Frequency of Lord's Supper

Frequency of Lord's Supper

This is not a discussion of the elements or those long, hairy theological words about what happens during our consumption of bread and wine/juice. Other posts can dive deeper.

I simply want to reflect on how often we “should” consume.

Of course, no biblical author gave much insight. We have the words of Jesus, “As often as you do this, remember me.” And we have the example of the church in Acts, which seems to indicate (or state quite explicitly) that they ate the Lord’s Supper every time they gathered—weekly. There’s some debate what “breaking bread” means, and there may be contexts where eating together does mean a time of fellowship vs. remembering Christ’s sacrifice. Then there’s the “love feasts,” (1 Corinthians 11 may or may not reference distinct meals). Jude 12 specifically labels these times of eating “love feasts,” which probably refers to those times when believers ate together for fellowship. Many assume the “Lord’s Supper/Communion/Eucharist” was a distinct time in the meal. In either case, the Corinthians were not doing either portion of the meal correctly. But I digress.

My background was one of those (to which many could probably relate), where you would think Jesus said, “As often as you remember to do it, think about me.”

I am not a church historian. I don’t know when various denominations or church leaders decided various frequencies for taking communion. We have records from the church fathers (e.g. Didache 7:14) where the practice still continued on a weekly basis (cf. Justin Martyr, Apology I.67). 

We often hear that we want this time to be “special” and observing Lord’s Supper too often will minimize its value. When I was young, that made sense. Now, it’s completely illogical. 

What’s the purpose of the Lord’s Supper? To remember Jesus’ death (and for good measure, let’s throw in the resurrection). If we do it “worthily,” we’ll examine lives/hearts, particularly when it comes to unity with other believers. I can’t think of better practices to do on a regular basis.

It may not be a completely logical argument to point to other portions of a typical worship service and ask, “Why do we do those every week?” (I don’t have a major in logic, so maybe it is a valid argument). But a professor from DTS once asked a poignant question, and it’s stuck with me. If there’s one element of a worship service that points to Jesus more than any other—in fact, reflects His body and calls us to mentally dwell on Him alone—it’s this time of Communion. How can it not be of primary importance? 

One of my favorite papers I ever wrote was John 6, where John clearly has Eucharistic themes in his telling of the feeding of the 5,000. When Jesus explains His mission after all have eaten, He commands the people to “eat His flesh” and “drink His blood.” Many disciples leave (6:66). See most of the paper here.

Salvation for John (or entering eternal life) is not a one time event. It’s “seeking Jesus.” It’s “looking on the Son.” It’s “eating Him.” And I don’t know about you, but I need to eat every day. It’s a sign of need, of dependence, of personal lack. 

The Lord’s Supper is a regular reminder for me that I need Jesus. That He satisfies. If I only partake once every blue moon, I’m not remembering Him. 

I’ve been in churches where we partake monthly. I appreciate this. It’s an effort for balance and faithfulness to Jesus’ command. I admit that I’ve never been a member of a church where we eat and drink the Lord’s Supper weekly. I am open to feedback whether it gets repetitive or “wastes time” of the service. I highly doubt it. We need Him more than anything else.

As often as you do it, remember me turned into as often as you remember it, do it for me.