Why Is Eucharist Not Celebrated Weekly When It Is Such A Main Theme In Scripture?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Mark: From a practical perspective (and sadly), many in the reformed churches today do not see the sacrament as a means of grace. Some have suggested that the PCA, for example, despite its Confession is essentially a Zwinglian denomination. Like many evangelical and Baptist churches, sermons on the sacraments often spend more time explaining what they don't do than what they do.

You might appreciate Dr. Clark's The Evangelical Fall from the Means of Grace.

Scott
 
Peter: On the other hand, people who receive the sacrament weekly feed on Christ's body weekly. That's a good thing. It seems you are viewing the value of the sacrament in exclusively psychological categories. It conveys sanctifying grace, in addition to the psychological benefits it conveys (which are substantial).
 
Originally posted by Scott
Peter: On the other hand, people who receive the sacrament weekly feed on Christ's body weekly. That's a good thing. It seems you are viewing the value of the sacrament in exclusively psychological categories. It conveys sanctifying grace, in addition to the psychological benefits it conveys (which are substantial).

But here is the issue: the Christian who has the Word and not the Sacrament is not lacking; but the Christian who has the Sacrament and not the Word has nothing.
 
Scott: Isn't it true that the grace which the sacrament conveys is dependent on the recipients frame of mind (faith in its promises)? If the sacrament bcomes ritual then we are weekly feeding on Christ to damnation.
 
But here is the issue: the Christian who has the Word and not the Sacrament is not lacking; but the Christian who has the Sacrament and not the Word has nothing.

That is harsh. I need to think about it. I do not know that I would say he has "nothing" because he is after all a Christian, and the word indwells him. We feed on Christ in our hearts by faith as the liturgy says. So, I agree that the word is necessary, but do not know if I would go so far as your statement Fred.
 
The Lord's Supper offers a perfect time for reflection and dealing with the Word preached each week. I've been in churches that partake weekly, others monthly, others quarterly. Most of my life has been in weekly. I've never, never met a Christian who had the supper became meaningless or trivialised by taking weekly. I've met pretenders, but never Christians. How could the memorial of our saving gift via the Sacrifice of Christ ever become 'old hat.'
 
Was there ever a time since the fall where the word was not going forth? How about the sacraments? Indeed, the contrast is evident when this question is pontificated. From Adam to Abraham no sacrament but God yet nurtured his own ( Enoch, Noah, Seth, Shem and Abel were all built up in holiness and faith). Weekly worship including the sacraments is always edifying and if it is not it the hardness of heart that makes it nill. However, the done the nose atttitude of the weekly attenders of the sacrament towrds the non-weekly attenders to the sacrament need be aware that God is able to function through the word alone without its sensible sign in all his fullness and glory.:detective:
 
In the Romish church communion is elevated beyond even episocopalian or 'anglicised' presbyteryian levels. Theoretically, the mass is the re-sacrifice of Christ and the consecrated elements his very body and blood, yet in practice the participants, even the most zealous papists, seem aloof. Compare this with the presbyterian practice where, though they have less interest invested, for weeks they have been preparing to come to the table.
 
Not only would it be great to have it weekly, but we need to do something about the thimbles. Granted, full mugs of wine, while great, might not be practical as of yet for a worship service, let's at least progress, and I mean this reverently, to shot glasses. Now, I am not saying that we need to take shots of communion wine. No, I used the term in reference to the size of the cup. Even that, while too small, is much better than a thimble.
 
Originally posted by Draught Horse
Not only would it be great to have it weekly, but we need to do something about the thimbles. Granted, full mugs of wine, while great, might not be practical as of yet for a worship service, let's at least progress, and I mean this reverently, to shot glasses. Now, I am not saying that we need to take shots of communion wine. No, I used the term in reference to the size of the cup. Even that, while too small, is much better than a thimble.

Zechariah 9:15, "The Lord of hosts will protect them,
and they shall devour, and tread down the sling stones,
and they shall drink and roar as if drunk with wine,
and be full like a bowl,
drenched like the corners of the altar.


"But the passage pictures Israel drunk with another kind of wine: filled with the wine of Yahweh's Spirit, Israel would be bold, wild, untamed, boisterous in battle. This suggests one dimension of the symbolism of wine in the Lord's Supper: it loosens our inhibitions so that we wil fight the Lord's battles in a kind of drunken frenzy. If this sounds impious, how much more Psalm 78:65, where the Divine Warrior himself is described as a mighty man overcome with wine? Yahweh fights like Samson, but far more ferociously than Samson: He fights like a drunken Samson!"
 
One note: I am not suggesting that we ought to impose my views now; just challenging thoughts (and fun ones, too) to dwell on.
 
Originally posted by doulosChristou
It is observed weekly at my church.

Mine too. Along with a recitation of the Nicene Creed and a responsive reading affirming the five solas of the reformation.:bigsmile:
 
Yesterday we celbrated the Lord's Supper as in integral part of our fellowship meal. It was very interesting to hear the conversations as people would eat the unleaved bread and drink the wine as part of their meal. Several said that it made the meanings of the emblems much more profound to them.
 
Back in 1991 I bought our church dozens of 3 ounce jigger glasses and we've been using them ever since. They are stable to use and you get more than a thimble full to be sure if not really 3 ounces which would be too full to pass around the table. Which is another thing, we have used the old Presbyterian practice of having communion at a table rather than in the pews since that time as well.
Something similar to what we use for glasses is shown here:

Originally posted by Draught Horse
Not only would it be great to have it weekly, but we need to do something about the thimbles. Granted, full mugs of wine, while great, might not be practical as of yet for a worship service, let's at least progress, and I mean this reverently, to shot glasses. Now, I am not saying that we need to take shots of communion wine. No, I used the term in reference to the size of the cup. Even that, while too small, is much better than a thimble.
 
Which is another thing, we have used the old Presbyterian practice of having communion at a table rather than in the pews since that time as well.

We serve communion this way once a year and I always appreciate it and afterwards wish we could do it more often.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top