The Question of Frequency of the Supper

Beginning to Think Through the Purpose and Call of the Church's Love Feast

Good Morning,

As we leave off the initiatory rite of membership in the covenant community (Baptism) we now move on to the participatory blessing of the community meal. The Lord’s Supper is when believers come together and feed on Christ as one body by faith through grace alone. We had the blessing of celebrating the Table this past Lord’s Day and it is always one of my favorite worship services. As we walk through this part of the Directory of Public Worship we will be taking a moment to consider different aspects of what we do in order to witness to God’s mercies as the church.

The first question that the DPW takes up is the timing of when, not just how often, but at which service on Sunday we should eat the bread and drink the cup. This is an important part of our obedience. We must ask pertinent questions of everything we do and make sure it is in keeping with what the Lord has revealed in His word. What we call the Regulative Principle means is that we must have divine warrant for each step in the service on the Lord’s Day morning and evening. God is not impressed by our new ideas on how to improve His worship. We are to walk humbly and show mercy to our Heavenly Father, and that especially goes in handling His ordinances.

Here's our DPW section for today:

The communion, or supper of the Lord, is frequently to be celebrated; but how often, may be considered and determined by the ministers, and other church-governors of each congregation, as they shall find most convenient for the comfort and edification of the people committed to their charge. And, when it shall be administered, we judge it convenient to be done after the morning sermon.

Where this sacrament cannot with convenience be frequently administered, it is requisite that publick warning be given the sabbath-day before the administration thereof: and that either then, or on some day of that week, something concerning that ordinance, and the due preparation thereunto, and participation thereof, be taught; that, by the diligent use of all means sanctified of God to that end, both in publick and private, all may come better prepared to that heavenly feast.

If you go and look at the DPW online you’ll notice that I skipped a sentence. I did that because it speaks to a question about the people taking the Supper that we will cover in a later Thursday confession lesson. For our purposes today we see twice the word frequently used. That’s a word which points to the number of times out of a year the church should be participating together in the observance of Communion. At the top of the second paragraph it also says, where this sacrament cannot with convenience be frequently administered . . . that then there should be a few things taken into consideration, including days of preparation. We’ll come back to that question about prep work as well at a later date. We see that in the opening section it says that the persons who make the decision for how often are the minister and the church governors, or what we call elders today. They are granted this authority by Christ.

How should the officers make that determination?

The primary concern the leaders should have is the spiritual readiness of a congregation to receive the blessings of the covenant meal. While it is the primary duty of the elders to check-in regularly on the health of the congregation as to their walk with Christ in many ways the real reason behind doing this is to make sure that the warnings attached to 1 Corinthians 11 are maintained. We should never read Paul’s admonition there as an individual thing. The Bible never understands members of the church as being free agents who happen to gather at the same place on a Lord’s Day morning and evening. The whole idea behind calling it communion is pointing to this corporate coming together as one in Jesus’ blood and righteousness. The elders are to make sure that the leaven of unrighteousness does not mar the family meal. So when it comes to questions about frequency this is why the DPW leaves that up to local churches. The minister(s) and elders know best.

This is central to why any congregation who advocates having the Supper weekly must by their confession have a super rigorous fencing that involves not only a hyper-engagement with the life of their people, but also must needs be barring folks from communing who are in open sin, for the blessing of all gathered that Sunday. If that is true of a church holding Communion every week then more power to them and we should all be as diligent. However, the likelihood, or even advisability of such, is not great. It is part of the reason why the DPW assumes that frequent is not every week, but regularly. It is just as odd to only have the Supper once or twice a year. But again, let everyone (not individually, corporately) be convinced in their own mind for the oversight of the sacraments is not a Synodical rule. It is a local one.

God in His grace does not want to see His Table become a place of contention. It is an occasion for sinners to gather and witness to the forgiveness of sins and the permanent putting away of the transgressions by the blood of the Lamb. It is the sign and seal of covenant of grace for those justified in Jesus Christ. There are few better opportunities to publicly testify to your love for your Savior in the faith-filled gathering of God’s people on His day. Do not forsake it, nor abuse the privilege.

In closing, the last question I want to cover this morning is the DPW’s insistence that the best time for the church to observe this sacrament is in the first service on the Lord’s Day. Why is that? Well, sometimes we have to let reality be our guide. You know that I am a fearsome advocate for morning and evening worship on Sunday. However, the reality is that most people don’t come to the second service. This would mean that to hold the Supper in the evening would disenfranchise many, whether that is the way it should be or not. The other aspect of this to consider is the DPW is understanding that the Supper should only be celebrated on the Sabbath. That’s a matter we’ll take up later, but put that thought in your brain and meditate on it.

Here’s a word:

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/the-frequency-of-communion-calmly-considered/

Blessings in Christ,

Rev. Benjamin Glaser

Pastor, Bethany ARP Church