Q. How often should we commune?

By the Rev. John Dreyer

A. This is a question that was asked of me a number of times when I served as a parish pastor. Some quote Luther when he says that we should commune at least four times a year. Of course, after careful study of Luther's statement, he said if you were a Christian you would go at least four times a year, otherwise you were not considered a Christian.

In the Catechism, Luther, in questions 19 and 20 in his "Christian Questions with Their Answers for those who intend to go to the Sacrament" asks "what should admonish and incite a Christian to receive the Sacrament frequently?" and "what shall a person do if he be not sensible of such trouble and feel no hunger and thirst for the Sacrament?" For a few reasons, especially because many thought that the Lord's Supper was a "Roman" practice, many people were not going to the Lord's Supper. Luther reminds God's people that it is, indeed, a Christian and a necessary practice.

As a matter of fact, in the "Apology of the Augsburg Confession (24)," it states that we don't abolish the Lord's Supper, but religiously retain and defend it. It goes on to say that Lutherans celebrate Holy Communion every Sunday and on other festival days after the people have been examined and absolved.

The Church's life is not simply spiritual, but centered in the very incarnation (in-fleshment) of our Lord Jesus Christ. The baptized, who have entered into the Body of Christ (I Cor. 12:13), begin the service by making the sign of the cross while naming the true God revealed to us through the incarnate and crucified Son. At the beginning of the Divine Service, the baptized hear the pastor say, "Glory be to God in the highest and peace good will to men." This was sung at the birth of our Lord celebrating the incarnation of our Lord, as we do during Christmas. The baptized journey through the Divine Service as the Word made Flesh comes to us through the preached Word (John 1:14, et al.). The holy people of God then enter into the Service of Holy Communion singing, "Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord" as they did on Palm Sunday. It marks the beginning of Holy Week. The faithful receive the true body and blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, thus receiving forgiveness of sins and the redemption of our bodies and souls as we look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.

In blood there is life (Gen. 9:4, et al.). It is the very thing that God's people were forbidden to eat: meat with the blood. They had to drain the blood out of the meat. But since Christ, the true bread of life, has come, He gives the faithful His precious blood of the New Testament. In this sacred blood, He gives us life and salvation at His Holy Table. Can a person be a Christian and deny our Lord's incarnation? Absolutely not, since it is in Christ's Flesh and Blood that we are saved with the central focus being the crucifixion.

Even after the resurrection, our Lord goes out of His way to emphasize that He is still in His flesh and blood and that it is precisely in His crucified flesh that faith is born and we receive the benefits of eternal life. In Luke 24:38, our Lord points to the fact that He is not merely a Spirit, but also flesh and bones. He asked if there is any food there. He points out that in His flesh there is peace. Thomas questions our Lord's presence and receives his faith by reaching his finger in the wounds of Christ (John. 20). Our Lord says, "Do not be unbelieving but believing." St. Paul clarifies the task of the Church when he says, "We preach Christ crucified." St. John records the blood and water that flows from the side of the crucified Christ. "He who saw it has borne witness--his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth--that you may believe" (John 19). Even on Easter, we keep a cross before our eyes, which directs us to the central hinge of our Christian faith: faith in Jesus Christ crucified in the flesh for our life and salvation.

In I Corinthians (10:14 ff.), St. Paul defines the purpose of gathering as Christians. It is to celebrate the Lord's body and blood in the Holy Sacrament. Also Acts 2:42 directs us to the same understanding as the baptized continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship (communion), in the breaking of bread (Holy Communion), and in prayers (liturgy). One can see the correlation between these four elements of the ancient Divine Service. Since our flesh and blood cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven (I Cor. 15), He gives us His flesh and blood as a replacement.

In conclusion, as baptized Christians, we are to receive the Sacrament regularly, for it is who we are and what we have become in Christ. Naturally, much can be said on this subject, how pietism draws people's attention away from the Holy Sacraments, the influence of what is called "platonic Gnosticism," and other philosophies and theologies that deny the very incarnational presence of our Lord. The Sacrament of our Lord is the meal for our body and soul for now and forevermore. Just like food at the table, our Lord provides the manna from heaven to sustain us on our journey to the promised land of God's heavenly Kingdom.

Thy Kingdom Come welcomes your questions. Send them to admissions@ctsfw.edu or Thy Kingdom Come Q&A, c/o CTS Admission, 6600 N. Clinton, Ft. Wayne, IN 46825. Please include your name, age, and congregation.