“…the Lord Jesus in the night in which he was betrayed took bread; And giving thanks, He broke it and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body, which is broken for you; this do in remembrance of Me.’ In the same way He took the cup also, after supping, saying, ‘This cup is the New Covenant in My blood; as often as you drink it, do this in remembrance of Me.’ For ‘as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you show’ the Lord's death until He shall come.” 1 Corinthians 11:24-26

This is a great question and one that has been asked many times. 

The Bible does not give us specific instruction on the frequency of taking the Lord’s Supper.  As a result, there is some latitude in how often churches serve communion.  Many churches observe communion monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, or weekly.  The 1Corinthians passage above speaks to the instruction by Christ to do the following: “as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup…” – interpreted by Biblical theologians and scholars not to the frequency of taking the meal but to taking it “often.”  This particular discussion continues today as to what “as often” really means.  And, I am confident this debate will continue until Jesus comes back.  Personally, this elder believes “often” to mean “frequently” so as not to make the sacrament a routine – or us just “going through the motions” as part of our worship. 

 The Presbyterian Church in America, of which we are a member congregation, states in Chapter 58 of the Book of Church Order: “The Communion, or Supper of the Lord, is to be observed frequently; the stated times to be determined by the Session of each congregation, as it may judge most for edification: ”Ref.BCO 58-1 The Session of Christ Community Church elected many years ago to serve communion on the first Sunday of each month.

So, why the first Sunday?  The first Sunday of each month is a wonderful way for us to look at starting the month afresh and take this one Sunday as a special occasion to remind ourselves of the memorial offered to us by Christ.  By doing so, we are able to freshly renew our hearts with a deep sense of gratitude for the Lord Jesus, who was willing to be nailed to a cross in order to die and take upon Himself our sins.

This Sunday will be communion Sunday.  I would encourage all of us who are part of the CCC family to set our hearts and minds toward the cross as we approach the table of grace.  Not only is it is a memorial of remembrance of our Savior, but also a celebration of the New Covenant.   Even though we take the Lord’s Supper once a month the significance of this sacrament should penetrate our hearts every single day. 

Grace and peace.

JMG

Author’s Note:  This blog entry concludes my summer series of “Ask the Clerk.”  Thank you to those of you who submitted questions for this series.  Please continue to seek out a pastor, elder, or deacon if you have any questions or concerns about Christ Community Church.  We are here to help!