In this article we will look at what the place of the Lord's Supper is at present and what the sticking points are. Next we will examine what its place and structure ought to be in light of biblical data and against the background of church history.

1. Situation Sketch⤒🔗

A reformed church service is strongly focused on the Word and its proclamation. In practice notably the sermon takes centre stage. Many church goers come especially for this and the church service is often measured by it as well. For ministers that is also frequently the case. In the preparation for the service, the sermon receives most of the attention and in the service itself everything is brought in line with it: Reading(s), psalm (stanza) selections and that also partially holds true for the prayer. Other elements of the Order of Service are at times treated and experienced as incidental.

A few Sundays per year, four or six times, one can observe a different picture. Then a long Lord's Supper table dominates the scene. The service is often completely geared to the administration of the sacrament. The previous Sunday the preparation for the event took place and in the week following it the mem­bers of the congregation prepare themselves personally. The Lord's Supper — because of the long form and the many tables — takes so much time that the other parts of the service are squeezed and subsequently suffer. Sometimes the sermon is skipped altogether or replaced by a sermonette.

2. Formulation of the Problem←⤒🔗

The question must be asked whether a Lord's Supper service, as sketched above, is responsi­ble. Is the Lord's Supper in practice not as­signed a very separate and isolated place? The relationship between Word and sacrament needs to be addressed. In doing so the ex­pressed wish of Synod for a greater frequency of the celebration must be taken into account. The service of the Word as well as the "Lord's Supper service" raise questions. Can we do that? Can we not do it better?

3. The Lord's Supper←⤒🔗

The Lord's Supper is the celebration of salva­tion. It is the feast of the remembrance of Christ's sacrifice and the anticipation of his return. It is also proclamation. While celebrat­ing, we proclaim the death of our Lord, until he comes. And more than only his death: the Lord's Supper is also the proclamation of the resurrected Lord. That is why a funeral atmos­phere during the Supper is out of character. What is appropriate is the joy over and wonder about so much sincere and heartfelt love and faithfulness towards us.

3.1 The Institution of the Lord's Supper←↰⤒🔗

The biblical data for the institution of the Lord's Supper are strong. Christ himself instituted it. Paul is very clear about this:

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, 'This is my body, which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of me.' In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.' For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.1 Cor. 11: 23-27

Matthew, Mark, and Luke also described the institution (Mt. 26, Mk. 14, Lk. 22). It is impor­tant to remember that Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper during the observance of the Jewish Passover (Pesach). That is also the starting point in the synoptic Gospels. So Luke begins with the first cup over which Jesus spoke the thanksgiving and said:

Take it and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.

After that he took a loaf of bread, said the thanksgiving broke and gave it and added:

 This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.

Next followed the cup after the meal with which he said:

This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you Lk. 22: 17-20

The Lord's Supper is the fulfillment of the Passover.  For that reason we will next mention certain parts of the Passover that are important for a good understanding of the Lord's Supper.

3.2 Passover (Pesach)←↰⤒🔗

Passover was a meal. The Gospels describe how the disciples prepared for it in a large upper room: wine, bread (matzah), bitter herbs were pro­cured. Having a meal meant to exercise fellowship with one another. In our Western culture that aspect is somewhat less obvious than in the East, although going out for dinner still carries that sense.

The Passover meal was also a sacrificial meal. The lamb, which was slaughtered, was a sacrificial lamb, the Passover sacrifice for the Lord (Ex. 12:27). By virtue of the blood of the lamb that was painted on the sides and tops of door frames of the houses in which the Passo­ver was eaten, God passed over them (Ex. 12:13). On account of the reconciling blood, the Lord saved the Israelites. The sacrificial meal was not only a communal meal, but people ate and drank in the presence of the Lord (com­pare Dt. 12:7). It was at the same time fellow­ship with God.

Passover was an offering of thanksgiving meal. Among the offerings, that are described in Leviticus one through seven, there was one that was eaten by the Israelites as well: the peace or thank offering (Lev. 7:11f). The peace offering could be brought as a sacrifice of praise as well as a vow offering or as a freewill offering. The last two are personal offers. In connection with the Passover, we should think here of a sacrifice of praise, that, however, does not exclude the personal offer.

