At Proclamation we partake of the Lord’s Supper each week as an important part of our gathered worship service. A few brief reasons (1) why we do this:
Jesus commands his people to partake of the Lord’s Supper.
The Lord’s supper is a sacrament instituted by Christ himself. We partake in obedience to his command (Matt 26:26-28; Mark 14:22-24; Luke 22:19-20; 1 Cor 11:23-26).
The Lord’s Supper is an ordinary means of grace which God has provided for the nourishment of our faith.
“Ordinary means of grace” are those provisions God has given us in his Word that are the main ways his people grow in Christ. There are many real and supernatural (2) benefits (3) to partaking of the Lord’s Supper, not the least of which is the nourishment and strengthening of our faith. Why would we not want to do this as often as we could? Why would you want me to keep this benefit from you?
The Lord’s Supper illustrates and proclaims the gospel.
It points us and our guests to Christ and his saving work each week.
The Lord’s Supper encourages patterns of repentance and faith in our lives.
Repentance and faith are to be a daily part of every Christian’s life. Right preparation (4) and participation in the Lord’s Supper encourages this.
The Lord’s Supper encourages unity in the church.
Proper partaking of the supper includes seeking reconciliation with brothers and sisters in Christ. This encourages a constant attitude of humble confession and repentance and loving forgiveness toward one another. Not only is this necessary for a God-glorifying display of the work of the gospel, but it also is essential to the health and growth of our young church.
The Lord’s Supper was an important part of the life and worship of the early Church.
The pattern from the Bible and early Church history seem to indicate a weekly celebration of the Lord’s Supper.
For Further Reading:
(1) This list is neither exhaustive nor necessarily listed in order of importance.
(2) Supernatural in the sense that God himself works in our lives by His Spirit through the partaking of the Lord’s Supper; not that the elements are transformed in any supernatural way.
(3) See The Westminster Confession of Faith chapter 29 and Larger Catechism Q & A 168-175 for a fuller explanation of these benefits.
(4) See the Westminster Larger Catechism Q & A 171-172.