Weekly Communion: My Sermon Notes

* On January 31, 2016 I preached a sermon on weekly communion.  I put the following notes together from that sermon and added a few historical items at the end of the notes.

** I have also addressed the topic of weekly communion in some short pieces for our church bulletin.  These can be found HERE.

A Few Thoughts on Weekly Communion (based on sermon from 1/31/16):

1.     There is a corporate focus and a gospel focus to the Lord’s Table (sermon from 1/24/16).

2.     We do not want to do anything which undermines either of these foci.

3.     We want to be a people who first and foremost look to Scripture and scriptural theology for our answers to questions.  We don’t privilege personal experience or preference.

4.     There is no Bible verse that says, “Have the Lord’s Supper every week.”

a.     There are also no verses that say, “Have sermons, singing, praying, etc. every week.”

b.     We should be consistent in our understanding of this.

5.     There are some biblical indicators that the early church practiced weekly communion.

a.     Jesus taught the church to “do this in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11.24-25).

                                    i.     Objection: “This doesn’t say ‘weekly’.”

                                    ii.     Answer: True.  But the idea seems to be that when we do gather as the church we should use this means—the Lord’s Supper—to remember Jesus and his work on the cross.

b.     The Apostle’s practice

                     i.     Acts 2.42, 46—“breaking bread”

1.     Many New Testament scholars argue that this is the Lord’s Supper.[1]

2.     Perhaps the phrase “breaking bread” was used of regular meals but this still wouldn’t rule out the Lord’s Supper as part of that meal.

3.     Therefore, it may be a false dichotomy: either Lord’s Supper or regular meal. 

4.     Two reasons to think that the early church linked their regular meals with the Lord’s Supper

a.     Jesus’ resurrection appearances often were around a meal—Jesus ate with disciples after his resurrection (Luke 24; John 20, 21; Acts 10.41)

b.     Jewish meals of the time were loaded with religious significance with benedictions at the beginning and the end.[2]

                     ii.     1 Corinthians 11.20-21

1.     Implies that frequency is tied to the gathering of the church.

2.     Paul’s rebuke presupposes that when they gather they are taking the Lord’s Supper.

c.      Conclusion of biblical material

                         i.     This is not an airtight case.

                         ii.     There is, however, some evidence for weekly communion.

                         iii.     And it should be noted, that there is no biblical evidence for monthly, quarterly or yearly communion.[3]

6.     Theological Considerations: What is the Lord’s Supper and what does it do?

a.     C.O.R.P.—Communion, Oneness, Remembrance, Proclaim

                    i.     Communion (1 Corinthians 10.16)—we share/fellowship in the body and blood of Christ.

                    ii.     Oneness (1 Corinthians 10.17)—Supper signifies our oneness in Christ’s body; a corporate focus.

                    iii.     Remembrance (1 Corinthians 11.24-25)—we remember Christ’s death and its significance and meaning for us.

                    iv.     Proclaim (1 Corinthians 11.26)—in the Supper we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

b.     Crucial question: Why wouldn’t we want these blessings every week?

7.     There is one objection to weekly communion that some assert: “If is done every week it will not be as special.”  This objection can be answered in at least two ways:

a.     The Lord’s Supper is special whether I feel it or not!  It has an intrinsic value to it whether I personally have an elevated emotional response to it.

·      Something to do to capture the emotional response that is appropriate to communion no matter how much the frequency—meditate on the realities of C.O.R.P. above.  Someone could take one element of C.O.R.P. a week and use that theological reality to help their meditation and response to the Table.  This would mean that every week of the month (in a four-week month) there would be a fresh meditation upon the Table.

b.     We don’t reason this way about any other element in the worship service—sermon, Lord’s Prayer, creeds, call to worship. 

