Christian Living

A Case for Weekly Communion

by Volodya S
01/31/16
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       Why do some churches observe communion every Sunday, while others monthly, and still others, quarterly? Are there any principles or patterns in the Bible that can inform our practice? If we could find such guidance from the Scriptures, would it be important enough to implement? For the church that seeks to be in harmony with God’s Word in its worship, the answers to these questions are not insignificant.
    We should first note that the practice of communion is clearly commanded by our Lord. We read, “And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me’ (Luke 22:19).” Have you ever said that you would do something, but soon after, forgot about it? Perhaps after a day or so, in a flash of memory recall, you suddenly remembered the task you were supposed to perform. Knowing our tendency to forget, God admonishes his people throughout Scripture to call to mind his commands and wonderful works. In the same manner, the Lord’s Supper, in visually representing to us what Christ has accomplished for us by his death, calls us to remember God’s redemption of his people. Not surprisingly then, in 2 Peter 1:8-9, Peter attributes the lack of spiritual virtues to memory relapse over past sins that were cleansed.
    The apostle Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians quotes the communion text from his companion Dr. Luke and adds “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Cor.11:26).  The phrase “as often,” has in some Christians’ minds, been understood to mean “as often as you choose.” However, in verse twenty of the same chapter, we see that the Corinthians’ mistreatment of the Supper took place when they would come together, which we learn in connection with Acts 20:7, took place on the first day of each week. It is reasonable to infer that since the Supper occurred when the church came together, and the church came together on the first day of every week, the Supper likely occurred on the first day of every week.
       In addition, Paul declares that the Supper is a proclamation of the death of Christ. If we acknowledge that the Christ’s atonement should be proclaimed weekly, and given that the Supper is a proclamation, then the Supper should take place weekly as well. Some might object, “If we practice the Lord’s Supper every week, won’t we be in danger of taking it for granted?” Granted, that danger exists and yet we regularly attend to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, and prayer, without much concern over taking those elements of worship for granted. The Lord’s Supper, in reminding us of Christ’s work on our behalf, in providing a visual sermon to us, and in being the regular observance of the early church, should lead us to its weekly observance.