For many years now I have harbored concerns about the way many churches practice the Lord’s Supper:
— We practice it too infrequently
— Our “supper” differs in appearance from that of the early church
— We make it a time of sadness and fear rather than joy and hope.
Too Infrequent
Biblically and historically, the Lord’s Supper has been a regular part of the Christian gathering. Only after the Reformation did the sermon replace the Supper as the most significant part of a service. Now, the Supper is rarely celebrated in many Protestant churches.
The early church seemed to celebrate the Lord’s Supper on a regular, if not weekly basis. In Acts 2:42 we read, “They [the Christian converts] were devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” (NET Bible) While this could be a reference to general communal eating, the context suggests otherwise. First, eating is not a Christian practice to which converts must devote themselves. Eating is a practice common to everyone regardless of their religious affiliation. Secondly, the surrounding activities are religious in nature: doctrinal teaching, fellowship, and prayer. It is best to understand this eating as the Eucharist meal.
In Acts 20:7 we read, “On the first day of the week, when we met to break bread, Paul began to speak to the people…until midnight.” A few things should be noted. First, the purpose of the meeting was to break bread. It would seem strange that regular eating would be the purpose for which they assembled. It makes more sense to understand this meal as having religious significance, such as the Lord’s Supper.
Second, it is explicitly noted that this was the first day of the week (Sunday). This was the day when the body of Christ assembled for worship.
Third, another religious activity is spoken of in tandem with this eating: apostolic teaching. These last two points solidify the conclusion that this meal was religious in nature. We have here, then, what appears to be a normative statement regarding the purpose of gathering on the Lord’s Day: to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. This implies that it was a regular, weekly practice of the church.
Finally, in 1 Corinthians 11:20 we read, “Therefore when you come together at the same place it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper.” Again, this sarcastic remark shows that the purpose of gathering together involved the eating of the Lord’s Supper, and that it was a regular practice.
How do Protestant churches match up? How often do they fulfill the Lord’s command? In my experience, most churches only celebrate the Lord’s Supper once or twice a year. While it is true that Jesus did not specify how often it should be done (only saying “as often as you do this…”), looking at the example of the early church I would argue that we are not celebrating it enough. While it was of maximal importance to the gatherings of the early church, it is absent from most of our own.
Too Different
In 1 Corinthians 11:20-22 Paul wrote, “Therefore when you come together at the same place it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper. For when it is time to eat, everyone proceeds with his own supper. One is hungry and another becomes drunk. Do you not have houses so that you can eat and drink? Or are you trying to show contempt for the church of God by shaming those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I praise you? I will not praise you for this!”
In the early church, the Lord’s Supper was an actual meal. Eating the Lord’s Supper involved so much food that people were able to overeat, and it involved so much drink that they were getting drunk. I don’t know about you, but I think we would have a hard time getting full on our 1/16 of a saltine cracker or drunk on our tiny swig of grape juice! While I don’t think we have to have a full meal to celebrate the Lord’s Supper, clearly this is the way Jesus celebrated His last supper with the apostles, and it is the way the church celebrated the Lord’s Supper as well.
Too Moody
In most of the churches I have attended, a particular mood is almost always created for communion. Particular emotions are expected. Slow songs are played that engender emotions of sorrow and tears. Pastors admonish people to remember their sin and examine themselves to ensure that they are worthy to receive the Lord’s Supper. Tears of joy are entirely appropriate. So are tears of repentance if that is needed in the moment. Even tears of sorrow are desirable. It is appropriate to feel sorrow for what Jesus had to endure to atone for our sins. That said, this is not the only appropriate response to the cross. It is not the only legitimate emotion to feel when we remember what Jesus did for us. Christians ought to feel a sense of gladness and rejoicing as well. It’s hard to ever express that, however, in a church that is explicitly and consistently trying to create an environment that only allows for the expression of a single kind of emotion. Perhaps we could focus on one type of emotion in one service, but on a different kind of emotion in another. Or perhaps we could play songs that engender one type of emotion, followed by songs that engender another. We should actually “celebrate” the Lord’s Supper once in a while.
