Do you celebrate The Lord's Supper?

[KeptByTheWord]

This is something that I have been wondering about recently. I know that many churches on New Year's Eve celebrate the Lord's Supper with communion, and some even with foot washing.

How many have done this, or did it this past New Year's Eve?

My question is this... where did the current tradition of doing it on New Year's Eve come from? Is it biblical to do it only on New Year's Eve or Easter.... or more often?

I looked up the five passages of scripture in the Bible that specifically reference the Lord's Supper, and will post them below.

Matthew 26:26
26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. 30 And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.

Mark 14:22-26
22 And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. 23 And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it.
24 And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many. 25 Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God. 26 And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.


Luke 22:15-20
15 And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: 16 For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. 17 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves:
18 For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. 19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. 20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.


1 Cor. 10:16-17

16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 17 For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.


1 Cor. 11:23-34
18 For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it.
19 For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.
20 When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper.
21 For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken.
22 What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.
23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:
24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.
27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.
33 Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another.
34 And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come.


Based on the scripture references above, do you think the Lord's Supper is something that should be done once a year on New Year's Eve, or Easter, or should it be something that we do each time we come together to fellowship and break bread?

[navygoat1998]

This is something that I have been wondering about recently. I know that many churches on New Year's Eve celebrate the Lord's Supper with communion, and some even with foot washing.

How many have done this, or did it this past New Year's Eve?

My question is this... where did the current tradition of doing it on New Year's Eve come from? Is it biblical to do it only on New Year's Eve or Easter.... or more often?

I looked up the five passages of scripture in the Bible that specifically reference the Lord's Supper, and will post them below.

Matthew 26:26
26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. 30 And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.

Mark 14:22-26
22 And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. 23 And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it.
24 And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many. 25 Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God. 26 And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.


Luke 22:15-20
15 And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: 16 For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. 17 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves:
18 For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. 19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. 20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.


1 Cor. 10:16-17

16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 17 For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.


1 Cor. 11:23-34
18 For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it.
19 For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.
20 When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper.
21 For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken.
22 What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.
23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:
24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.
27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.
33 Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another.
34 And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come.


Based on the scripture references above, do you think the Lord's Supper is something that should be done once a year on New Year's Eve, or Easter, or should it be something that we do each time we come together to fellowship and break bread?


We held communion Christmas Eve and New Years eve but normally we do it monthly.

Christ said as oft as you do this do it in remembrance of Him. I think we can not do communion enough, I love the broken body and the shed blood.

As far as foot washing. At mid-night I had had a foot washing service with my wife in our living-room. I love her and I washed her feet and prayed a blessing over her for this next year.

[Sister Alvear]

That is so sweet...

[n david]

Our church has communion two or three times a year. Didn't have it for New Years, but will probably have it some time in the next month or so.

[MawMaw]

Jesus said as oft as you do this....
I don't guess there is a certain amount of times it
needs to be done each year, but, it should be done.

Our church did communion and the foot washing on New
Year's Eve this year. Sometimes we do it around Easter.

[missourimary]

I've aad communion and footwashing on New Year's Eve many times, but generally now celebrate once every month or two.

Churches I know of that do Communion and footwashing on New Year's see it as a new beginning, a fresh start on a new year.

Is 'as oft as ye think of it' a matter of as often as we think of Communion or Jesus' death nnd resurrection or as often as we come together? Is 'do this in rememberance of me' as often as they celebrated Passover, which would be yearly, Or more often?

I never realized 'as often as you think of it' was not part of any of the gospels. 1 Cor 11:17-22, 33-34 doesn't seem to be communion as it's tradionally thought of, because no one could go home drunk or full from communion as it's celebrated in most churches today. 1 Cor 11:17-22,33-34 sounds more like a church fellowship dinner. (And might do some good to be read before those too!)

[KeptByTheWord]

We held communion Christmas Eve and New Years eve but normally we do it monthly.

Christ said as oft as you do this do it in remembrance of Him. I think we can not do communion enough, I love the broken body and the shed blood.

