Conference yukon::christian_v7

>How often does your church celebrate The Lord's Supper ?

Every day.

Three times on Sundays; twice on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Additional celebrations on days which mark special events in the life
of Christ or the history of the Church.

/john

Hello Stu! 

� How often does your church celebrate The Lord's Supper ?

Twice a month, plus extras for special occasions, the housebound, etc.

� Is there any verses in the Bible which give any indication of how often ?
The closest is in Acts 20:7

   "On the first day of the week we came together to break bread...." 	NIV

   "And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came
    together to break bread, ...."					KJV

There are other implications that the practise was to meet weekly for the 
breaking of bread in :

1 Corinthians 16:2 :
   "Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by
    him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no 
    gatherings when I come."						KJV

   "On the first day of every week, each one of you should lay 
    aside a sum of money in keeping with his income..."			NIV

1Corinthians 11:20 
   "When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not 
    to eat the Lord's supper."						KJV
   
   "When you come together it is not the LORD's supper you eat"		NIV

[ - meaning that it *should* be, and is intended to be, but because of their 
irreverance and lack of love, it cannot be the true celebration it's meant 
to be. ]  

The sum implication of these is that the church met weekly, and the central
purpose in their meeting was to celebrate the LORD's Supper.

Meanwhile we also have the indication that we are not to be bound by 
seasons or dates, as in Colossians 2:16-19, Galatians 4:10, Romans 14:5...

							Andrew

 We celebrated the Lord's Supper about once a quarter, perhaps more frequently.
 Our Pastor puts a lot of importance on the celebration, but is wary of it
 becoming routine.  He particularly likes to celebrate it when there is a 
 sense of "unity" in the congregation, or, if the congregation is facing
 a critical time.



 Jim

� How often does your church celebrate The Lord's Supper ?

Once or twice a month or so.

What they said with this comment:

Luke 19
 19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them,
    saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of
    me.
 20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament
    in my blood, which is shed for you.


1Corinthians 11:25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had
    supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as
    oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
 26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the
    Lord's death till he come.


How oft is oft?  When you drink of the cup, drink of it in rememberance of
His sacrifice which was made for us.

The early church met each week, but could have met each hour or each minute.
Setting a specific time and adhering to that because it is the "right time"
to do it is to follow other people.  Using the Bible, Jesus said, when you
do this, do it in rememberance to Me.

Mark

    We celebrate it every Sunday evening, but it is also available to folks
    on Sunday mornings who don't attend Sunday evenings.
    
    My old church only did it the first Sunday morning of every month.
    
    Mike

    Once a month, on the first Sunday of every month.  I like this because,
    so far, it has not become routine.  I look forward to it.
    
    My old church (SDA) celebrated it once a quarter, sometimes only 3 times 
    a year if they felt like missing a quarter.  Also, unfortunately, a big 
    deal was made about you being "righteous" before you partook of the bread 
    and wine, and I don't mean with the righteousness of Christ.  I mean in 
    your own eyes.  They made such a big deal about it that a good portion of 
    the congregation left before the service and only the "self-righteous" 
    stayed, along with those who "felt they had behaved very well" recently.  
    It was not an enjoyable experience.  
    
    Praise God for helping me find a new church family.  :-)
    
    God Bless,
    Janet

In the Church of the Nazarene, you are asked to examine yourself before
partaking.  No one is worthy, except by God's atonement made for us.
The Church of the Nazarene does not limit participation to its members
but asks that you are a member of the body of Christ, professing Him
as your Lord and your Savior.  The sacrament is not to be taken lightly
but with reverence and any who claim Jesus as Lord may partake.

Mark

| <<< Note 695.7 by TOKNOW::METCALFE "Eschew Obfuscatory Monikers" >>>


	Mark, what a great way to do it. Kind of takes the routine out of it.

 I have found that The Lord's Supper is so much more meaningful to me now
 than it was when I was in a church where we celebrated weekly.



Jim

>    My old church (SDA) celebrated it once a quarter, sometimes only 3 times 
>    a year if they felt like missing a quarter.  Also, unfortunately, a big 
>    deal was made about you being "righteous" before you partook of the bread 
>    and wine, and I don't mean with the righteousness of Christ.  I mean in 
>    your own eyes.  They made such a big deal about it that a good portion of 
>    the congregation left before the service and only the "self-righteous" 
>    stayed, along with those who "felt they had behaved very well" recently.  
>    It was not an enjoyable experience.  
    