8.     Concluding items

a.     “Do I have to agree with you?”—No.  There may be some who don’t find the reasoning and evidence above persuasive.  No one should feel forced into agreement with the biblical and theological reasoning above.  They should, however, deal honestly with the evidence for weekly communion and also examine the biblical and theological evidence for alternative views.

b.     “Do I have to take communion every week?”—Well…no…but be aware of the following two items:

                      i.     Why wouldn’t you take the Lord’s Supper?  In light of the theology of the Table and the benefits that flow to the believer why would you not participate?  Why not receive the blessings?

                      ii.     Consider what your non-participation symbolizes.  Since one of the theological truths of the Table centers around our oneness in Christ as a corporate body, your refusal to participate symbolizes a breaking of that oneness.  Why not participate with the family of God and declare by your participation that you too are a part of God’s people?

c.      “Do I have to promote peace in the body of Christ?”—Absolutely!  No matter what views we hold regarding frequency of the Table we must seek peace in our practice and attitudes.

This wasn’t part of the sermon on 1/13/16 but it is helpful to see some historical information.

History

1.     Didache (ca. 50-150)

“On the Lord’s own day gather together and break bread and give thanks, having first confessed your sins so that your sacrifice may be pure.” (14.1)

2.     Justin Martyr (ca. 100-165)

“And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things.  Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given, and to those who absent a portion is sent by the deacons.”

3.     John Calvin (Articles presented to the Geneva Council in 1537)

“It would be desirable that the Holy Supper of Jesus Christ be in use at leas once every Sunday when the congregation is assembled, in view of the great comfort which the faithful receive from it as well as the fruit of all sorts which it produces—the promises which are there presented to our faith, that truly we are partakers of the body and blood of Jesus Christ, His death, His life, His Spirit, and all the benefits, and the exhortations which are there made to us to acknowledge and by a confession of praise to magnify those wonderful things, the graces of God bestowed upon us, and finally to live as Christians, joined together in peace and brotherhood as members of the same body.  In fact, our Lord did not institute it to be commemorated two or three times a year, but for a frequent exercise of our faith and love which the Christian congregation is to use whenever it is assembled.”

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     [1] New Testament specialist Craig Keener in his massive commentary on Acts argues: “On a literary level, the breaking of bread here very likely alludes to and includes the Lord’s Supper (Luke 22:19; cf. 24:30).”  Acts: An Exegetical Commentary—Introduction and 1:1-2:47 (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker, 2012), 1003.  In a footnote Keener mentions that this is the majority view among Acts commentators.

     [2] “Among the Jews, even the most ordinary meals were sanctified by the benedictions—i.e., thanksgivings—offered to God by the head of the family, both at the beginning and at the end of the repast… In a setting such as this, the earliest Christian missionaries imparted to their converts the tradition of the Last Supper, translating the older Jewish table benedictions into terms recalling the redemptive act of Christ, the fulfilling of his church with the Spirit, and the sure hope and expectation of his imminent return to establish his kingdom.” M. H. Shepherd, Jr. “Lord’s Supper” in The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible—vol. 3 (Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon Press, 1962), 159.

     [3] Reformed theologian T. David Gordon states the matter this way: “My understanding is this: when alternative views are proposed, the one that enjoys more biblical support than the other(s) is the one the Scripture teaches.  So I frame the question differently than some.  I do not ask, ‘Do the Scriptures contain an airtight inferential argument for weekly communion.’  Rather, I ask this: ‘Is the inferential argument for weekly communion better than the inferential argument for monthly, quarterly, or annual communion?’… Framed this way, there is some evidence for weekly communion (though that evidence is neither explicit nor unambiguously clear), and zero evidence for the other practices… For those, on the other hand, who begin with the assumption that they have ‘squatter’s rights” to their current opinion, unless/until they are expressly or clearly proven wrong, the evidence is and always will be insufficient to persuade them.”  “Why Weekly Communion” Ordained Servant Online (n.d., n.p.). Available online: http://www.opc.org/os.html?article_id=104.

Weekly Communion: Theological Considerations (part two)

* The fifth in a series on the topic of weekly communion.  Originally appearing in our church bulletin.

Part one: The Flow of the Service.

