Why Consider Celebrating the Lord's Supper only Once a Year?

1) The LOGICAL Argument

Think about this first just from a pure logic standpoint.  How often do we celebrate a "memorial"?  Memorial Day for instance?  Once a year!  Can you imagine how cheapened and routine and ritualistic it would become to celebrate Memorial Day every day of the year, or once a week, or once a month?  It wouldn't have nearly the impact on our life to do it every day as it would to do it just once a year.  Those men and women gave up their lives to give us freedom and we honor them for that!  We might think about them daily, but we don’t have a special ceremony daily, but when you do it once a year it is a BIG deal and you really look forward to it and it has special significance.  Imagine how difficult it would be to be the mayor of a town and try to have a meaningful Memorial Day celebration and actually get people truly solemn over their fallen brothers once a month or once a week.  The fact is that it would have the exact opposite effect.  As a Pastor who understands the magnitude of what Christ did for us, I feel like that mayor!

At Stagecoach Road Christian Fellowship, I have stood up front and led our congregation in Communion approximately 22 times now since I arrived in January 2009.  Never once during those times, that I can recall, do I remember seeing anyone weeping over their sin or weeping over what Christ has done for them.  When was the last time you wept while taking Communion?  Why?  Probably because it has become routine and a ritualistic for you.  Every year as I go to Memorial Day services I cry as I think about what those brave men and women who have given the ultimate sacrifice have done for me, but if it was routine I know that I wouldn’t!  I have seen this very thing played out in my own life by experience. 

I grew up at a church that took Communion once a quarter and it was a special service where the whole event revolved around the sacrifice of Christ. It was usually a special time and to be honest, I thought that was how every church did it. Then I went away to Liberty University and there they only did it once a semester and it was a really really BIG deal and everyone went to that campus church service. It was always packed and it was always filled with God's presence and people were always crying and truly repenting of their sins. I can remember people even getting up out of their seat to go and make peace with other people that they had been mad at. It was a beautiful thing, and I have never seen anything like it in any church that I have been to since. I can’t even begin to tell you how awesome those experiences were in my life. These twice a year communion services were truly special and truly meaningful.  I have experienced firsthand the power of taking Communion less frequently and the impact that has upon your life, but my guess is that unfortunately most of you reading this blog have never been given that privilege.  In my next post I will give you reason number 2 for why I believe you should consider doing Communion once a year....