Remembering the Lord’s death every Sunday…until He comes

On Sunday, Pastor Bill announced that the elders of HBC agreed to begin observing communion weekly on Sundays. Included below are a few resources that might help you better understand and appreciate the decision that the elders have made as we strive to more biblically worship the Lord each Sunday.

Why Weekly Communion?

by David A. Sherwood, M.Div.

While the weekly celebration of the Lord’s Supper is not common in Protestant churches, we believe
it to be the biblical and preferred practice for the following reasons:

THE PRACTICE OF THE FIRST CENTURY CHURCH. Although we don’t have any clear-cut
command, the New Testament evidence does seem to point in the direction of weekly communion,
especially if one understands “the breaking of bread” to be a reference to the Lord’s Supper.
(Acts 2:42; 20:7; 1 Cor. 11:17-20; cf. 14:26)

EVIDENCE FROM CHURCH HISTORY. There are very clear and early (second century) allusions
to the practice in the Didache and Justin Martyr’s The First Apology. While the history of the
Church does not have the authority of God’s Word, it at least ought to interest us that the Christian
community observed this practice, apparently without much discussion, so shortly after the
time of the Apostles.

CONSISTENCY WITH OUR USE OF OTHER ELEMENTS OF WORSHIP. Why should the
Lord’s Supper be the only regular element of worship which does not find a place in each Lord’s
Day worship service? To be consistent, any argument against weekly communion would be an
equally valid argument against weekly hymn singing, weekly preaching, etc.

BRINGING US BACK TO BASICS. Regardless of the sermon text or topic, the congregation is
always brought back to the fundamentals: the death and resurrection of Christ.

APPEAL TO THE WHOLE MAN. Since the Lord’s Supper is the only element of worship that
appeals to all five senses, its weekly observance helps to prevent an “intellectualizing” of the worship
service. If we don’t celebrate the Sacrament frequently, we shouldn’t be surprised when our
folks leave Reformed worship for something more “stimulating.”

OPPORTUNITY FOR COVENANT RENEWAL. The Lord’s Supper is the ideal means of meditating
on God’s Word and renewing our faith and repentance so that we may serve the Lord in the
upcoming week.

PROVIDING ASSURANCE, PERSONALIZING THE GOSPEL. Every week we receive tangible
and visible assurance that Christ died for me.

IDENTIFICATION WITH THE PEOPLE OF GOD. This Sacrament stresses the corporate dimension
of the Church, thereby promoting unity and the restoration of broken relationships.
Don’t we need this every week?

CHURCH DISCIPLINE. One of the stages of discipline in many Reformed churches is suspension
from the Lord’s Table. One of the purposes of this is to make the unrepentant sinner aware of his
sin that he might be restored. But how effective can this be if the Lord’s Supper is not celebrated
frequently? Even once a month would not seem to constitute effective suspension.

VISIBLE MARK OF A DISCIPLE OF CHRIST. Since there is always the need to distinguish believer
from unbeliever, and since one of the primary purposes of the Sacraments is to make this
difference visible, we should create this visible difference often.

PROCLAMATION OF THE GOSPEL TO UNBELIEVERS. By setting forth so plainly the work of
Christ on the cross, and especially by fencing the table, any unbelievers present are called to faith
and repentance. Weekly communion thus provides a natural and regular opportunity to present
the claims of Christ to visitors. Evangelistic proclamation. [Here we proclaim the Lord’s death—its
essential and central significance for us and for all for whom that blood was shed—until he
comes. 1 Cor. 11:26]

SPIRITUAL NOURISHMENT. Since the Lord’s Supper is a means of grace, through faith it provides
us with what we need to grow in grace. Thus, the frequent partaking of the bread and the
wine for our spiritual nourishment is as necessary as the frequent partaking of food for our physical
nourishment.

REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS. One of the problems with an infrequent celebration of the Lord’s
Supper is that it tends to produce unrealistically high expectations as to what should “happen.”
People expect something magical and exciting to happen at quarterly communion, but are often
disappointed; they go away wondering what they’re missing and why they’re missing it. By celebrating
the Lord’s Supper each week our expectations become realistically high; we look forward to
and enjoy it much as we do prayer, preaching, singing, etc.
“Taste and see that the LORD is good!”

ADDITIONAL REASONS TO CONSIDER:

THE EXPECTATION CREATED BY THE RISEN CHRIST. Jesus, in His post-resurrection appearances,
taught the disciples to expect to meet him in the context of fellowship meals, Lk.
24:30, 31, 35; Mk. 16:14; Jn. 21:12 f. Here is established a pattern of anticipation, that Christ
would be with them, be revealed to them, in the breaking of bread. This explains the practice of
the early church. Acts 2:42, 46 (“day by day . . . breaking bread”); 20:7, 11 (“on the first day of the
week, when we were gathered together to bread bread. . . .”); 1 Cor. 11:18 (“when you come together
as a church. . . . you eat the Lord’s Supper”).

ONLY TWO INSTITUTIONS BEAR JESUS’ TITLE OF EXALTATION. The Lord’s Day and the
Lord’s Supper (1Cor. 11:20; Rev. 1:10). Is there not a supreme fitness in seeing the recurrence of
that Day and that Supper associated together in the life of the people that belong to the Lord, resting
in Him and nourished in Him, and thereby fit for service to Him in the week ahead?