In the hallel (Psalms 113-118) sung during Passover mention is made of a vow offering (Ps. 116:12-19). The beginning of the ritual associated with this offering was the same as with the burnt offering. The person who brought it placed his hand on the sacrificial animal and in his place the animal was slaugh­tered and its blood was sprinkled around the altar (Lev. 3). The peace rested on the reconcil­ing offering.¹

The character of the thanksgiving-meal was also expressed in the proclamation and praise that accompanied the Passover. Both are included in the ritual of its observance. While the meal was ready and waiting, and a second cup had been filled, there first followed the haggadah, the narration of God's great deeds. Instruction thus receives a place in the celebra­tion. On the question of the son: "What does this mean?" (Ex. 12:26-27; Ex. 13:8), as answer the history of the Passover, the story of salva­tion was recounted. The proclamation did not only touch on God's deeds in the past, but finally concluded in the anticipation of the coming of the Messiah. The hallel was sung in two parts: Psalms 113 and 114 after the haggadah but still before the eating of the meal, and the second half (Psalms 115-118), after the third cup, the so-called cup of thanksgiving. The table prayer of the father over the unleavened bread preceding the eating of the meal can be characterized in terms of thanks­giving, praise, and blessing. In Luke 22:19 and 1 Corinthians 11:24 this part of the paschal liturgy is called 'the thanksgiving.' During the paschal meal in which Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper, proclamation and thanksgiving are connected in a very special way.

3.3 Aspects of the Lord's Supper←↰⤒🔗

The aspects indicated above already shy much about the Lord's Supper. There is also a difference. The Passover is embedded in the whole of the Old Testament worship service, in which sacrifices played a central role and had a referral function to Christ's sacrifice. The Passover even involved a sacrificial lamb. The Lord's Supper, on the other hand, proceeds from the unique and complete sacrifice of Christ. In the Lord's Supper there can no longer be a question of a sacrifice that needs to be brought in order to obtain forgiveness and redemption, but it concerns the fruit of the once and for all sacrifice brought by Christ, namely the forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

The Lord's Supper, however, cannot do without the thank offering. Here we can think of what Paul says in Romans 12:1. He admon­ishes us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.

Fellowship←↰⤒🔗

The most characteristic aspect of the Lord's Supper is that it is the meal of fellowship with Christ. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:16;

Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ.

With the words "This is my body..." which Jesus spoke with the distribu­tion of the bread and later after the meal with the third cup he refers to himself as the paschal lamb. To say it with Paul "For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed" (1 Cor. 5:7). The fellowship at the Lord's Supper table is in the first place fellowship with Christ and a participation in the fruit of his sacrifice for us. God wants to nourish us in the Lord's Supper with the life-giving bread, Christ (Jn. 6:51). The fellowship with Christ is a covenant fellowship. From the words of the institution of the Lord's Supper, it appears that there is a connection with the blood of the covenant. Without shedding of blood there is no fellow­ship. With his death and shedding of blood, Christ gave the new covenant of grace and reconciliation eternal legal effect, when he called out: "It is finished!" That is why the Lord's Supper is also called "covenant meal."

The fellowship with Christ next provides the foundation for the mutual fellowship. By using the sacrament we are urged to love God fervently and subsequently also our neigh­bour.

Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.1 Cor. 10:17; B.C. art. 35

Proclamation←↰⤒🔗

Paul closely connects the proclamation of the Gospel to the celebration of the Lord's Supper. In 1 Corinthians 11:26, he writes:

For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

While celebrating we proclaim. The question whether "with words" or by eating and drinking — one can think of both here — must not become a dilemma. Action and speech are closely related and merge into each other. By eating and drinking we give witness of our faith. The word of redemption is inherent in this doing. The proclamation is embedded in the celebration, as the haggadah was included in the Passover.