As far as foot washing. At mid-night I had had a foot washing service with my wife in our living-room. I love her and I washed her feet and prayed a blessing over her for this next year.

Wow! That has to be the post of the day! What a precious way to show your love to your wife!! Thank you for sharing that. I never thought of foot washing as husband-wife doing it, but what a beautiful way to show your love for each other!

[KeptByTheWord]

I've aad communion and footwashing on New Year's Eve many times, but generally now celebrate once every month or two.

Churches I know of that do Communion and footwashing on New Year's see it as a new beginning, a fresh start on a new year.

Is 'as oft as ye think of it' a matter of as often as we think of Communion or Jesus' death nnd resurrection or as often as we come together? Is 'do this in rememberance of me' as often as they celebrated Passover, which would be yearly, Or more often?

I never realized 'as often as you think of it' was not part of any of the gospels. 1 Cor 11:17-22, 33-34 doesn't seem to be communion as it's tradionally thought of, because no one could go home drunk or full from communion as it's celebrated in most churches today. 1 Cor 11:17-22,33-34 sounds more like a church fellowship dinner. (And might do some good to be read before those too!)

Yes, I've thought about what Jesus said, "do this in remembrance of me", although he did not say how often. Then, we see the NT church having the Lord's Supper as often as they got together to fellowship.

Perhaps the part about the Lord's Supper that most worry about is this part, where Paul says, "Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord."

It seems that having the Lord's Supper together as a group of people would be somewhat easier to do on a more regular basis in a house setting where food is already spread out, and perhaps before the meal is served, everyone could participate in the Lord's Supper before partaking of the meal? Or, it could happen as everyone gathers together after the meal, and before the service begins.

Perhaps it could take place in cell groups, or outreach services of the church, (if the size of the congregation is huge, which can be a problem all in itself.) The Lord's Supper seems to lend itself to small, informal, fellowship type gatherings, where everyone knows each other, and yet where body ministry is in place, and in this way could take place more than once or twice a year, perhaps once a month.

[MawMaw]

We held communion Christmas Eve and New Years eve but normally we do it monthly.

Christ said as oft as you do this do it in remembrance of Him. I think we can not do communion enough, I love the broken body and the shed blood.

As far as foot washing. At mid-night I had had a foot washing service with my wife in our living-room. I love her and I washed her feet and prayed a blessing over her for this next year.

Wow! That has to be the post of the day! What a precious way to show your love to your wife!! Thank you for sharing that. I never thought of foot washing as husband-wife doing it, but what a beautiful way to show your love for each other!

I agree with KBTW.....what a precious act of love that was!! :)

[Esaias]

This is something that I have been wondering about recently. I know that many churches on New Year's Eve celebrate the Lord's Supper with communion, and some even with foot washing.

How many have done this, or did it this past New Year's Eve?

My question is this... where did the current tradition of doing it on New Year's Eve come from? Is it biblical to do it only on New Year's Eve or Easter.... or more often?

...


Based on the scripture references above, do you think the Lord's Supper is something that should be done once a year on New Year's Eve, or Easter, or should it be something that we do each time we come together to fellowship and break bread?


We eat the Lord's Supper often. I have come to the conclusion based on my studies that the Lord's Supper is (supposed to be) whenever Christians come together and have a meal together. Bread and wine are used (usually) but are not 100 percent necessary, in my opinion. (Although bread and wine are necessary to share the bread and the cup, of course...)

The 'communion' that passes for the Lord's Supper among most Protestant (including Pentecostal) churches is anything but.

The bread and cup are shared, expressing our 'communion' ie sharing with one another in the merits of Christ. One loaf, one body, one cup, one covenant, one faith, one Lord, etc etc.

The Supper ought to be a SUPPER, an actual meal (commonly called the 'agape' by theologians).