    What a relief when you finally come to grips with God's grace and
    reject the gospel of works.
    
>    Praise God for helping me find a new church family.  :-)
    
    Amen, Janet!
    

 Amen!

� In the Church of the Nazarene, you are asked to examine yourself before
� partaking.  No one is worthy, except by God's atonement made for us.
� The Church of the Nazarene does not limit participation to its members
� but asks that you are a member of the body of Christ, professing Him
� as your Lord and your Savior.  The sacrament is not to be taken lightly
� but with reverence and any who claim Jesus as Lord may partake.

Moving on from the original question of 'when', etc, the above is also my
church's practice, and that of probably most Biblical churches [ I would
say 'all', but don't want to ruffle feathers ;-].

The principle of examining yourself is in accordance with 1 Corinthians 
11 : 23..., in particualr verse 28.

   "For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That
    the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when
    he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body,
    which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same
    manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the
    new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in
    remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup,
    ye do shew the Lord's death till he come. Wherefore whosoever shall eat
    this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of
    the body and blood of the Lord. 
28: But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and 
    drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth
    and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. 


							Andrew

    re: .9
    
    Yes, I agree with you Jim.  In the church I was raised in (catholic), 
    it was the focus of the whole service and became very rote.  I, and 
    I'm sure others, began to wonder exactly what is it we were doing and 
    why were we doing it?
    
    For me, attending a church where communion happens once a month, makes
    it more meaningful and I don't take it for granted.
    
    Karen

I think the question of frequency, and the danger of taking the communion
service for granted, and the opposite danger of making it something almost
out of reach of our participation are facets of why the frequency is not 
laid down explicitly in scripture.  Each congregation has to do what fits 
their circumstances and perception best, within the scope of scripture.

However my personal inclination and impression is that in the non-existant
ideal situation, in an intimate fellowship, individually walking close to
the LORD, a weekly remembrance could be a very precious time.  I believe it
is needed to bring together both how the LORD was sacrificed for us, and
the fact that this is only 'until He returns'.  It puts our whole lives in 
perspective, and relegates other concerns to where they belong - in His care.

While this can all be included in any meeting, the fact that each eats the
bread and drinks the wine makes us personally involved.  Like almost
reaching out to touch what He did for us, and only permitted because we are
His...   Singing hymns etc are something of praise we can offer to Him, and 
the words can dwell on the sacrifice of salvation, but there is a sense in 
which taking the bread and drinking the wine emphasises very directly and 
solemnly that He chose to take the ultimate step of suffering for each one 
of us.  For me....  

It's like a foot washing reminder I would be glad of weekly.

But, as I say, that's theory, which reality has to approach in its own 
time...

							Andrew

CHAPTER XXXI (PCUS)				CHAPTER XXIX (UPCUSA)

		       Of the Lord's Supper

[6.161]
1. Our Lord Jesus, in the night wherein he was betrayed, instituted
the sacrament of his body and blood, called the Lord's Supper, to be
observed in his Church unto the end of the world; for the perpetual
remembrance of the sacrifice of himself in his death, the sealing all
benefits thereof unto true believers, their spiritual nourishment and
growth in him, their further engagement in and to all duties which
they owe unto him; and to be a bond and pledge of their communion with
him, and with each other, as members of his mystical body.

[6.162]
2. In this sacrament Christ is not offered up to his Father, nor any
real sacrifice made at all for remission of sins of the quick or dead,
but a commemoration of that [PCUS one] [UPCUSA once] offering up of
himself, by himself, upon the cross, once and for all, and a spiritual
oblation of all possible praise unto God for the same; so that the
so-called sacrifice of the mass is most contradictory to Christ's
[PCUSA one] [UPCUSA own] sacrifice, the only propitiation for all the
sins of the elect.

[6.163]
3. The Lord Jesus hath, in this ordinance, appointed his ministers to
declare his word of institution to the people, to pray, and bless the
elements of bread and wine, and thereby to set them apart from a
common to any holy use; and to take and break the bread, to take the
cup, and (they communicating also themselves) to give both to the
communicants; [UPCUSA but to none who are not then present in the
congregation].