Part two: Does Scripture Tell Us "How Often?" 
Part three: Some Church History 
Part four: Theological Considerations (part one)

Today we continue to look at the theology of the Lord’s Table to determine what it teaches us about weekly communion.  Here I draw upon Keith Matthison’s work Given for You: Reclaiming Calvin’s Doctrine of the Lord’s Supper (Presbyterian & Reformed, 2002).  Matthison gives four theological arguments—two of which we looked at last week and the next two are listed this week.

The first theological reason centers around our unity in Christ.  We take the Lord’s Supper not just as individuals.  We take together.  It symbolizes our unity in Christ Jesus.  Matthison writes:

“The apostle Paul also tells us that the Lord’s Supper signifies the oneness of the body of Christ (1 Cor. 10:17)… If the faithful teaching of this truth accompanies the frequent  observance of the Lord’s Supper, it inhibits division because it repeatedly and forcefully emphasizes the sinfulness of worshipping with an unforgiving heart (cf. Matt. 5:23-24).”

Matthison then reminds us of the importance of partaking in the Supper as a remembrance of Christ and his work.  Weekly communion means that every week we get to do this aspect of what Jesus commanded us. 

“Jesus Christ commands that the Lord’s Supper be observed in remembrance of him (Luke 22:19; cf. 1 Cor. 11:24)… In the Lord’s Supper, we do not merely recollect these great acts of redemption.  We unite ourselves with the new covenant community for which they were accomplished.  If the Lord’s Supper is truly to be observed in remembrance of Christ’s mighty saving acts, why would any Christian not want this remembrance to be part of every Christian worship service?”

Nobody wants the Lord’s Supper to become a dull and meaningless ritual.  If it ever becomes that then something is wrong with us and our approach to the Table of the Lord.  The Lord’s Table is special.  Its specialness is found in what it is and all the theology it teaches.  Today let us enter into all its glory.  Let us demonstrate our unity in Christ as we remember him!

Weekly Communion: Theological Considerations (part one)

* The fourth in a series on the topic of weekly communion.  Originally appearing in our church bulletin.

Part one: The Flow of the Service.

Part two: Does Scripture Tell Us "How Often?" 
Part three: Some Church History 

In considering the topic of weekly communion we have looked at the flow of our service, some biblical data, and a little bit of church history.  Today we look at the theology of the Lord’s Table to determine what it teaches us about weekly communion.  Here I draw upon Keith Matthison’s work Given for You: Reclaiming Calvin’s Doctrine of the Lord’s Supper (Presbyterian & Reformed, 2002).  Matthison gives four theological arguments—two of which we look at today and the other two next week.

Matthison’s first point is:

“The Lord’s Supper is said by the apostle Paul to be the communion of the body and blood of Christ (1 Cor. 10:16).  Here we encounter the central mystery of the Lord’s Supper and probably the main reason why Calvin desired communion to be celebrated at least weekly.  In the Lord’s Supper, we truly commune with Jesus Christ.  Our union and communion with him is strengthened and nourished as we partake of his body and blood in the sacrament…  Why would any Christian not want this communion with Christ to be part of every worship service?”

Matthison goes on to state his second point:

“According to Scripture, the Lord’s Supper is also a proclamation of the death of Christ (1 Cor. 11:26)… Do believers not need to be continually reminded of this message, to hear this gospel?... If the Lord’s Supper truly is the proclamation of Christ’s death, as Paul says it is, why would any Christian not want this proclamation to be a part of every gathering for worship?”

As was stated a few weeks ago, we are not required to have weekly communion but the biblical theology of the Supper should move us.  As Matthison asks, “Why would we not want this every time we gather for worship?”  Given the glorious blessings that flow from this sacrament we should be a people eager for the Table of the Lord.

So today, let us commune with Jesus Christ and proclaim his death as we participate in the Table of the Lord!

Weekly Communion: Some Church History

* The third in a series on the topic of weekly communion.  

Part one: The Flow of the Service.

Part two: Does Scripture Tell Us "How Often?" 

