A Case for Weekly Communion: Interview with Kenneth Wieting
Mar 28, 2023
01:05:16
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Quick takeaways
Weekly communion is a gift from Christ to His church, providing us with His love, forgiveness, and strength.
The early church practiced weekly and daily communion, with pastors administering the sacrament to the congregation.
Communion fosters unity, fellowship, and love among believers while visibly proclaiming the Lord's death and God's grace.
Deep dives
Weekly Communion as a Gift from Christ
The question of why we should practice communion every week is reframed as allowing Christ to serve us this precious gift. We need His love, forgiveness, and strength, which are found in the sacrament. Communion is not a work, but a gift from Christ to His church.
Continuity with Apostolic Practice
The early church practiced weekly communion, and the Apostles themselves handed down the sacrament. Daily communion was also seen in some areas. Pastors have been called to administer the sacrament to the congregation, while the home setting is not depicted in Scripture.
Constant Need for Forgiveness
As sinful beings, we constantly need forgiveness, and the sacrament provides us with the assurance of God's grace. The recognition of our own sinfulness and the ongoing need for forgiveness is essential to our spiritual growth.
Unity and Fellowship in the Body of Christ
Communion strengthens the unity of the body of Christ as we gather together in worship. It fosters fellowship between believers and allows us to love our neighbors more fully.
The Sacrament as a Visible Sermon
Communion is not just a mental act of remembrance, but a visible sermon that proclaims the Lord's death and the grace of God. It allows us to experience the benefits of Christ's death and resurrection and nourishes our faith.
Weekly Communion was the normative practice of the church for nearly three centuries. However, in the 4th-century, reports began to emerge of congregants being unwilling or unable to take communion. The balance of seeing God with both transcendence and immanence was lost and the church could not imagine fellowshipping with God in communion. Christians pictured God as too lofty, too different, too unapproachable. Eventually, the table or communion was reserved only for the priest, the "holiest" of which could partake monthly. Almost a millennium later, the protestant reformation brings communion back to center stage. This "communion revival" resituated the Church around the table in faith and fellowship with Christ Jesus. In recent centuries, the church has once again fallen off kilter with the commands of the Holy Eucharist. Many argue that the table is merely a symbol that should not be institutionalized, and others fear religious repetition will cause communion to lose its much-needed reverence. So, what should we do concerning holy communion? Should believers practice the table monthly, weekly, or daily? Can Christians take communion on their own without a Church? Are all the rules about communion man-made traditions? Listen and find out!
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