There's a strange habit in the church. On the biggest days like Christmas or Easter, when our sanctuaries are full, and the energy is high, somebody inevitably asks, “Should we skip communion…to save time?”
The apostle Paul doesn’t give us that option in 1 Corinthians 11. Admittedly, he doesn't tell us how often to have the sacred meal. But he does say, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” That means we shouldn't lose sight of something that happens at Communion.
We have to stop thinking of Communion as a filler. Scripture says it is its own proclamation.
It’s the sermon you can taste and hold. It’s embodied theology because you don’t just hear it, you receive it.
And if that’s true, then what are we saying when we skip it on the very days we celebrate incarnation and resurrection, especially just to get people out the door earlier? What are we proclaiming when the table is absent?
Once, a pastor told the congregation they would be skipping Communion that Sunday because the Spirit got hold of him. Translation: his sermon rambled more than he realized.
Salvation is not just an idea. It is a body broken and a cup poured. That's the truth the table proclaims. So, see Jesus sharing this table with his followers. He's not rushing. There'll be time for all that is needed.
Time is always a factor for us. But God sees time differently. And so God is willing to linger and commune with us.
Maybe the question isn’t, “Do we have time for communion?” Maybe the question is, “Do we have time to not proclaim the Lord’s death?”
Because every time we come to the table, we are announcing to the world that God's story still sustains us, that God's grace is still here, and that Jesus is still coming back.
So don’t skip it. Proclaim it.
Stay blessed...john
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