Principle:
The complete pattern of Christian worship for the Lord's Day is Word and Table — the gospel is proclaimed in both Word and sacrament. Word and Table are not in competition; rather, they complement each other so as to constitute a whole service of worship. Their separation diminishes the fullness of life in the Spirit offered to us through faithin Jesus Christ.
Background:
In The United Methodist Book of Worship (pages 1314), the Basic Pattern of Worship is traced to its Jewish roots:
The Entrance and the Proclamation and Response — often called the Service
of the Word or the Preaching Service — are a Christian adaptation of the
ancient synagogue service. The Thanksgiving and Communion, commonly
called the Lord's Supper or Holy Communion, is a Christian adaptation of
Jewish worship at family meal tables. . . . Christians held an adapted
synagogue service and broke bread when they gathered on the first day of the
week. (Acts 20:7)
The practice of the Christian church from its earliest years was weekly celebration of the Lord's Supper on the Lord's Day. The Didache, a source from the late first century or early second century says, "On every Lord's Day — his special day — come together and break bread and give thanks . . ." (14). Justin Martyr, writing around A.D. 150, relates, "And on the day called Sunday there is a meeting . . . bread is brought, and wine and water, and the president similarly sends up prayers and thanksgivings . . ." (Chapter 67). Most
Christian traditions have continued this pattern.
John Wesley was highly critical of the infrequency of Holy Communion in the Church of England of his day. He exhorted his followers to practice "constant communion" because Christ had so commanded and because the spiritual benefits are so great ("The Duty of Constant Communion"). In his 1784 letter to American Methodists, Wesley counseled, "I also advise the elders to administer the supper of the Lord on every Lord's day" ("Letter to Dr. Coke, Mr. Asbury, and Our Brethren in North America").
For decades the scarcity of ordained pastors made it difficult if not impossible for churches in the Wesleyan tradition to observe the Lord's Supper as a part of regular Sunday worship. The custom of celebrating the sacrament at least quarterly, when an ordained elder was present, ensured the opportunity for regular if infrequent participation. With the introduction of new liturgical texts for the Lord's Supper in 1972, United Methodism has been recovering the fullness of Word and Table as the pattern for weekly worship on the Lord's Day.
The Journal of Christian Newcomer, third bishop of the United Brethren in Christ, is filled with references to frequent celebrations of Holy Communion. He rejoiced in the "sacramental festivals" that he led and in which he participated.
Recent theology and practice of worship stress both the proclamation of the gospel enacted through Holy Communion and the sacramental power of Christ's presence through preaching. Partaking of Holy Communion is a response to and continued participation in the
Word that has been proclaimed. Those seeking to live as Christian disciples have constant need of the nourishment and sustenance made available through both the Word and the sacrament of Holy Communion.
Practice:
Congregations of The United Methodist Church are encouraged to move toward a richer sacramental life, including weekly celebration of the Lord's Supper at the services on the Lord's Day, as advocated by the general orders of Sunday worship in The United Methodist Hymnal and The United Methodist Book of Worship. The sacrament can also be celebrated appropriately on other occasions in the life of the church from the congregational to the denominational level. However,
occasions of worship that might not always include Communion are revivals, services of daily praise and prayer, love feasts, and services on days other than Sunday.
Attention should be given to the special needs of churches whose pastoral leadership is neither ordained nor licensed. Cooperative parishes and ecumenical shared ministries (Book of Discipline, ¶¶ 206.2 and 207) may offer patterns through which such congregations could receive regular sacramental ministry.
The Gathered Community
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