[6.164]
4. Private masses, or receiving this sacrament by a priest, or any
other, alone; as likewise the denial of the cup to the people;
worshipping the elements, the lifting them up, or carrying them about
for adoration, and the reserving of them for any pretended religious
use, are all contrary to the nature of this sacrament, and to the
institution of Christ.

[6.165]
5. The outward elements in this sacrament, duly set apart to the uses
ordained by Christ, have such relation to him crucified, as that
truly, yet sacramentally only, they are sometimes called by the name
of the thigns they represent, to wit, the body and blood of Christ;
albeit, in substance and nature, they still remain truly, and only,
bread and wine, as they were before.

[6.166]
6. That doctrine which maintains a change of the substance of bread
and wine, into the substance of Christ's body and blood (commonly
called transubstantiation) by consecration of a priest, or by any
other way, is repugnant, not to Scripture alone, but even to common
sense and reason; overthroweth the nature of the sacrament; and hath
been, and is, the cause of manifold superstitions, yea, of gross
idolatries.

[6.167]
7. Worthy receivers, outwardly partaking of the visible elements in
this sacrament, do then also inwardly by faith, really and indeed, yet
not carnally and corporally, but spiritually, receive and feed upon
Christ crucified, and all benefits of his death: the body and blood of
Christ being then not corporally or carnally in, with, or under the
bread and wine; yet as really, but spiritually, present to the faith
of believers in that ordinance, as the elements themselves are to
their outward senses.

[6.168]
8. Although ignorant and wicked men receive the outward elements in
this sacrament, yet they receive not the thing signified thereby; but
by their unworthy coming thereunto are guilty of the body and blood of
the Lord, and bring judgment on themselves.  [UPCUSA Wherefore all
ignorant and ungodly persons, as they are unfit to enjoy communion
with him, so are they unworthy of the Lord's Table, and cannot,
without great sin against Christ, while they remain such, partake of
these holy mysteries, or be admitted thereunto.]

	We celebrate the Lord's supper on the first Sunday of
	the month, and, as Mark's church, are asked to examine
	ourselves before partaking.

	We also had communion at our Wednesday prayer service last week.

	Karen

    re: .15
    
    Jeff's inclusion of this section of the Articles of his church brought
    to mind an experience that I had.
    
    As I've said, I was brought up in the Catholic faith (until I was about
    12 yrs. old.)  Therefore, I made the sacrament of First Holy Communion
    (as they call it) when I was about 7 yrs. old.  Some children do this
    together (as a class), and some do it individually, as I did.  The
    Catholic church teaches that the elements (bread and wine) actually
    become the body & blood of Christ.
    
    At the point in the service where the "gifts" (a.k.a. the elements) are
    brought forward to the priest, I did so; except wearing a long gown,
    shoes with heels, in addition to being 7-years old and nervous - I
    tripped and fell when walking up the few stairs to the altar!  I was
    stunned!  I didn't know what to do, so I picked the bread off the
    floor, placed it back on its plate and handed it to the priest. 
    Obviously, I was very embarrased.  All I could think was that I dropped
    Jesus on the floor!  I thought the priest must be very angry with me
    and didn't know what to expect from him when the service was over.
    
    As it turned out, he was very cool about it and told me that I had done 
    the right thing.  He said it was o.k. because he had not prayed over
    the bread yet, so Jesus was not in it, which of course made me
    relieved.
    
    I wonder if I had dropped it after his prayer if he would have been so
    cool! ;-)
    
    Karen

The Blessed Sacrament is frequently dropped; priests are used to it; it is
recovered and reverently consumed.

/john

The church I attended when I lived in Melbourne had a communion service daily.
There were one or two times when it was a blessing to be able to attent, and
pray about event in my life.

Peter.

    REFER>.13  I also was brought up in a Roman Catholic family where it was
    a weekly tradition. Got away from the Lord, got SAVED and began attending
    a Conservitive (to the word of GOD) Baptist church. We now partake
    monthly, on the first sunday of the month, the bread and wine of remem-
    berance. (grape juice to not to make any recovering alcoholics to
    stumble.) We are reminded of what JESUS CHRIST personally did for us!
    Our pastor usually gently but firmly reminds us that we should only par-
    take if we have asked JESUS into and commited our lives to Christ. For
    myselfe it is ALLWAYS a sobering time and a joyfull time. 
         I have noticed and bothered when thinking of the Roman Catholic way
    that some how they only recieve half the bread or wafer. How do folks feel
    about that? 
    