With the recent adoption of weekly communion here at Northminster I’ve been taking this space to provide some perspective on this practice.  We have looked at the flow of our service—how the service moves to its culmination at the Table with Jesus.  And last week we briefly looked at some of the biblical data regarding the frequency of celebration of the Lord’s Table in the New Testament.  Today I want to highlight of a few items from church history regarding this issue.

The early church seemingly partook of the Lord’s Table on a weekly basis.  One of the earliest documents outside of the New Testament is the Didache (ca. 50-150).  The Didache gives us insight into the early church practice on a number of issues.  Here is one section relevant to the Table of the Lord:

On the Lord’s own day gather together and break bread and give thanks, having first confessed your sins so that your sacrifice may be pure. (14.1)

The early church father Justin Martyr (ca. 100-165) also gives us a glimpse into the early church practice:

           

And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things.  Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given, and to those who absent a portion is sent by the deacons.

During the Middle Ages the Roman Catholic Church practiced communion much less frequently.  The Fourth Latern Council in 1215 only required the Lord’s Supper once a year.  The Protestant reformers John Calvin and Martin Bucer called for a return to weekly communion as part of their reform efforts.

As we participate in weekly communion we are standing in solidarity with the early church and key teachers in our Protestant and Reformation heritage.  

Weekly Communion: Does Scripture Tell Us "How Often?"

* The second in a series on the topic of weekly communion.  Part one: The Flow of the Service.

As we consider the topic of weekly communion our first desire ought to be to hear what Scripture says.  Reformed pastor Douglas Wilson in his book Mother Kirk gives good perspective on this:

[L]et’s pretend for a moment that we have no traditions on frequency of communion to maintain (a big pretend!) and that advocates of every position share the same biblical burden of proof.  We know that we are to observe the Lord’s Supper, but how often?—daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annually?  When we come to this question, we should note initially that virtually no biblical case can be made for our most common practices—monthly and quarterly.  While perhaps this is par for the course, it should at least excite some comment.

Wilson notes that annual communion could be defended on the basis of its being founded in the context of the Passover feast that was an annual feast.  However, “apostolic practice shows that they drank from that cup of blessing far more frequently than this.”  Daily communion could also find some support in that Acts 2.46 mentions how the early believers “broke bread daily.”  This daily practice seemed to quickly stabilize into a weekly observance.  Acts 20.7 speaks of the disciples being gathered on the “first day of the week” and breaking bread together.  First Corinthians 11.20-21 strongly implies that when the believers came together they participated in the Lord’s Supper.  Pastor Wilson concludes:

It is therefore fair to say that weekly communion, while not mandatory in any absolute sense, is biblically normative.  We have as much evidence for weekly communion on the Lord’s Day, for example, as we have for meeting on the Lord’s Day to do anything else.  We have more evidence for weekly communion than we have for weekly sermons, or weekly singing.  But why choose?  Why not do it all?

I want to emphasize what Wilson said: weekly communion is not mandatory.  It does, however, have biblical precedent and this should count for something!

So this day, as we partake together, let us remember that we stand in a long line of continuity with the church through the ages as we come to the Table of the Lord.  Let us rejoice together in Christ’s good gift of this sacrament to us!

Weekly Communion: The Flow of the Service

* I started a short series for our church bulletin outlining some thoughts on the practice of weekly communion.

Today we celebrate the Lord’ Table.  In other words, we get to come to Jesus’ table and commune with him.  As 1 Corinthians 10.16 states:

Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?

This language of “sharing” is the language of fellowship or communion.  Jesus Christ gave us this meal to strengthen his people in communion with himself.  In light of this think about the flow of our worship service as it leads up to the Lord’s Table.

First we are called to worship.  This is a summons from the God of grace to enter into his presence to worship him.  There is, next, a confession of sin from us and then an assurance of pardon from God based in his word.  We then seek God in prayer through the pastoral prayer and the Lord’s Prayer.  We are then to hear from God’s word.  We do this through the scripture readings and the sermon.  Interspersed throughout all these activities is the singing of God’s people in worship and praise.  From the word we come to the Table of the Lord to commune with him.  This should be a time of joyous fellowship with Jesus Christ and his people.  Having been fed at the Lord’s Table we end the service with a charge to go forth in faithfulness and benediction to bless us as we go.  There is a natural movement in the service from call to confession to pardon, to prayer, to Word to Supper, to benediction.

