arguments against weekly communionirvin-parkview funeral home

Champaign, IL, Your email address will not be published. The method by which the risen Lord holds spiritual communion with His own and imparts to them the grace of spiritual nurture with the symbols of the supper we cannot fully know. Do you not more often need so great a help to knit your heart more closely unto the people of God in greater affection and love for them? I noticed no difference in the seriousness or reverence with which it was handled in any of these. This would be easy, since everything in the Bible ties into it in some way. The practice of regular, weekly observance of the Lords Supper continued into the period immediately following the death of the apostles. This just is not compelling to me. Here we encounter the central mystery of the Lords Supper and probably the main reason why Calvin desired communion to be celebrated at least weekly. However, in general the church has recognized that the Lords Supper is to be a regular and frequent part of its life. In the Lords Supper, we truly commune with Jesus Christ. So, we aim to do two things for our visitors on Sunday mornings: 1. As Michael Horton explains, Ones view of the nature of the Supper plays no small part in determining frequency.It should come as no surprise that those who view the Lords Supper primarily as a matter of subjective mental recollection would see no need to celebrate it frequently. 9. The second argues that if we use the sacrament too often, we will not value it. . Starting at 8 a.m. All are agreed that the Lords Supper is an institution of Christ, given for the churchs nourishment and edification. They help make known the astonishing grace of God. Puritan pastor and theologian, in a treatise on practical theology entitledA Christian Directory, published in 1673 (Vol. Full disclosure: I now participate in a church that celebrates weekly communion (offering wine and bread) and has well attended morning and evening services. The first argues that weekly communion will bring an improper focus on the sacrament so that we will slip into the error of the Roman Catholic Church. Because the observance of the Lord's Supper is the logical (and liturgical) culmination of the preaching of the word, the frequent celebration of the Lord's Supper provides the fitting, natural and, dare I say, "biblical" culmination of the worship service." If your goal is to be as similar as possible to the broader world, why should the broader world bother with you? Do you not often blot your evidences and disturb your peace? Required fields are marked *. With deep biblical and historical roots, its normative claims should not be dismissed lightly. Our hope of salvation and eternal life is solidly based upon our faith in His having risen from the dead and being alive forevermore. And can you sit at the Table and not have your souls raised to the highest admiration of His love and mercy toward you? 39. We have no reason to prove, that the apostles example and appointment in this case, was proper to those times, any more than that praise and thanksgiving daily is proper to them;and we may as well deny the obligation of other institutions, or apostolical orders, as that. Yet I have never heard any Christian say, Lets be careful not to have our pastor preach the Word too often. All Christians recognize that it is through the Word that our Savior speaks to us today, but many seem not to understand that He speaks by the sacraments also. But since weekly communion often brings push-back, I want to look at the most common arguments urged against it, show why they are groundless, and encourage the move that more and more Protestant and Reformed churches are (I believe wisely) making. In the early church, and really for most of the churchs history in most places, printed Bibles, printed books, good teaching, and even literacy itself were not easy to come by for the average church-goer. By the time religious liberty was granted, with the accession of William of Orange and Mary in 1688, infrequent communion had become part of the tradition. Its very name through the centuries has been the Eucharist, meaning thanksgiving. 2. (5) If it is every week, we might not have time to prepare our hearts properly.I am not really sure how to react to this objection. A. Tagged: Gospels, Textual Variants, 1 Corinthians, Sacraments. Is not your heart too apt to fall in love with sin and to renew its league with sin? An old argument against frequent communion (familiarity breeds contempt) deserves short shrift. You can't win a debate against someone who disregards facts. Tagged: Communion, Weekly Communion, Sacraments 5 Comments September 13, 2017 Was Jesus' Body "Broken" For You? And is it needful to exhort you who have found the benefit of this ordinance to go often to it? Pietism and other spiritual movements within Christianity lessened the importance of the Lords Supper in the life of the Lutheran Church. In fact, I personally want to receive weekly communion as an additional proclamation of Gods grace for me in order to startle my sleepy heart all the more! We pray that you find this a blessing to you and your faith. One of the least reasonable, but most frequently heard objections to weekly observance of the Lords Supper is the claim that such frequent observance would make the Lords Supper meaningless and boring. This objection, ironically, also sits uncomfortably and directly at odds with the next common objection to weekly observance. But attracting people has nothing to do with the purpose of the Lords Supper anyway. However, we preach the Gospel every Sunday without any similar concern or objection. Weekly communion runs the risk of becoming mechanical or a vain routine. The RPW is based on Sola Scriptura.that