Steve,
I certainly agree with you post. And you are right, there is valid concerns 
that communion can become mundane. Hence, it is incumbent on we pastor's to 
use the scriptures correctly, to paint a picture of what it means and 
represents, so it is never common place.
jerry k
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steven G. Rockhill" <revrock@...>
To: <pastorsforum@...>
Sent: Tuesday, April 05, 2005 5:54 AM
Subject: Re: [PastorsForum] Lord's Supper Mundane


> Jerry,
>   Great point this brings up about how the Lord's Supper is a 'picture' of 
> what Christ accomplished for us.  Though I am not sure there is a clear 
> positive command in Scripture to celebrate the Lord's Supper every week - 
> It is an increasing trend in the reformed and presbyterian circles that I 
> am in.  Calvin advocated weekly communion but had to settle for quarterly 
> at Geneva.  Part of the issue with the Lord's Supper is that many see it 
> as 'just' a memorial meal.  It certainly is that but it is also much more. 
> It shows forth our union with Christ, i.e. He partook of our flesh via the 
> incarnation and we partake of His flesh (spiritually) via the Lord's 
> Supper. I also think there is an element of looking forward to the 
> Marriage Supper of the Lamb when we will commune together with Him at His 
> table for eternity.
>   At this point I am an advocate of frequent communion, though not 
> necessarily weekly.  In my church we currently celebrate quarterly.  It 
> would be nice to increase the frequency a bit, but the people are not 
> there, nor are the elders.  I think there is a valid concern about 
> frequency leading to mundane and common (as that is what our sinful 
> tendency would be) but I think if we understood the Lord's Supper as more 
> than 'just a memorial' than the desire would be there to partake more 
> frequently.
>   I have been doing some scattered study on the issue recently.  There are 
> still many issues that I struggle with regarding this.  But I don't think 
> that frequency should be just shrugged off as some 'catholic' invention 
> and I do think we need to be careful about drawing commands from Scripture 
> that may not be there. So a balance.
>
>
> Peace,
> Steve
>
> Jerry Krewson wrote:
>> In the last few days I have noticed a few digs cast towards the church 
>> [group] that I pastor. Our name was not used, but never the less I 
>> recognized it. The issues were important, but I would not be able to 
>> change anyone's mind, so I stayed out of the discussion. However, there 
>> is the issue of the Lord's Supper that is being discussed at this time 
>> that I would like to address.
>>  Right up front let me tell you, "I don't care how often you partake of 
>> the Lord's Supper, just do it in a worth manner." I pastor a Church of 
>> Christ "Christian" Church, and it is our practice to partake of it at 
>> least once a week. But what I really want to address is the WORD mundane. 
>> I have read that word in a few of the e-mails on the subject that is 
>> currently being addressed. And I have had many people from different 
>> churches ask me, "doesn't taking the Lord's Supper every week become a 
>> common [mundane] thing. We take it ??? so it won't be common." Please 
>> bear with me and read the following lesson I learned from a wonderful 
>> Professor, Dr. Beckman from Boise Bible College.
>>  I was a 48 year old Freshman, sitting in Dr. Beckman's New Testament 
>> class with about 50 teenagers.  We had just started  discussing the 
>> Lord's Supper, when a girl whose father was a pastor of a denomination 
>> that did not practice Communion every week, spoke up. She said to Dr. 
>> Beckman, "We don't take communion every week because it will become 
>> common place."  After some discussion, Dr. Beckman said, "Let me tell you 
>> a story."  I will abbreviate it for you.
>>  His story: About 25 years ago, I was at a auto mechanics having my car 
>> worked on. I was called to the phone and told to come home right now. 
>> There was and emergency. As I drove into the driveway, I knew something 
>> was wrong--to many cars were there. I went into the house and was told my 
>> young daughter had just drowned. Of course, Mrs. Beckman and I were 
>> totally devastated. A few days after we buried her, we started looking 
>> for pictures of her. We found many pictures of our other children, but 
>> very few of her. We did find one that we really liked, and I took it to a 
>> friend [painter] to make a big portrait of her. After some time, he 
>> finished it. It was beautiful. It looked just like her. Well, I hung her 
>> picture right where I would see it everytime I went in the front door of 
>> our house, and it still hangs there. Now Miss. ----, do you think I get 
>> tired of seeing her picture everytime I come into the house. Do you think 
>> because I see her picture every time I enter the house, after all these 
>> years, that seeing her picture becomes common place to Mrs. Beckman and 
>> me? Every time I see her picture, it reminds me of her and my love for 
>> her anew. And taking the Lord's Supper is just like that to me. How can 
>> it ever become common place--it is a reminder and a picture of His love 
>> for me!
>>  The Lord's Supper, mundane, common place!! Note if we pastors teach 
>> about it correctly.
>> jerry k
>>
>
> --
> To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: 
> pastorsforum-unsubscribe@...
>
> "In essential things, unity; in non-essential things, liberty; and in all 
> things, charity."
>
>