Our Sunday morning church community has been going through a not-so-subtle shift of central focus. We are a young church plant, so maybe what we are going through at the moment would be better described as “communal development” rather than “a shifting focus?” At any rate, a few weeks ago, our leadership team met and discussed the idea/possibility of celebrating Eucharist (aka “Communion” by the more contemporary evangelicals in our midst) every Sunday morning.
We decided that this would be the best direction for us to trek towards as a community entirely focused upon Jesus and his “Incarnational Kingdom of Equals.” The idea of “God Present In Our Midst” is important to us. So, we have shared/celebrated the Eucharist for two weeks in a row during our Sunday morning gathering. This has raised some questions in the minds of more than a few people, of course. When you do something that seems out of the norm, and you actually begin the process of normalizing it, the people participating are bound to have a few questions. It should be expected! It is a good thing! And a handful of people have approached me and asked honest questions concerning our celebration of the ritual for two consecutive Sundays.
“Why would sharing the Eucharist for two consecutive Sundays raise any questions,” you ask? Well, again, it’s because more than a few of the individuals in our community come from a tradition that only celebrates “Communion” once every quarter. The leap from once a quarter to every Sunday is a big one! It is, however, a leap that should be made. Why? Please, allow me to explain:
First of all, Christian traditions and/or expressions that celebrate Eucharist every Sunday make the ritual the central event of the gathering. Said differently, all that Jesus specifically shared in the upper room with his disciples – and he shared a lot – is the primary focus or centering point of the gathering. Christian expressions and/or traditions that only celebrate Communion once every quarter direct the focus of their corporate gatherings elsewhere. Something else commands this focus; something else is acting as center. That something else is, more often than not, the sermon or speech. And in this pop-Christian culture we live in the speaker of the sermon gets as much – if not more – attention than the sermon he/she actually speaks. If it is not the sermon or speaker, it’s the morning music that is central. I’m very sure that no one should be going to a church that makes music production the central focal point of the entire gathering. Yes, worship music is important, but not that important! Any serious reader of the New Testament would be forced to ask a few very deep questions concerning a shift in community focus that prioritized sermon, speaker, and/or worship music over the ritual re-enactment of the meal (an act that points us all directly towards God). And it is a shift…
From the earliest days, when Christians gathered for prayer and worship, they celebrated the Eucharist (or, re-enacted Jesus’ last supper). Why?
There are three major reasons for these early celebrations: 1. In the sharing of the breaking of the bread and the drinking of the wine, the faithful were reminded of the incredible sacrifice Jesus Christ made for them, on their behalf; 2. In the sharing of the breaking of the bread and the drinking of the wine, the faithful were reminded of the incredible joy, love, and community born from Christ’s acknowledged and active presence in their immediate midst; 3. Jesus commanded the ritual be done (Luke 22:14-20), in memory of him.
Is there anyone today who could honestly claim that they do not need to be regularly reminded of the truths above? Seriously? Is there anyone today who honestly believes that Jesus’ command to “do this in remembrance of me” can be reduced to an event thrown once every quarter? Really? So, remember Jesus, once a quarter? Surely not!
The second reason that Eucharist should be the central aspect of our worship gatherings – and celebrated every Sunday – has to do with good theology. The ritual is laden with deep theological meaning (the same can’t always be said about the sermons we hear!). The Eucharist is a celebration of: 1. The saving, atoning death of Jesus on the cross; 2. The very real presence of Christ in our midst; 3. The open opportunity to celebrate and embrace love and charity and neighbors; 4. The open opportunity to earnestly repent of our sins; 5. God’s willingness to completely forgive us our sin, spiritually strengthen us, and empower us to live differently. 6. The embrace of our new life, as independent individuals and as joined members of Christ’s community.
All of the above is inherently present in the Eucharist ritual, just as Jesus wanted it to be. When we celebrate Eucharist together, we celebrate and prioritize all of the above! That act – or event – should be the central aspect of our community gatherings. Everything else is bonus. Yes, you read that right! The rest in bonus, in that it compliments the central point.
So, that means that a prioritization of the Eucharist in our Sunday gatherings will not result in a devaluing of “The Word Spoken.” This is not an “either/or” proposition; it is a “both/and” suggestion! The sermon should be a healthy component of the gathering. By “healthy,” I mean that the sermon should be: 1. Biblical; 2. Informed. 3. Challenging. 4. Encouraging. 5. Christocentric. A healthy sermon should be all of these things, and then some. The sermon and sermon time, however, should never be elevated in priority in such a way that it actually eclipses Christ’s intimate desire to immediately meet and interact with people, right where they are living at that very moment. This meeting doesn’t happen in sermons; it happens as we obey Jesus’ command and break the bread and drink the wine “in memory of him.”
So, yes we will have a regular speaker(s), and yes we will celebrate the Eucharist every Sunday, as we remember our Savior and all that he has done for us. That event – Eucharist – is the central component of our Sunday gathering because of who and what it point towards.
What do you call “central” to your worship gatherings? Is the sermon/speaker central? Do you go to church to hear a sermon? Is it the music? Should it be so? Or should there be something else too?
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Interestingly, every church we have visited here in Denver (6 churches) celebrates communion every week. Interesting, but it seems to be the norm here…which Alli and I love!
Hey, Chris! Yes. All the Mainline churches do this; it’s the more “contemporary” evangelical churches that don’t. Most of the churches here in the city celebrate it every week too. We have more than a few with us who are more familiar with the quarterly celebration than the weekly, for sure. So, it’s a bit different for them.
I meant to get back to you on the church you sent me a link to. Looks great, brother!
I also shared your models with our team. We are definitely going to go in one of those directions (5+5 or 50/50).