      
                       In Jesus Christ's Love.......Jack Perry
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    stumble.)    

    
    
        Hi 
    	
	I am a Catholic and as you know our Church communicates daily and
	especially on Sundays and Holy Days.
	
	I would celebrate the Lord's Supper every day of my life if I could.
	For Catholics, I mean committed Catholics, it is not routine, nor does
	it become in someway irreverent. If it has for you as a Catholic then 
    	you have lost the meaning and need to examine what it is you
    	believe you are participating in.

	It is not my intention to delve into our differing beliefs you can
	find out elsewhere, it is not superstition or hocus pocus etc, but
	biblically sound. However it is essentially that which makes me want
	to receive Him each day of my life, so that we form One Body in Him
	who is our Bread, the Bread of Life. 
	He who eats this Bread and drinks the Blood has life in him.

	BTW. Only receiving a part of the Bread does not imply anything
	significant, you still partake of the Body.

	Peace,         

		Tom
    

The full divinity and humanity of Our Lord is present in even the tiniest
crumb of the consecrated bread or even the tiniest drop of the consecrated
wine.

/john

    Sorry to be slow responding to the note chain.
    
    Frequency is a function of Christian liberty, and is a matter of
    Adiaphora.
    
    Self examination and recognition of the true presence of the Lord in
    the Lord's Supper is clearly based in scripture.
    
    dp          

Today is Maundy Thursday; the name comes from the Latin "mandatum"
which means "commandment", for on this day Our Lord gave his disciples
the new commandment, to love each other as He has loved us.  As a sign
of his love and continuing presence with us, on this evening he instituted
the Lord's Supper.

A Reading from a Sermon of Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Friar [1274]

The happy commemoration of today's feast with its immense concourse of
people invites us to prolong fervently our praises of the Most Holy
Body of Christ.  What could be sweeter, what more pleasing to the
heart of the faithful than to exalt the abyss of his divine charity,
and to glorify the overflowing torrent of his love!  At the table of
new grace the hand of the priest distributes ceaselessly his Flesh
as food and his precious Blood as drink, to those who are his children
and heirs of the kingdom promised by God to those who love him.

O endless Emanation of the goodness of God and of his immense love
for us, admirable and worthy of all praise!  In this sacrament, where
all former sacrifices are done away with, he remains with us to the
end of the world; he feeds the children of adoption with the bread of
angels and inebriates them with filial love.

This is the food and drink for the elect, living bread and spiritual
nourishment, remedy for daily weaknesses!  It is the table which Christ
has prepared for his friends and guests, like the one the father
prepared for his son on the day of his return, to replace the symbolic
lamb.  This is the Passover in which the victim immolated is Christ;
O Christ our Passover, you want us too to pass over from vice to
virtue; as once you delivered the Jews, so now you set us free in
spirit.  You are the food that satisfies all but the most hardened;
food that is eaten by faith, tasted by fervor, assimilated by charity.
O viaticum of our pilgrimage, you lead travellers to the height of
virtue.  Confirm my heart in good, assure it in the paths of life,
give joy to my soul, purify my thoughts.

The Eucharist is bread, real bread; we eat it without consuming or
dividing it; it converts but itself is not changed; it gives strength
without ever losing it; it gives perfection and suffices for salvation;
it gives life, it confers grace, it remits sins.  It is the food of
souls, a food which enlightens the intelligence of the faithful,
inflames their hearts, purifies them from their shortcomings, elevates
their desires.

O chalice that holy souls love to drink of, chalice of fervor, chalice
changed into the Blood of Christ, to seal the new Alliance, withdraw
from us the old leaven, fill our souls with yourself, that we may
become a new paste and that we may go to the feast with the unleavened
bread of sincerity and truth.  For the Lamb without spot, who knows no
touch or stain of any sin, ought to be eaten with unleavened bread.
We should not approach without being cleansed by confession, without
having a solid foundation of faith, without being in charity.

Come to the Lord's supper, if you wish to come to the nuptials of the
Lamb; there we shall be inebreated with the riches of the house of
God, we shall see the King of glory and the God of hosts in all his
beauty, we shall eat this bread in the kingdom of the Father.


Taken from "Readings for the Daily Office from the Early Church" edited
by F. Robert Wright, Church Hymnal Corporation.