Monday, September 11, 2006

on weekly communion


"Perhaps the idea of coming to the Table weekly is troubling, but why? The most common argument against weekly celebration of the Supper is that it might become routine. Doubtless this is a danger, but by this rationale all churches should hold only monthly worship services so that the sermons and singing will be truly meaningful. The absurdity of the argument is obvious. The possibility of abuse is no excuse for not making use of the divinely instituted means of grace.

Perhaps there is a more fundamental reason we are reluctant to observe the Supper more regularly. One fears that the simple gospel message of Christ offered for and to sinners is not really on the evangelical agenda—or credenda for that matter. (Agenda is Latin for “things to do,” and credenda is Latin for “things to believe.”) It might be that regular observance of the Supper would require a transformation of most evangelical worship services. It is difficult to imagine how a solemnly joyful service of the Supper would fit into some “seeker sensitive” services.

Weekly Communion would also affect the preaching by tending to orient the service around Christ’s finished work and away from the constant diet of “how to” messages. The juxtaposition of “Ten Steps to a Happy Marriage” followed by a Communion service is too jarring to contemplate. Simply considering a weekly Communion a hypothetical possibility in our time seems to present radical challenges to evangelical piety." - R. Scott Clark

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Perhaps the root of the problem is the shift in evangilicalism from christocentric worship to egocentric practice. The very concern that with weekly obsservance the Supper would become routine, dull and rote betrays an evangelical preocupation with self. The question is not, "Is God less pleased with weekly celebration and more pleased with monthly celebration?" The question instead is put in terms of, "How is this going to effect me, or the person in the pew?" Also betrayed is an empoverished eucharistic theology which has all but depleted evangelicalism of an expectation of grace, of Christ's presence, and of the nourishment we receive as we humble ourselves to kneel at the altar and feed on Christ in our hearts by faith. There are some things that simply can not become dull.