Three Benefits of Weekly Communion

1. Holy Communion can shape the sermon.

It is all-too-easy for preachers to turn Christianity into something we do for God, rather than something God does for us. Celebrating weekly Communion fights against that. It is a frequent reminder that the gospel is about Jesus and his work, not about us and ours.

Yes, there are implications and imperatives for how the faithful are to live in response to the gospel, but those imperatives are rooted in and flow from what Christ has already done: “This is my body, given for you…my blood, shed for you.” That gospel message, conveyed so concretely in Holy Communion, can and should shape every sermon.

*Note: While Holy Communion can shape the sermon, that does not guarantee it will. And yet even if Communion does not shape the preacher’s message, it will always shore-up his deficiencies. Said differently, Communion proclaims the gospel even when the preacher doesn’t.

2. Holy Communion can kill self-righteousness.

A weekly reminder that Christ died because of your sins is a great antidote for self-righteousness. Indeed, it can be severely deflating to the ego when coming to the altar of Jesus not as spiritually elite and morally magnificent, but as a repentant sinner in need of grace.

Perhaps this would be better communicated if our confession of sin before Communion were more prominent, less rote, and more personal. (One of the many reasons I’m an advocate of private confession.) But even so, hearing “Christ died for you” and receiving weekly his body and blood for the forgiveness of sin should change one’s self-perception. It's hard to be self-righteous when there's a weekly reminder that you crucified Jesus.

Ultimately, Christians are to think of themselves not more highly than they ought to think, but with sober judgment. (Romans 12:3) Weekly Communion can help with that.

3. Holy Communion can calm troubled hearts.

When I first became Christian, I attended non-denominational churches wherein the celebration of Communion was infrequent and, even when observed, downplayed to the point of insignificance. Moreover, most of the sermons were focused on living a Christian life. As a result, I became genuinely worried about the state of my soul. Was I saved? I wasn’t so sure anymore.

Holy Communion offers the assurance of salvation that no sermon on “Christian living” can. Jesus Christ – given in, with, and under the consecrated bread and wine – is confirmation of the fact that God is love. Communion declares that God will save anyone who comes to Him. Wounded sinners, take heart: Salvation is by grace, not works. (How easily that is forgotten and trampled underfoot!)

“Then shall we continue in sin so that grace may abound? By no means!” (Romans 6:1-2) But even so, neither shall we continue in fear and worry as if our lives are irredeemable. The God of Israel is gracious and merciful. Christ came to call not the righteous, but sinners to repentance. (Luke 5:32) Nowhere is that more clearly stated than in Communion.

A Final Question

The weekly celebration of Holy Communion is a good and salutary thing. The question I will leave for anyone with ears to hear is this: What “more important” things are preventing churches from receiving this gift more often?