If you think about your life day by day, week to week, you notice that the things which are most important to you, you do on a consistent basis. Eating, sleeping, personal hygiene, time with significant people, work, etc. All these are vital activities in the course of our lives, so we make time for them and rarely miss them.
For the disciple of Jesus, one of the most valuable, tangible gifts we have been given is a memorial of bread and grape juice – metaphors of the body and blood of Jesus Christ. His death on the cross bought our salvation. We have eternal life because He took our place, being punished on our behalf. He suffers. We go free.
On the night Jesus was arrested, tried, “convicted” and sentenced to die, He met with His followers to establish this memorial meal. Paul records the essentials:
For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Neither Jesus, nor Paul, nor anyone else commands how often to observe the Lord's Supper. The early Church is said to have met together to “break bread” on a consistent basis, even daily (see Acts 2:46). It can be argued that "breaking bread" can refer to sharing a meal as well as observing the Lord's Supper, but probably both were intended.
So how often should the Lord's Supper be shared? It seems that it would be reasonable to share the Lord's Supper everytime that disciples gather to worship, study or fellowship, but God has not made a decree on this issue. He simply desires His people to regularly remember the roots of their faith.
We choose to share the Lord's Supper at least on a weekly basis. We want to be reminded every Sunday that the reason we worship, the reason we live and serve the Lord, is because One gave His all that we might experience eternal life and blessing.
For more articles on this issue, click here.