Remembrance←↰⤒🔗

Christ instituted the Lord's Supper in remem­brance of him. When he took the bread and spoke the thanksgiving, he broke it, gave to his disciples, and said: "This is my body," he used the words: "Do this in remembrance of me." Remembrance is more than thinking of and recalling what happened in the past. It is not a cognitive act directed towards the past. The past is neither brought back by reenactment nor by actualizing it anew. Remembrance is about the meaning of the past for the present and the future. On the basis of the unique sacrifice of Christ, we remember him, who gave himself for reconciliation. In the remem­brance, we realize the actuality of God's covenant faithfulness and love. We experience the fellowship with Him and his Son and anticipate Christ's return. The words "do this" not only refer to the eating and drinking, but comprise the complete act of remembrance (anamnesis) and includes six elements: taking, thanking, breaking, signifying, sharing and proclaiming.

Anticipation←↰⤒🔗

The aspect of anticipation we find in all the New Testament passages that deal with the institution of the Lord's Supper. In addition to the words of institution Christ said: "I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom" (Mt. 26:29). In Luke we find the assurance that the celebration of the Lord's Supper opens up the perspective of the coming celebration in the kingdom of God. There we also read that Jesus certainly would not eat the Passover again, before it would be fulfilled in the kingdom of God (Lk. 22:16, 18).

Also with Paul we come across this eschato­logical aspect in the words: "Until he comes" (1 Cor. 11:26). The Lord's Supper is a foretaste of the great banquet that Jesus promised. Finally in Revelation we read about the mar­riage feast of the Lamb (19:6-9).

4. The New Testament and the Early Chris­tian Church←⤒🔗

Although there are difficult to answer ques­tions concerning the celebration of the Lord's Supper and the so-called love-meals during the early stages of the young church of Pente­cost, it is, however, in any case clear that as time went by the celebration of the Lord's Supper was tied to the Scripture service of the synagogue. It cannot be ruled out that the Sunday meeting described in Acts 20: 7-11 consisted of the administration of both Word and sacrament. We read there that on the first day of the week the people "came together to break bread." It was preceded by a long speech by Paul. In any case we find the early-Chris­tian pattern of a weekly meeting in which together Scripture was opened and the bread broken, as, for instance, described by Justin Martyr in the second century. This structure of a service with Word and sacrament we find back in the Sunday morning service through­out the ages. We will see here again the repeating of the basic blueprint of the Christian worship services.

Preparatory Part←↰⤒🔗

Elements such as: votum, salutation, confession of sins, proclamation of grace (from the early church worship service: Kyrie, Gloria, and Introit)

Service of the Word←↰⤒🔗

Elements such as: prayer for illumina­tion, one or more (independent) Scripture readings and administration of the Word.

Service of Offerings←↰⤒🔗

Apostolicum, intercessions, thanksgiv­ing, collection of gifts

Service of the Table←↰⤒🔗

Celebration of the Lord's Supper (from the early Christian worship service: Sanctus and Agnus Dei)

From various data in the New Testament, particularly Acts and 1 Corinthians, it appears that the Lord's Supper since its inception was regularly celebrated.²

5. Frequency←⤒🔗

In our churches the Lord's Supper is celebrated only a few times a year. In these so called Lord's Supper services the sermon is often left out. Inversely only a remnant of the basic blueprint is left in the Word services. Elements such as the Credo and the collections always formed a bridge to or were part of the service of the table. The connection with the Lord's Supper, however, has become unclear. How that happened is a long story. Briefly the following can be said. In the Middle-Ages the Eucharist increasingly became a priestly celebration, in which the people became bystanders. Eye participation (eye communion) was deemed to be sufficient. The onlookers took communion only once a year: after Lent, a time of fasting and atonement, they went to confession and at Easter took communion.

6. Calvin←⤒🔗

Calvin — to restrict ourselves to him — from the beginning endeavoured to restore the Lord's Supper to its rightful place. The Lord's Supper, so he says, was intended to be used frequently, in order to maintain and strengthen faith, to spur the believers on to profess His praise and to proclaim His goodness through the remem­brance (anamnesis) of Christ's suffering and death. Also to feed the mutual love gives witness of it. For as often as we participate in the signs of the body of Christ, we are duty bound to each other in mutual love. Calvin refers to Luke, who in Acts 2: 42-­47 reminds us that in the apostolic church such a custom existed, when he says that the believers "devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship" in the breaking of the bread and prayers.