is good, BUT . . We can easily fall into a routine of going through the motions in any of these activities. Its unfortunate that in the years following the Reformation that this church practice of offering the Sacrament of the Altar in every service faded away and was forgotten. Weekly communion may be foreign to, or even offensive, to a visitor. Do you complain that you have so little of God, and will you not more often go where you may receive more influences from Him? (3) Frequent Communion (Mass) is Roman Catholic.Often, when Protestants express the concern of #2 above, they have something like Roman Catholic Mass in mind. Seven Arguments Against Weekly CommunionRefuted, Book Review: Beyond Authority and Submission (Miller), A Christmas Devotion from IsaiahUzziah, Ahaz, and King Jesus. Do you not often need so great a help to put you in remembrance of your Lord Jesus? CHICAGO Prosecutors on Monday dropped charges against a woman and her 14-year-old son after they were charged with murdering a man during an argument at a hot dog stand on Chicago's South . WCF 27.1, for instance, says: "Sacraments are holy . Calvins liturgy claims to provide a Form of Church PrayersAccording to the Custom of the Ancient Church. As Hughes O. Director of curriculum development for Ligonier Ministries and assistant editor of Tabletalk magazine, in a recent book entitledGiven For You: Reclaiming Calvins Doctrine of the Lords Supper(pp. Moreover, the Lords Supper was to be held frequently, commonlyonce a month or so oft as the Congregation shall think it expedient.. 256-259): Perhaps nothing is needed in the evangelical churches of our country more today than a theology of the sacraments. 40. It is common during a communion celebration that pastors say the bread is Jesus body, broken for you. But is broken the correct word to use? By seldom communicating, men are seduced to think all proper communion of churches lieth in that sacrament, and to be more profanely bold in abusing many other parts of worship. We have visitors on a regular basis at Oak Hills and we pray that God would use us to introduce people to Christ and saving faith. But God in His grace . This decision appeared to be another instance of the prideful quest for purity that so often characterized fundamentalism. During the Reformation, in 1561, when John Knox was ministering to his congregation in Edinburgh, he once held communion services daily for a week. Tagged: Communion, Weekly Communion, Sacraments 5 Comments October 16, 2018 "To Gladden the Heart of Man": A Biblical Theology of Wine Zachary Garris The Lord's Supper Roman Catholics do practice communion (or Eucharist, as they call it) weekly, and in fact many parishes offer it daily. Does that apply to prayer, Scripture reading, preaching, or your relationship with your spouse? Every time we serve communion we give instruction about the meaning and significance of the meal, in order to safeguard against misunderstandings and misuse. Historical Considerations. Many ministers were forced to meet in secret. However, some dont think so, and it will therefore be helpful to address common objections to weekly communion. Calvin devotes several sections of his Institutes to the argument for weekly communion (4.17.44-46). (p. 90). (1) Weekly communion will lead to it becoming a mindless routine.This is probably the most common argument offered against weekly observance of the Lords Supper. I love it so much, it would be strange now to not have that wonderful blessing each week. Of course not. And if unbelievers are present, will they not see the gospel that has been proclaimed in the sermon now visually enacted before their eyes as believers come forward to receive it? This, frankly, is silly. Weekly communion service will be a blessing to those who volunteer with our children. Does it not engage us to be of one heart, and to be kindly affectioned to one another, as Christ was to us all? Finally, there are some logistic concerns that we need to work out. Senior minister of Emmanuel Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, Delaware and visiting professor at Westminster Theological Seminary, in his recently published bookThe Lords Supper: Eternal Word in Broken Bread, (pp. There have been long periods of Roman Catholic church history in which participation in the Eucharist by the laity was in fact quite rare, it being thought that the most important thing was for the priest to partake, and the people in the pews could be content to watch, or perhaps to receive the bread only, and not the wine. There are better means (by teaching and discipline) to keep the sacrament from contempt, than the omitting or displacing of it. 291-297): Among Reformed churches, there is no agreement on how frequently the Lords Supper should be celebrated. To me this position is the obvious default, with less frequent communion being the position that needs special defense. An old argument against frequent communion (familiarity breeds contempt) deserves short shrift. At the heart of the Reformation was a practical renewal of preachingandsacrament as the divinely ordained means of grace and methods of drawing together the divine drama. If we have careful regard for the end for which our Lord intended it, we should realize that the use of it ought to be more frequent than many make itTherefore the custom ought to be well established, in all churches, of celebrating the Lords Supper as frequently as the capacity of the people will allowThough we have no express command defining the time and the day, it should be enough for us to know that the intention of our Lord is that we use it often; otherwise, we shall not know well the benefits it offers. However, in the beginning it was not so. The frequency of it is not determined; often