How often should we observe the Lord’s Supper?

Never. If, however, you want to know how often we ought to celebrate the Lord’s Supper, that’s a whole different matter. For which the answer is, weekly, at the very least. What’s the difference between observing and celebrating? The former is fulfilling a duty, the latter is entering into a feast.

At Sovereign Grace Fellowship, and every other church I’ve served in over the years, we celebrate the Lord’s Table weekly. Sometimes aspiring theology students ask me, “Where does the Bible say we have to do this every week?” My response? “I don’t know. I’ve never felt the need to ask that question.” The better question is how often are we allowed to do this? However many times we’re allowed, that’s how often I want to do it.

When we come to the Lord’s Table, we come to the Lord’s Table. It is a time of deep fellowship, a shared family meal, entrance into the Holy of Holies. Yes, we ought, while there, to remember that we are the ones who broke His body and spilled His blood. We must also remember, however, that through this we are brought near, bought and adopted. We receive a foretaste of the marriage feast of the Lamb.

The biggest objection to this practice is the fear that the Lord’s Table can become rote, a mere ritual. My answer is simple enough. The danger is real, but it is grounded not in the frequency of the celebration, but whether we believe what it is we’re celebrating. It is rote when we observe it. It is life when we celebrate it. Whether we do it every Lord’s Day or every quarter.

The best “argument” I can give in favor of weekly celebration is this. Imagine that Jesus said to you, “I’d like us to meet together every week. We’ll have a little bread, a little wine, and spend time together.” Can you possibly imagine responding to such an invitation, “That sounds great Lord. Trouble is, I might find myself taking it for granted. How about we make it every other month, You know, to keep it special?”

When our Lord offers us a gift, the right and wise thing to do is to accept it with great joy and gratitude. When He invites us to a feast, we ought to do the same. We are too clever by far if we think restricting the gift will help us appreciate it more.

Too often in the contemporary church we think the center of the service is our time of singing His praise. Of course such is a good and wonderful thing. It is not, however, feasting with Him. Others think the center of the service is when the pastor downloads the results of his exegetical research into the brains of the congregation. Of course the Word preached is a good and wonderful thing. It is not, however, feasting with Him.

Feasting with Him is feasting with Him. It may look like nibbling a dry cracker and drinking a thimble full of the fruit of the vine. That, however, is not what it is. It is drawing near. A deeper blessing I can’t imagine.

This is the fifth installment of an ongoing series of pieces here on the nature and calling of the church. Stay tuned for more.