I mentioned pastors admonishing the saints to examine themselves before taking communion. Some even warn that if you participate in the Lord’s Supper with unconfessed sin, you may bring damnation and death upon yourself. Where do we get this from? It comes from 1 Corinthians 11:
Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. (1 Cor 11:27-31, KJV)
Many have misunderstood what Paul meant when he speaks of eating and drinking “unworthily.” We think it refers to our own spiritual state: If we are unworthy of the Lord’s body and blood due to unrepentant sin in our lives, Jesus might kill us. This is hardly a festive thought! The grammar and context argues against such an interpretation.
Grammatically speaking, the Greek word translated “unworthily,” anaxios, is an adverb describing the manner in which we celebrate the Lord’s Supper. It’s not an adjective describing the quality of our own spiritual state. Contextually speaking, the problem Paul was addressing was the manner in which the Corinthians were partaking of the Lord’s Supper, not personal sin in the lives of the Corinthian believers (though they definitely had some sin problems in Corinth). Those who brought a lot of food were not sharing with those who had little or none; those who arrived earlier did not wait for those who had yet to show up. As a result, there were some who were turning this celebration into a gluttonous and selfish affair – precisely the opposite attitude intended by the celebration. Paul warned against celebrating the Lord’s Supper in this unworthy manner.
Not only is the “repent first, eat later” interpretation of this passage grammatically and contextually flawed, but it is theologically flawed as well. While it is sound advice to repent prior to taking the Lord’s Supper, it is only because repentance should be a regular part of our lives. But to think one must make themselves worthy before they partake of the Lord’s Supper by repenting, is another matter entirely. None of us can make ourselves worthy before the Lord. Jesus is is the only one who can make us worthy, and He did so by shedding His blood at Calvary. That is why we celebrate the Lord’s Supper: to commemorate what He did to make us worthy before God when we could not do so ourselves. How ironic it is, then, that we would use the occasion of the Lord’s Supper to tell people they must make themselves worthy lest God bring judgment on them. We celebrate the Lord’s Supper precisely because we are unworthy, and yet Jesus made us worthy through His sacrifice.
In conclusion, I hope to see the modern church move more in the direction of the early church in their practice of the Lord’s Supper. Let us celebrate the Lord’s Supper more often (at least once a month). Let us celebrate the Lord’s Supper with more food and drink (at least once in a while). Finally, let us celebrate the Lord’s Supper with joy and thanksgiving rather than sorrow.
April 21, 2022 at 1:27 pm
Sad music and fear? I really feel sorry for you, Bro. The fact that the church weeps does NOT mean that it is sorrowful. There’s such a thing as weeping for joy or being touched by the enormity of Christ’s sacrifice for us. And nobody who is truly living for God need “fear” a communion service. Rank hypocrites need to fear, but fallible saints need not. And if it’s been a long time since a person who’s a self-professed Christian has been touched by Calvary, then perhaps he or she needs to do some spiritual inventory.
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April 21, 2022 at 4:58 pm
Scalia, I’m not saying one can’t weep. If that’s how what I said came off, I’ll need to edit what I wrote because that’s not what I meant to convey.
What I’m referring to is the default mood that is created and the default emotions that are expected surrounding communion. The slow, sad songs as well as the things being said across the pulpit create an atmosphere in which crying and sadness are expected. That’s an appropriate response at times and for some people. Others, however, may experience a sense of gladness and rejoicing. It’s hard to ever express that, however, in an environment that is trying to create an entirely different set of emotions and atmosphere. At the very least, churches could mix it up a bit as to what kind of an environment they are trying to create. Jesus’ death brings both sadness and joy, but in my experience, communion is always trying to focus on the sadness part.