it must be, but how often is not expressed. This is why men like John Calvin, who were undeniably strong advocates of the centrality of the preached word, could also advocate weekly observance of the Supper. Is it enough to have some occasional thoughts of Christ, or should you not more solemnly dwell in your meditations upon Him? He is especially present in His church when that body gathers in His name. Not long ago a young minister who had come to a deeper understanding of the sacraments was suggesting to his congregation a more frequent observance of the Lords Supper. I have been in multiple churches that celebrate the Supper weekly, multiple churches that celebrate it monthly, and in at least one that practiced it only quarterly. Maybe we ought to see the frequency with which Catholics practice the Eucharist (and I am referring to their practice, not their theology of it) as a point in their favor that we could learn from. Tagged: Communion, Weekly Communion, Sacraments. Seven Arguments Against Weekly CommunionRefuted. Seven Arguments Against Weekly CommunionRefuted. They also pray to Jesus. i would argue: The Elders are responsible for making sure that their flock is personally and spiritually able to take communion as the defenders of the table. It may not display this or other websites correctly. He explains, The Lords Table should have been spread at least once a week for the assembly of Christians, and the promises declared in it should feed us spiritually.. First, there is the dismissal. (e.g., RPCNA supprt RPW but only have communion 4 times per year) I see an inconsistency in that position. The fault is not in the means of grace, but in us and our spiritual sleepiness. After the Restoration in 1660, Charles II attempted to enforce the Royal Supremacy over the Scottish kirk. "Quite the contrary, partaking of the Lord's . No; we should be thankful for truth and Christ-directed piety wherever we find it. We ask for your love, your prayers, and your patience as we work through these details to get them right. I agree with this movement and practice it in my own congregation. 6. (Protestant parallels, unfortunately, abound.). And . People even became afraid of the Sacrament which God had intended only to bring abundant comfort and reassurance to believers. Read well the epistles of Paul to the Corinthians, and you will find that they were then as bad as the true Christians are now, and that even in this sacrament they were very culpable;and yet Paul seeketh not to cure them by their seldomer communicating. 7. (2) Weekly observance of the Lords Supper elevates it to superstitious level of necessity.Sometimes the concern is expressed that when the Lords Supper is practiced every week, it begins to look too important and necessary. However, while the example of the early church is a guide, it cannot bind us, any more than their disposal of personal propertyrequiresus to do likewise. In 1 Corinthians 11:17-20, though, Paul seems to speak in a way that assumes the Lords Supper was something done (or attempted anyway) every time the church in Corinth came together (When you come together, it is not the Lords supper that you eat). . Or does not this ordinance, which shows you the love of Christ for all His people, incite those who attend upon it to imitate the Lord Jesus in loving them? Genesis, Men and Women. Your gracious welcome helps create that safe space to grow. In fact, in most conservative churches those things happen multiple times per week, often twice on Sunday, and on Wednesday night. Is the contemporary outcry for weekly communion a genuine revival of the sacramental thought and practice of the Genevan reformer? Ordinarily in well disciplined churches it should be still every Lords day:for, 1. At most this is a pattern, not exactly a command. It is true that our Lord said, This do in remembrance of me (Luke 22:19). Unfortunately, this objection is based on several misunderstandings. What would you have to offer? Also, if someone is serving our children downstairs on the first Sunday of a month, they will not have the chance to receive communion for two months. Should we not do those things simply because Catholics do them? Do you often complain that you love God no more, and will you not more often use this great means to increase your love? Once again, the people received the Supper both the bread and the wine and did so weekly. So I do not mean to say that the practice of non-weekly communion is sinful or necessarily implies unfaithfulness. Again, at Corinth the regular purpose of church gatherings was to observe the Lords Supper (I Cor. Thats why Oak Hills, as a member of the Presbyterian Church in America, follows a careful order of how to serve communion. For these, along with Holy Baptism, are the means of grace by which Christ has chosen to save us. They think that they are doing God a service by coming to church. In many churches in Africa and other parts of the world, the service of the Word actually ends, the people take a break and they return for the service of Communion without non-members. The Puritan Board is a forum dedicated to the discussion of Christian theology in a Confessionally Reformed context. In the reform of ecclesiastical law he introduced in 1552, he clearly specified this. The frequency will teach them to live prepared, and not only to make much ado once a month or quarter, when the same work is neglected all the year besides:even as one that liveth in continual expectation of death, will live in continual preparation;when he that expecteth it but in some grievous sickness, will then be frightened into some seeming preparations, which are not the habit of his soul, but laid by again when the disease is over.

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