Source: http://www.newhopefairfax.org/files/28.%20Why%20Weekly%20Communion.pdf

Three Arguments for Weekly Communion

By Ray Van Neste
I am an avid proponent of weekly communion for our churches. This practice is not directly commanded in Scripture, so I am not accusing others of sin. The issue is the pursuit of “best practice,” what best fits the patterns found in Scripture and makes best use of the resources God has given us.

First, then, I think there is strong evidence of a pattern of weekly observance in the New Testament. Already in Acts 2:42, we see communion listed as a central piece of Christian worship. The four activities listed here are not four separate things but the four elements that characterized a Christian gathering. One of the key things the early church “devoted” itself to was the “breaking of bread,” i.e. the Lord’s Supper. The wording suggests that each of these activities occurred when they gathered.
Perhaps the most striking reference to the frequency of the Lord’s Supper occurs in Acts 20:7: “On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight.”

Paul, on his way to Jerusalem has stopped at Troas. Here “on the first day of the week” he meets with the local church, and Luke directly states that the purpose of their gathering was “to break bread,” i.e. to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. This passage need not mean the Lord’s Supper was the only purpose of their gathering, but it certainly is one prominent purpose and the one emphasized here. The centrality of communion to the weekly gathering is stated casually without explanation or defense, suggesting this practice was common among those Luke expected to read his account. These early Christians met weekly to celebrate the Lord’s Supper.

Of course the longest discussion of the practice of the Lord’s Supper is in 1 Corinthians. Many issues can be raised here, but the fact that abuse of the Lord’s Supper was such a problem in Corinth strongly suggests the Supper was held frequently. Could it have been such a problem if it only occurred quarterly? Is this the sense that arises from the passage? Notice the wording of 1 Corinthians 11:20: “When you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper that you eat.” It is widely agreed that the terminology “come together” here is used as a technical term for gathering as the church. This wording suggests that when they gathered they ate a meal which they intended to be the Lord’s Supper.[1] Though they are abusing the Supper, their practice (which is not considered odd by Paul) is to celebrate each time they gather. Even the wording in 1 Corinthians 11:25, “As often as you drink,” which is often used to suggest frequency is unimportant, in context actually suggests frequent celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Commenting on this verse, Gordon Fee notes, “This addition in particular implies a frequently repeated action, suggesting that from the beginning the Last Supper was for Christians not an annual Christian Passover, but a regularly repeated meal in ‘honor of the Lord,’ hence the Lord’s Supper.”[2]

Centerpiece of Worship
Second, in practical terms, in our man-centered age where so many services are shamefully devoid of any meaningful reference to the cross, could we not benefit from a move to a regular use of the Christ-ordained means for reminding us of the cross? If we want to be gospel-centered why not make the Christ-ordained portrayal of the gospel a centerpiece in our weekly worship? In an increasingly “visual” age might we not benefit from regular use of the visible, tangible portrayal given to us by Christ? In a day seemingly interested merely in Our Best Life Now, do we not regularly need the Christ-ordained means of reminding us of the Lord’s return and the wedding feast of the Lamb? Might not the Bride be more pure if regularly reminded of the coming wedding? In the end, the issue, to me, is not whether or not we have to celebrate communion weekly but that we have the privilege to do so.

Questions will quickly arise on how to do this. Some doubt that this can be done well. Many Baptist churches in Scotland do this, and the practice flourishes. Also, my church has practiced weekly communion for about eight years, and members consistently testify that their appreciation of communion has only increased. We are often told by people who move away that they particularly miss weekly communion.

A typical argument against this idea is, “If we do this so often it will become less meaningful.” At first this has the appearance of wisdom; but with just a little pondering the illusion fades. Do we apply this reasoning to other means of grace? Are we worried about praying too frequently? Reading the Bible too much? Shall we be safe and make biblical preaching less frequent? These practices become rote not because of frequency but because of lazy minds and hearts and the lack of robust biblical proclamation alongside the ordinance.

Some also say we can better appreciate communion when we set aside only certain Sundays for it and on those days focus directly on communion. However, we do not need more elaborate observance or contrived production, but regular observance of this simple rite tied into the regular preaching of the Word. We do not need to “build it up” with any extras. We need to preach the gospel and then display and participate in the gospel in communion.

Last, communion at the close of each service has a way of tying the service to the gospel. Too easily a well-intended sermon can end up preaching only the commands of Scripture, failing to undergird the people with the hope of gospel provision and power. The Table anchoring the conclusion of the service has a way of shaping all that comes before it, focusing on the cross of Christ and his return as our hope and joy. Unbelievers are also confronted visibly with the gospel as they see the work of Christ portrayed before them and yet are reminded that these benefits are only available to those who believe. With these benefits, why not celebrate communion weekly?

[1] So also Howard Marshall, “The Biblical Basis of Communion,” Interchange 40:54, “it would seem that when the members assembled ‘as a church’ it was specifically to eat the Lord’s Supper.”
[2] Fee, 1 Corinthians, 555.
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Editors’ note: A fuller version of my argument in the broader context of the practice of communion can be found in The Lord’s Supper: Remembering and Proclaiming Christ Until He Comes (B&H, 2011), ed. Thomas Schreiner and Matthew Crawford.
Ray Van Neste is associate professor of biblical studies and director of the R.C. Ryan Center for Biblical Studies at Union University.

Souce: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/three-arguments-for-weekly-communion/