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April 21, 2022 at 7:01 pm
TR, interesting article — im not sure of your background but i wonder if that could be the reason for what you expressed here.
as a former roman catholic it doesnt bother me in the least not having weekly “communion.” actually once i became a bible believing Christian i see this as only a yearly meal on the evening of Nisan 14th. the regular “breaking of the bread” i just see as a communal meal with like a prayer of thanksgiving.
but i appreciate your thoughts and will ruminate on them next time i read those verses.
i just want to add ……. you need to watch out about “eating unworthily” — rccult members have twisted this to believe it’s proof the bread/wine are “transubstantiated” into Jesus’ literal flesh/blood. when the concern is eating/drinking the bread/wine only means you are right with God and your neighbor. so if you are not right with God or your neighbor and you take the bread and cup — you are lying to God in front of God’s people.
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April 22, 2022 at 1:55 pm
I’m a few months shy of a theology degree at Lee University. Your post touches on a class discussion of Christopher A. Stephenson’s Doctrine of the Lord’s Supper in Light of Pentecostal Spiritually. In his book, Types of Pentecostal Theology: Method, System, Spirit, (New York: Oxford University Press, 2013). He draws on the Spirit’s transforming work, eschatology, and the universality of the Spirit’s work to construct a doctrine of the Lord’s Supper that makes pneumatological emphases the entry point into Christological questions, also as an eschatological catalyst. He criticizes the infrequency of the Supper and the lack of theological instruction that sometimes accompanies it.
I enjoyed reading your post. Very timely in regard to my studies.
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April 25, 2022 at 12:46 am
Jason, I think that that mood is somber most of the time because the mood of Jesus was no doubt somber. Recall that this was right before Gethsemane where the Lord was in agony. The enormity of the sinless man who was God in flesh taking upon Himself the sins of the world causes Christians to instinctively react with gravity. You’re eating bread which represents His broken body and drinking a cup of liquid which represents His blood! And why was His body broken and His blood in the cup?
Isa 53:3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Isa 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
Isa 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Isa 53:7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
Isa 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
The blood was there as a result of His being smitten and bruised of God in taking the judgment for sin in our place. Indeed the very name of the ceremony is “communion” which means “participation” or “association.” We are attempting to identify ourselves with what He did for us. It therefore stands to reason that the grave mood will produce tears of sorrow and joy because we’re going to Calvary with Him.
Perhaps I don’t understand where you’re coming from because some of the greatest shouting services I’ve been in have been on Watch Night. Communion is very somber (as I think it should be), but after the foot washing, the congregation assembles for a time of worship and often the place “goes up in smoke,” as we like to say, from the shouting and aisle running. In our view, there is a time for somberness and a time for celebration in the same service. This is quite common in the fellowship which is why I said that I feel sorry for you. Your experience is not ours.
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April 25, 2022 at 11:02 am
TR, this might help — do you believe “The Last Supper” was a Passover Meal? not only was it, it was at the same time as the 1st Passover meal. this confuses many because in the NT writings they mention the Passover Meal in future after Jesus’ capture. long story short — same Passover Meal that 2 groups celebrated on different days. not the best example but this is just like in Canada where our thanksgiving is on Monday but some have their thanksgiving meal sunday night instead of monday night. the obvious problem for the original — is if it was supposed to be on the evening of Nisan 14th but you planned it on Nisan 15th all of your 1st born wouldve died already.
there’ s many good apologetics on why the Last Supper is a Passover Meal. now when you understand that you’ll understand why we dont worry about only having the Lord’s Supper/communion once a year — because that is the context of Jesus’ comments.
“the breaking of the bread” done more often can not be the Last Supper re-enacted, at least in all instances, because the apostle Paul does this in Acts 27: 35 “And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat.” because the obvious context is there isnt many believers on that ship.
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April 25, 2022 at 4:25 pm
Within the historically African American Protestant tradition (i.e. the Black church), it’s been common practice for as long as I’ve been alive for Communion to be served on the first Sunday of every month and that’s what I’m used to. However I know that the frequency of observance for churches affiliated with the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World (PAW) in particular can widely vary. I’ve heard that for most churches affiliated with the United Pentecostal Church International (UPCI), Communion is practiced quite infrequently, usually only once or twice a year.
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May 4, 2022 at 6:54 am
is the Lord’s Supper practice is a church ordinance?
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May 4, 2022 at 1:05 pm
Many consider it an ordinance. I don’t have any reason to dispute that.
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