At Christ the King, we celebrate communion each Sunday because we believe this helps us to most effectively worship, know and serve our glorious King so that he is honored and his reign is powerfully extended among us and beyond us. We believe this for the following reasons.
Because it is Biblical and historical.In our opinion, the Scriptures do not make it sufficiently clear to say that the celebration of communion wherever and whenever true Christian worship occurs is required. It does appear, however, that the clear pattern in the Scriptures is that the apostolic church celebrated communion as one of the regular elements of worship (Acts 2:42; 20:7; I Cor. 11:17-20; cf. 14:26). New Testament scholar Oscar Cullman notes that, "in the book of Acts instruction, preaching, prayer and breaking of bread are mentioned, and mentioned in such a way as clearly to show that these elements were from the beginning, the foundation of all worship life in the Christian community.We know now the basis of early Christian worship: Sermon, prayer, and supper." John Calvin believed strongly that "the Lord's Table should have been spread at least once a week for the assembly of Christians" because the apostolic rule was that "no meeting of the church should take place without the word, prayers, partaking of the Supper, and almsgiving" (Institutes, IV.17.44). Martin Luther, though he had disagreements with Calvin (and our) view of the presence of Christ in communion, was in agreement that the Lord's Supper should be celebrated at least weekly. And curiously, the renowned Baptist preacher, C.H. Spurgeon, evidently partook of the Lord's Supper on a daily basis!
Because of what we believe about communion.We believe that communion is a 'means of grace' through which the Lord richly blesses us. We believe it is not just a remembering of the work of Christ, but a present communion with Christ (I Cor. 10:16) himself, where we find strength, renewal, and spiritual nourishment. The Westminster Confession of Faith affirms that communion actually "seals" all the benefits of Christ's redemption to believers and enhances "their spiritual nourishment and growth in him, their further engagement in and to all duties which they owe unto him; and, to be a bond and pledge of their communion with him, and with each other, as members of his mystical body." (Westminster Confession, XXIX:1).
Because it appropriately encourages us to experience Jesus and the gospel.Communion stirs up our faith, shows us Jesus and helps us experientially understand his teaching (Luke 24:30-32). It opens our eyes so that the rational truths of the sermon and liturgy are experientially known in the person of Jesus. Communion makes the heart cry out: "Oh, how delicious is the gospel!" as we "taste and see that the Lord is good" (Ps. 34:8). In communion, we are able to hear, see, touch, taste and smell the good news of the gospel. Put differently, we need a balance between "intake" and "experience". Jesus is the "bread of life" not the "sermon of life". Someone at Christ the King once told me (Leo) that as he was enduring a very dry time spiritually, sermons and other Bible studies seemed to ricochet off his heart; the one thing that really was meaningful to him was receiving communion.
Because it will make us a more effective church in reaching the lost.For a culture that is increasingly visually and experientially oriented, the Eucharist (biblical word that means "thanksgiving") presents the gospel in a three-dimensional, visual manner and urges the unbeliever to come to Christ that they might "taste and see that the Lord is good" (Psalm 24:8). Because a person must be a genuine Christian before receiving communion, it provides us with a winsome alternative to what some churches have in an "altar call." As we "proclaim the Lord's death until he comes" (I Cor. 11:26), we invite unbelievers to really consider their standing before God and place their faith in Him.
Because it is mysterious.The word for "sacrament" actually comes from the Latin word for "mystery." This is important in a very practical way. Many evangelicals have left the protestant church for either Roman Catholicism or Eastern Orthodoxy over the last fifteen years or so. One reason for this is that evangelical Christianity has, in the words of one seminary professor, "sucked the mystery out of worship," tending to present instead either an overly rational or entertainment based approach to worship, neither of which sufficiently quench the spiritual thirst of most postmodern people. Some evangelical churches focus almost exclusively on the rational aspects of the Christian faith. To be sure, our faith is rational and part of worship is to engage the mind on the truths of the faith and our consequent responsibilities. When this, however, becomes the approach to worship rather than a part of worship, the starving soul searches elsewhere. John Calvin himself appreciated the mystery of communion: "It is a mystery of Christ's secret union with the devout which is by nature incomprehensible. If anybody should ask me how this communion takes place, I am not ashamed to confess that that is a secret too lofty for either my mind to comprehend or my words to declare. And to speak more plainly, I rather experience than understand it" (Institutes, IV, 17 , 32). Similarly, the evangelical 'entertainment' model tends to be syrupy and lacks the other-worldly sense the soul longs to enjoy. By celebrating communion weekly, both of these short-comings of evangelicalism are addressed in a soul-satisfying way.