Already in the first edition of his Institutes, Calvin pleads for at least a weekly celebration of the Lord's Supper: "So it must always happen that not a single meeting of the congre­gation should take place without the Word, prayers, participation in the Lord's Supper and alms."³ Calvin (and Luther as well) principally maintained the unity of preaching and the Lord's Supper. Word and sacrament together are part of the church service on Sunday mornings.⁴

The custom at his time, to celebrate the Lord's Supper only once a year, is an invention of the devil. "At least once a week the table of the Lord must be prepared in the meeting of Christians and the promises, which feed us spiritually at the table, must be ex­plained." It was self-evident to Calvin that the celebration was not possible without the participation of the congregation. "No one, of course, should be compelled, but all must be urged to do so."⁵ That in practice a weekly celebration was not achieved in Geneva was because of the opposition by the municipal government.⁶

Pietism and rationalism further diminished the Lord's Supper frequency. Shunning of the Lord's Supper, because of perceived unworthiness, also kept many people from the table.

7. Word and Sacrament←⤒🔗

The question could arise whether a frequent Lord's Supper table would not be detrimental to the Word. Is there, however, in that respect really a conflict?

The choice for a more frequent celebration depends on our view of the Lord's Supper as well as the service of the Word and the rela­tionship between them. In the preceding we have already said a number of things about it. We can still add the following. Word and sacrament have the same content. Both point to the unique sacrifice brought by Christ on the cross.⁷ Word and sacrament qua content form a unit. Also in the sense that one cannot be thought of without the other. That the sacrament — signs of the Gospel promises — cannot exist without the other ought to be clear. Calvin says: the correct administration of the Lord's Supper cannot exist apart from the Word.⁸ In this sense the sacrament is depend­ent on the Word.

Yet, it would be incorrect to see the Lord's Supper as something that is secondary. That opinion has indeed been defended. And it may seem as if B.C. art. 38 gives cause for it. For there it is said that the sacraments were insti­tuted because of our insensitivity and infirmity of faith. C. Trimp has pointed out that the historic background of this remark was occa­sioned by Calvin's pastoral inclination.⁹ At the same time Calvin says that God as a caring Father desires to nourish us continually with the true food and drink. We may not only receive the sign but also the matter signified. The Lord's Supper is also fellowship with Christ.

As the Holy Spirit works faith in our hearts by the proclamation so it is strengthened in the sacraments.¹⁰ The sacrament of the Lord's Supper can, therefore, not be seen as some­thing incidental (a picture with the Word), but as a full-fledged and independent place. The Lord's Supper deals with the fellowship with Christ.

8. Summary and Conclusions←⤒🔗

At the beginning of this article the question was raised whether, on the one hand, a Lord's Supper service a few times a year and on the other hand, a Word service without a Lord's Supper celebration, were liturgically responsible. The frequency of the Lord's Supper also had our attention. The Lord's Supper was described as the meal of fellowship with Christ and the mutual fellowship, and placed against the background of the Passover as a thanksgiving meal. Proclamation and celebration appeared to go together. At its institution Christ com­manded a regular celebration, until he comes.

The pattern of a service with Scripture as well as a Lord's Supper can be ascertained since the first century. The Lord's Supper, as Christ had commanded, was celebrated often. The Lord's Supper is to be seen in the perspective of the marriage feast of the Lamb. Calvin tried to restore the unity of Scripture and table. He pleaded for a weekly celebration of the Lord's Supper. There does appear to be no conflict between a frequent celebration and the admin­istration of the Word. On the contrary, Word and sacrament belong to each other.

The unity of Scripture and table, the love towards Christ and one another, and the anticipation of the marriage feast compel us towards a greater fre­quency of the Lord's Supper celebration than the usual four to six times per year. Therefore, the deputies plead for a restoration of the connection between Word and the Lord's Supper for the Sunday morning service.