Why is this important?  Session recently approved the weekly observance of the Lord’s Supper.  This means that every week will be following this trajectory of worship which also includes the Lord’s Supper.  Over the next few weeks I will be writing here in the Pastor’s Pen about the biblical, theological, and historical reasons why weekly communion is a good practice.  I hope to also address some potential concerns, such as: “If we do the Lord’s Table every week won’t it be less special?” 

Keeping our eyes on the flow of the service will help us see the journey we are on each Sunday.  The elements of the service are not disjointed pieces thrown together. Rather, they are steps on a journey into the presence of God.  Our journey ends up at the table of the Lord Jesus and then he sends us out into the world with his blessing.  Since the Lord’s Table so clearly speaks of the gospel our participation in this Christ given practice is simply one more way we manifest our love for the gospel message.

Lord's Table Meditation

* One of the occasional meditations I write for our church bulletin.

In 1 Corinthians 11.23-25 the apostle Paul recounts the words of Jesus at the last supper before his death.  These are familiar words that are often used in the celebration of Communion:

This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me…This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.

Paul then adds these important words which state one of the purposes of this special sacrament:

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.  1 Corinthians 11.26

In this sacrament we are proclaiming the central glory of salvation—the death of Christ.  Earlier in 1 Corinthians Paul had stressed that importance and centrality of “the word of the cross” (1 Corinthians 1.18).  Paul preached the message of “Christ crucified” (1 Corinthians 1.23).  In fact, he argues that, “I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified”  (1 Corinthians 2.2).

So when we participate in the Lord’s Supper we are also proclaiming the gospel message—Jesus has died for sins.  We are not proclaiming the funeral of Jesus as if he is still dead.  No.  We are proclaiming the glory of the cross as that place where Jesus takes away sin.  Consider these words from Ephesians 1.7-8:

In him [Christ] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace which he lavished on us.

Think of it—we have redemption; the release from our sins.  We have forgiveness from God.  All this is due to the riches of God’s grace which has been lavishly poured out on us.  These blessings are bought for us by the blood of Christ that he shed on the cross.  Let us proclaim with joy the Lord Jesus’ death today.  He is the risen One and his blood is strong to save!

Some Meditations on the Lord's Table

* One of the occasional meditations I write for our church bulletin.

Today we celebrate the Table of the Lord.  In light of this it is good to reflect on what the Bible says about this glorious practice.  The apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 10.16-17 states:

Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ?  Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?  Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of one bread.

Two items are worth noting here—one that is toward Christ and the other which is toward the Church.

First, note that Paul speaks of our engagement in the Lord’s Supper as a “sharing” in the blood and body of Christ.  This word “sharing” is the Greek word koinonia which has the nuance of participating or sharing in something.  Some of have said that this passage deals with the central mystery of this sacrament—our participation in the body and blood of Jesus Christ.  The Westminster Confession of Faith speaks of receiving this sacrament by faith and then when we do this we “spiritually, receive and feed upon Christ, crucified, and all benefits of his death: the body and blood of Christ being … really, but spiritually, present to the faith of believers…” (WCF 29.7).  So in the Supper we are engaging with Christ in a real participation, by faith, with his body and blood.

Second, the Table of the Lord also has a church focus.  For Paul, the fact that we “partake of one bread” speaks of our unity in the body of Christ.  The Supper signifies our common bond in Christ.  Therefore, the Table speaks against all causes of disunity.  It reminds us to check our hearts and our attitudes toward others in the body of Christ.  There are times when we even need to seek reconciliation first with a brother or sister in Christ so as to maintain that unity (see Mathew 5.23-24). 

Our communion is with Christ and his body, the church.  The Table of the Lord speaks of both of these realities.  Let us participate with joy and love this day for we are a blessed people!