Frequency of the Lord's Supper

[Gavin]

Our Church practises it quarterly, however the pastor has indicated he may celebrate it monthly or bi monthly after some careful deliberation.
Thank you for sharing your thesis Shaun, I've browsed this briefly but plan to study it more closely in the near future.

 

[Gavin]

Whilst posting this link on another thread, Free Church of Scotland | The Geneva Book of Order
I read what they had to say on the frequency of the Lords Supper and they say usually once a month.

 

[irresistible_grace]

I am in favor of "proclaiming the Lord's death" every LORD's Day "until He comes."
I am against disunity, factions & going ahead with one's "own meal" rather than eating of the Lord's supper (discerning the body both physically & spiritually).
People were not dying because of the frequency of the Lord's supper. People were getting sick & dying because they were not "one" unified body, they were humiliating others within the Body of Christ, they were getting drunk while neglecting others within the Body of Christ, they were "despising" the church (the Body of Christ).

I believe that the argument that frequency of the other elements of worship does not diminish their effectiveness and necessity is somewhat flawed in this respect; I am unaware that warnings are specifically given of sickness and even death as a consequence for careless singing, prayer and listening to preaching, whereas those warnings are given in relation to the Lord's Supper. This I believe necessitates a more careful preparation and attendance unto the sacrament that in one sense is not necessary for the others.

I have not had the misfortune of ever attending a church service where everyone was singing their "own" songs, praying their "own" prayers, and listening to their "own" sermons [via SermonAudio] while the Pastor is preaching. However, in Corinth, Paul said, "When you come together, it is not the Lord's supper that you eat. For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal." It is not as simple as a warning against "carelessness," it is a warning about disunity, factions & despising the church - the Body of Christ.

 

[JP Wallace]

It is not as simple as a warning against "carelessness," it is a warning about disunity, factions & despising the church - the Body of Christ.

I agree with that 'carelessness' was shorthand Indeed I believe it is even more than that - it is despising Christ! I take the deiscernment of the Body of Christ both as the Church and as the spiritually present Christ in the sacrament. My main point was just to emphasie that 'heightened' emphasis that is rather unique on the Lord's Supper.

People listening to other sermons while the pastor was preaching? Seriously? You're well away from that one Jessica!

 

[Peairtach]

I am not going to argue either way. I think it should be left for the elders to decide what is appropriate. I am definitely not against weekly though. As a parallel, I doubt any of us would have an issue if our congregation was blessed with baptizing new converts weekly. I don't think anyone would stand up and say that baptism had lost its meaning because it was happening too often in the church.

You can't really argue from baptism, it being the sacrament of inititiation, carried out once, on an unaccredited profession of faith. We would all like to see lots of baptisms each week.

The Lord's Supper however is the sacrament of ongoing nurture and feeding in the covenant, to be dispensed on an accredited profession of faith. The question is whether it best serves these purposes every week or less frequently.

Less frequent observance than weekly makes appropriate assessment and self-examination of one's progress in the Christian life or lack of it possible. A week is a rather brief period over which to take major stock.

Then again a year is rather long.

Of course the Lord wouldn't set stringent rules for frequency of holding the Lord's Supper in a congregation, because in a real sense the more appropriate point is how often it is taken by an individual. For pastors and others who travel around congregations this may be many more times a year than it is held in their local congregation.

If the Lord had said you are only to take the Supper once a year, he would have been limiting people's opportunity to take it more frequently in their own congregation or when visiting.

If He said, you must take it every week or a congregation must have it every week, that would also create problems. There's a degree of liberty involved.

Sent from my HTC Wildfire using Tapatalk 2

 

[jwithnell]

I have sometimes derided myself for not preparing well for our monthly observance, and find myself limping to the table. But isn't that kind of the point? These means of grace strengthen us. I can't make a strong case for a specific frequency, but I do think it's worth keeping in mind that though the table is properly fenced, preparation can't be set to an impossible standard.

 

[Shawn Mathis]

Andrew, I'll try to be as helpful as possible, but I have not thought about this topic since I finished my paper in '07 (the year of the Eucharist in the Roman Catholic Church!).

 

[Shawn Mathis]

Some additional facts concerning Calvin and the frequency (or rather the delay) of the Super:

LETTER 58, TO NICOLAS PARENT,

WORMS, 14th December 1540.

"I am well pleased that you have delayed the holy Supper for another month, for at the present time you could not administer it without neglecting that order [perhaps Communion tokens] which, for very sufficient reasons, I earnestly desire to be carefully attended to. I am greatly delighted, according to what I hear, that our Church holds well together, so that no inconvenience is felt from my absence; in the midst of my annoyances, it is especially refreshing and consolatory."

March 1540, to Farel: "In this place hitherto many individuals were in the habit of making a rash approach to the sacrament of the Supper. On Easter-day, when I gave out the intimation that we were to celebrate the Supper on next Lord’s-day, I announced, at the same time, that no one would be admitted to the table of the Lord by me, who had not beforehand presented himself for examination. The greatest difficulty will arise in correcting that silly eagerness to press forward which has taken possession of some Frenchmen, so that it can scarcely be driven out of them."