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This is going to be a little off track. Looking up various positions that have been taken on the frequency of the Lord's supper, and reasons people set forth to justify their conclusions, the following are links to a Lutheran site and an article referenced there. Below I quote in part a bit of reasoning from one of the links, a very small portion of a long articel by a Lutheran pastor who first found the idea of weekly communion quite surprising, until he thoroughly researched it. (I don't by any means agree with all of the author's ideas about grace and forgiveness and so forth. I'm only referencing his conclusions about the support for weekly communion.) The Lord's Supper on the Lord's Day COMMUNION EVERY SUNDAY: WHY?
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The Lord’s supper is like kissing your wife or husband. The minute you have to place rules on how often, then the kiss loses its affectionate force. No one who is in love would ever say, “I think we have kissed enough,” or “That kiss will have to do for the rest of the day.” No one says, “How often do we have to kiss?” Instead we ask, “How often do we get to kiss?” We kiss and get kissed as often as we can. The Lord’s supper is more than a kiss from God. Through Holy Communion God gives us the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation through the body and blood of Jesus. We need and want these blessings all the time. So the question should not be, "How often do we have to take communion?" Rather we should ask, "How often do we get to take communion." Logistically, the Lord’s Supper is more difficult to give than a kiss. First you have to gather the church together. You have to provide a place as well as the elements of unleavened bread and wine. You need to instruct as to the proper meaning of the Sacrament. And you have to do all this with a sense of respect and decorum. So, how often should the Lord’s supper be given? In the Scriptures, in the practice of the early church, at the time of the Reformation, in the Lutheran Confessions, and until quite recently the answer has always been, "We give the Lord’s supper at every Sunday Service."
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Should the churches of Christ celebrate the Sacrament every Sunday? Yes they should. The Bible teaches it. The confessions of our church require it. The Gospel expects it. The history of the church shows it. The liturgy demands it. Our children need it. Our faith thrives on it. Our heritage gives it. Our God provides it. When should this happen (that is, implementing this teaching in Lutheran churches -- caf? The tragedy is that we live in a time when the question needs to be asked. It should happen when the people of God have learned and are ready and eager to receive all the blessings of Christ on every Sunday service.
Pastor Klemet Preus
Glory of Christ Lutheran Church
Plymouth, Minnesota
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