At Redeemer City Church we partake of the Lord’s Supper every week and here are four reasons why.
Reason #1: Because the early church devoted themselves to the Lord’s Supper every week.
Now, you might say, “the Bible doesn’t explicitly command we take it every week,” and you are “kind of” right. But Scripture teaches us the early church took the meal every week (Acts 2:42-47, Acts 20:7, 1 Corinthians 11:20-34) and early church writings confirm the tradition continued for hundreds of years in local churches (Didache 14.1, Justin Martyr’s First Apology in A.D. 155, and The Apostolic Tradition of Hippolytus in A.D 215). So, the argument then should not be “why should we take the Lord’s Supper every week?,” but rather, “why should we deviate from the New Testament example and early church practice?”
The early church gathered for the Lord’s Supper. If we take the early church’s devotion to and practice of the Lord’s Supper as more than a suggestion, we should strongly consider including the Lord’s Supper in our weekly gatherings.
Reason #2: Because preparing the Lord’s Supper is not a difficult or laborious task.
I have heard it before… “[we don’t celebrate the Lord’s Supper every week] because of the time and coordination it takes to prepare it.”
Let me respond in brief. It doesn’t take that much time. Pastors will often spend 15-20 hours in sermon preparation. Deacons, while employed throughout the week, are called and deputized to carry out such a physical task in a local church and I cannot think of a reason it would take more than 20 minutes with a proportionate number of deacons.
Reason #3: Because we believe there can be good in ritual and routine.
One of the most common push backs to the weekly observance of the Lord’s Supper is that it may become ritualistic, and nothing more than a routine. Leaving behind the fact that we don’t make that argument for preaching, singing, or passing an empty offering plate… maybe the routine is right.
Let me explain.
Every night before Judah goes to bed we read scripture, pray, and then I say “we can sleep” to which he responds “because God doesn’t.” It’s a routine. A ritual. But a beautiful one. Yes, he can say the words mindlessly, just as we can sit in any sermon with our mind turned off. But I am impressing upon him truth that by repetition, he will never forget.
The meal of remembrance, is a meal we’re suppose to take often, so that we remember and never forget.
One more illustration.
Every morning before my wife and I depart for our work responsibilities, we share a kiss. Can that kiss become routine? Sure. But it’s a ritual of love. Some days were rushed and the kiss doesn’t “feel” uniquely special. That’s okay.
One day though, when the Lord takes one of us home, the other will fondly remember that “every morning” kiss and I trust it will be a treat to remember that ritual until I see her and she sees me.
Reason #4: Because we believe Christ meets with us in this meal.
We are not Catholic or Lutheran. We do not believe in transubstantiation or consubstantiation. However, we do believe, along with the majority of church history and its early fathers (Ignatius, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Celement, Tertullian, Hippolytus, Athanasius, Basil, Augustine, and so on) that Jesus meets with us as we partake of it just as He meets us when we open his word together in worship and when we go through seasons and situations of church discipline (Matthew 18).
The Lord’s Supper may function as a physical symbol, but it’s a sweet memorial meal where the Lord is spiritually present with His people as they draw near to one another (1 Corinthians 10:16-17).
Think about it. You’ve heard and maybe even said a variation of the following statement to yourself: “Christ seems far from me right now and I want to feel his presence again.” While we don’t base the closeness of Christ on our subjective feelings, maybe, just maybe, the reason we sometimes feel far from the Lord is because we’re so irregularly meeting him at his table.
Maybe our hunger for Jesus’ presence is intended to in some way be satiated when we eat and when we drink.
In Conclusion…
In the Lord’s Supper we look back to Christ’s death, remembering together, lest we forget. ….We partake in remembrance of Him.
In the Lord’s Supper we look forward together, anticipating Christ’s second coming, so that our hope for the future isn’t eclipsed by sin or our church’s present problems. Jesus said, “I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom (Matthew 26:29).”
So then, the Lord’s Supper is like a weekly appetizer to satisfy our hunger us as we await the guest of honor to arrive for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7-10).
Lastly, in the Lord’s Supper we look outward together. As often as we take the Lord’s Supper, we “proclaim his death until He comes (1 Corinthians 11:26).”
The Lord’s Supper is an evangelistic meal that begs questions from our kids and from unbelievers who may attend on a Sunday. We want people to ask why we eat and drink so we might give the reason for the hope within us (1 Peter 3:15).
I want to look back more.
I want our church to look forward more.
And I want more chances to proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.