Too much superstition left over from the catholic MASS surrounds the common 'communion' service among Pentecostals. Such as - the need for DEEP INTROSPECTION to somehow get yourself worthy to 'partake'. Face it, you ain't worthy and never will be. Paul warned against partaking in an unworthy manner, and it had nothing to do with mere bread and wine, but with 'not discerning the Lord's Body' - ie THE CHURCH, one's FELLOW BELIEVERS, as members of the SAME BODY. Paul warned about turning the Lord's Supper into one's own supper and despising one's brethren. This would put you in the same position as JUDAS, not a good thing.

I believe the evidence indicates they ate 'the Lord's Supper' just about whenever they gathered together.

We eat it every sabbath, and sometime more often.

We use leavened bread except during Passover, or if we just want to use unleavened bread. There is no scripture which demands it be either one (except during Passover, which of course requires unleavened bread anyway). And there are good scriptural arguments for both positions, therefore I conclude it is not really relevant.

We use one loaf, which is shared, and one cup, which is shared. The squeamish who are afraid to drink after their brethren might use one cup to pour a drink into each person's cup, if that makes people feel better. :D

The way we do it is basically like this:

1. We say a blessing and give thanks for whatever drink we have (everyone drinks their own cup).
2. We give thanks for bread and break a piece off and pass the bread, everyone breaks off a pice and eats it.
3. We eat the meal.
4. At the end of the meal we say a blessing and give thanks for the wine in the cup of blessing, and pass it around.

This follows the pattern indicated in Luke, which is identical with the other gospel accounts EXCEPT there is a mention of a cup BEFORE the meal.

All the accounts seem to indicate the bread came with or at the beginning of the meal, and the cup of blessing (the shared cup) came at the END of the meal. Although, I wouldn't say this is dogmatically how it MUST be done.

Remember, the Lord's Supper is just that - a group of disciples eating dinner with Jesus. Keep it simple and avoid superstition and everything is well.

:thumbsup

[KeptByTheWord]

We eat the Lord's Supper often. I have come to the conclusion based on my studies that the Lord's Supper is (supposed to be) whenever Christians come together and have a meal together. Bread and wine are used (usually) but are not 100 percent necessary, in my opinion. (Although bread and wine are necessary to share the bread and the cup, of course...)

The 'communion' that passes for the Lord's Supper among most Protestant (including Pentecostal) churches is anything but.

I have long felt that the Lord's Supper as celebrated in most Protestant churches is far from how the NT church celebrated it. I was hoping for your input, because I remember there was a similar discussion sometime back.

The bread and cup are shared, expressing our 'communion' ie sharing with one another in the merits of Christ. One loaf, one body, one cup, one covenant, one faith, one Lord, etc etc.

The Supper ought to be a SUPPER, an actual meal (commonly called the 'agape' by theologians).

Excellent. I think so too. And... further... even if you have a large church group, this would lend itself to being held in a more intimate home/fellowship setting.

Too much superstition left over from the catholic MASS surrounds the common 'communion' service among Pentecostals. Such as - the need for DEEP INTROSPECTION to somehow get yourself worthy to 'partake'. Face it, you ain't worthy and never will be. Paul warned against partaking in an unworthy manner, and it had nothing to do with mere bread and wine, but with 'not discerning the Lord's Body' - ie THE CHURCH, one's FELLOW BELIEVERS, as members of the SAME BODY. Paul warned about turning the Lord's Supper into one's own supper and despising one's brethren. This would put you in the same position as JUDAS, not a good thing.

THANK YOU FOR THIS INSIGHT! This makes so much sense. I truly think this is the main reason many don't celebrate the Lord's Supper because they feel unworthy. Thank you for this simple explanation.

I believe the evidence indicates they ate 'the Lord's Supper' just about whenever they gathered together.

We eat it every sabbath, and sometime more often.

We use leavened bread except during Passover, or if we just want to use unleavened bread. There is no scripture which demands it be either one (except during Passover, which of course requires unleavened bread anyway). And there are good scriptural arguments for both positions, therefore I conclude it is not really relevant.

