it was simply too moving and emotional. Is this a bad thing when we serve one another, when husbands and fathers are encouraged to lead their families in worship, when warring parties come together in reconciliation and forgiveness around the table of the Lord as a humble response of contrition after the preaching of the Word? Let me ask you a closing question: Can you, would you find fault towards anyone who felt the need to remember Christ once a day much less once a week? When our traditions become the letter of the law that kills the spirit of doing what we do it is then we need to stop and ask ourselves the question of whether or not we are indeed hindering God’s Spirit instead of welcoming Him into our midst. Would Jesus frown with our remembrance weekly? I think not. Our quest for fresh wind, fresh fire, fresh faith and fresh zeal for worship is a lofty pursuit worthy of praise and thanksgiving. I trust you will join in what God is doing embracing His Spirit, after all the alternative is all too prevalent in America’s churches: hearts that have grown cold and indifferent to God’s sustaining grace.

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Last Updated on Friday, 18 September 2009 13:05