We use one loaf, which is shared, and one cup, which is shared. The squeamish who are afraid to drink after their brethren might use one cup to pour a drink into each person's cup, if that makes people feel better. :D

The way we do it is basically like this:

1. We say a blessing and give thanks for whatever drink we have (everyone drinks their own cup).
2. We give thanks for bread and break a piece off and pass the bread, everyone breaks off a pice and eats it.
3. We eat the meal.
4. At the end of the meal we say a blessing and give thanks for the wine in the cup of blessing, and pass it around.

This follows the pattern indicated in Luke, which is identical with the other gospel accounts EXCEPT there is a mention of a cup BEFORE the meal.

All the accounts seem to indicate the bread came with or at the beginning of the meal, and the cup of blessing (the shared cup) came at the END of the meal. Although, I wouldn't say this is dogmatically how it MUST be done.

Remember, the Lord's Supper is just that - a group of disciples eating dinner with Jesus. Keep it simple and avoid superstition and everything is well.

:thumbsup

Thank you for sharing how you choose to celebrate the Lord's Supper in your home. It sounds like a very special and sweet time of fellowship and love as your fellow brethren gather together to worship the Lord. I would think this would be very meaningful each time a fellowship/gathering took place, how ever often that may be.

It is my hope that this discussion will open up the hearts and minds of all those involved in ministry/cell groups/home fellowships or even a large church ... to reconsider how often they partake of the Lord's Supper, and to realize that it DOES NOT have to take place in a church building, but that it may be the most appropriate in a home or small group setting, wherever that may be.

[missourimary]

Perhaps the part about the Lord's Supper that most worry about is this part, where Paul says, "Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord."
The descriptioss I've read about Communion as part of a fellowship meal are beautiful.

As non-Jewish Christians I think we often miss a lot of the meaning of Communion as it began, as part of the Passover meal. At Passover, if a house was too small for a lamb, they were to share it with their nearest neighbor. (Ex12:4) At Communion, each was to wait on the others, not leaving one hungry and another full. Any male, even foreigners and aliens, who had been circumcised could eat of it, just as those who have been baptized may.

[CC1]

Our church has communion at the end of every Sunday Service. End of service goes like this;

1. At end of sermon Pastor gives invitation to come pray and announces that communion is available on either side at the front.
2. Band plays instrumental and people pray as folks go through the line at the communion tables.
3. Once the last person has taken communion the band plays the last praise and worship song. If folks are praying in the altar (we don't really have any altars so I mean up front) then the band will continue to play an instrumental and not start singing until they are done (typically).
4. Dismissal

[KeptByTheWord]

Our church has communion at the end of every Sunday Service. End of service goes like this;

1. At end of sermon Pastor gives invitation to come pray and announces that communion is available on either side at the front.
2. Band plays instrumental and people pray as folks go through the line at the communion tables.
3. Once the last person has taken communion the band plays the last praise and worship song. If folks are praying in the altar (we don't really have any altars so I mean up front) then the band will continue to play an instrumental and not start singing until they are done (typically).
4. Dismissal

That sounds like a great way to do it with a large group of people!

[KeptByTheWord]

The descriptioss I've read about Communion as part of a fellowship meal are beautiful.

As non-Jewish Christians I think we often miss a lot of the meaning of Communion as it began, as part of the Passover meal. At Passover, if a house was too small for a lamb, they were to share it with their nearest neighbor. (Ex12:4) At Communion, each was to wait on the others, not leaving one hungry and another full. Any male, even foreigners and aliens, who had been circumcised could eat of it, just as those who have been baptized may.

Yes, I think the original intention for having the Lord's Supper, was to share a meal, and then to partake together in the memory of the Lord and what happened at Calvary. Having it in an intimate, small fellowship setting would lend itself to a more meaningful, and personal remembrance and celebration of the Lord. I would think having the Lord's Supper with a large crowd such as at CC1's church could be meaningful, but perhaps not as meaningful and personal as it could be in a smaller home fellowship setting.