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The Blessings of Weekly Communion
Great spiritual blessings come to Christians who partake of the Lord's Supper on the Lord's Day. They receive a "visible Word" which gives to them the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation. Their faith is strengthened. Their inner man is renewed for a life of good works. They are formed in the image of Christ.
In the Apostolic church, communion was celebrated every Sunday. During the period of the Reformation, the Lutheran churches practiced weekly communion. The influence of Protestantism in the United States has suppressed this practice.
Each chapter includes discussion questions to help readers reflect and apply the material to their personal and corporate worship.
The book will help restore this worthy and biblical tradition to our congregations.
In the Apostolic church, communion was celebrated every Sunday. During the period of the Reformation, the Lutheran churches practiced weekly communion. The influence of Protestantism in the United States has suppressed this practice.
Each chapter includes discussion questions to help readers reflect and apply the material to their personal and corporate worship.
The book will help restore this worthy and biblical tradition to our congregations.
- GenresNonfictionChristianity
306 pages, Paperback
Published June 7, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 13, 2026
A couple of years ago, my church read through and discussed this book together in our Sunday morning adult Bible study. At the time, the church had the Lord's Supper the first, third, and fifth Sundays of the month. That's been the case with many of the churches we've attended. But my pastor-husband had been of a mind to institute weekly communion for a while. After all, if we believe that we receive the true body and blood of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Lord's Supper, shouldn't we want to receive it as often as possible?
I feel behind in the reading (obviously, since we did the study back in 2024 & I'm wrapping it up two years later... ahem...), but I did want to finish the book. So I used a long road trip out west this summer to do so. And I'm glad that I did!
One of the things I most appreciated about this book was the extensive examination of practices related to the Lord's Supper, from the early church to the present. Having not grown up in the church--and having been in nonsacramental churches when I did start going to church, prior to being confirmed in the LCMS--I learned a lot from these chapters. This exploration challenged some assumptions I had about historical communion practices and gave me a much deeper appreciation for the gift of receiving communion more often.
Although this book is very focused on Lutheran traditions and practices, I think the author casts his net wide enough that Christians from other traditions can benefit from the content as well.
I feel behind in the reading (obviously, since we did the study back in 2024 & I'm wrapping it up two years later... ahem...), but I did want to finish the book. So I used a long road trip out west this summer to do so. And I'm glad that I did!
One of the things I most appreciated about this book was the extensive examination of practices related to the Lord's Supper, from the early church to the present. Having not grown up in the church--and having been in nonsacramental churches when I did start going to church, prior to being confirmed in the LCMS--I learned a lot from these chapters. This exploration challenged some assumptions I had about historical communion practices and gave me a much deeper appreciation for the gift of receiving communion more often.
Although this book is very focused on Lutheran traditions and practices, I think the author casts his net wide enough that Christians from other traditions can benefit from the content as well.
August 13, 2026
A couple of years ago, my church read through and discussed this book together in our Sunday morning adult Bible study. At the time, the church had the Lord's Supper the first, third, and fifth Sundays of the month. That's been the case with many of the churches we've attended. But my pastor-husband had been of a mind to institute weekly communion for a while. After all, if we believe that we receive the true body and blood of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Lord's Supper, shouldn't we want to receive it as often as possible?
I feel behind in the reading (obviously, since we did the study back in 2024 & I'm wrapping it up two years later... ahem...), but I did want to finish the book. So I used a long road trip out west this summer to do so. And I'm glad that I did!
One of the things I most appreciated about this book was the extensive examination of practices related to the Lord's Supper, from the early church to the present. Having not grown up in the church--and having been in nonsacramental churches when I did start going to church, prior to being confirmed in the LCMS--I learned a lot from these chapters. This exploration challenged some assumptions I had about historical communion practices and gave me a much deeper appreciation for the gift of receiving communion more often.
Although this book is very focused on Lutheran traditions and practices, I think the author casts his net wide enough that Christians from other traditions can benefit from the content as well.
I feel behind in the reading (obviously, since we did the study back in 2024 & I'm wrapping it up two years later... ahem...), but I did want to finish the book. So I used a long road trip out west this summer to do so. And I'm glad that I did!
One of the things I most appreciated about this book was the extensive examination of practices related to the Lord's Supper, from the early church to the present. Having not grown up in the church--and having been in nonsacramental churches when I did start going to church, prior to being confirmed in the LCMS--I learned a lot from these chapters. This exploration challenged some assumptions I had about historical communion practices and gave me a much deeper appreciation for the gift of receiving communion more often.
Although this book is very focused on Lutheran traditions and practices, I think the author casts his net wide enough that Christians from other traditions can benefit from the content as well.
November 15, 2011
Kenneth Wieting's plea for weekly communion had many strengths, and also a few weaknesses. Wieting is a pastor, though I think this book was originally some form of a dissertation. At times, Wieting the pastor seemed at odds with Wieting-writing-a-dissertation. Wieting writes from an exclusively Lutheran background, and from the Missouri Synod at that. So, his conservative Lutheran mindset seemed to prevent a more objective account. For instance, to take one of the most obvious examples, John Calvin only receives a mere two pages of treatment, even though Wieting takes on the whole of church history! Calvin and Melanchthon are clearly the bad guys, who corrupted the pure teachings of Luther.
What will keep this book from gaining a wide acceptance is the Wieting's exclusively Lutheran emphasis. Of course, one cannot cover everything in a single book. I'm starting to write a dissertation on the weekly communion debate in the Reformed tradition, and I will blithely leave the Lutherans on the periphery. But, I acknowledge that we Reformed have much to learn from the Lutherans! Wieting repeatedly refers to Luther, and the Lutheran confessions/ catechisms, in terms that make Luther the interpretive standard. Reformed writers can do this with Calvin, which is also problematic. We need to meditate more on how 1 Cor. 12 might apply to denominations, traditions, and our own theological heroes and mentors.
Although Wieting relied extensively on secondary sources in his historical overview, he did conduct a very interesting survey about communion frequency practices in the Missouri Synod. Additionally, he develops a helpful practical theology of communion, which should aid any pastor working through these issues.
What will keep this book from gaining a wide acceptance is the Wieting's exclusively Lutheran emphasis. Of course, one cannot cover everything in a single book. I'm starting to write a dissertation on the weekly communion debate in the Reformed tradition, and I will blithely leave the Lutherans on the periphery. But, I acknowledge that we Reformed have much to learn from the Lutherans! Wieting repeatedly refers to Luther, and the Lutheran confessions/ catechisms, in terms that make Luther the interpretive standard. Reformed writers can do this with Calvin, which is also problematic. We need to meditate more on how 1 Cor. 12 might apply to denominations, traditions, and our own theological heroes and mentors.
Although Wieting relied extensively on secondary sources in his historical overview, he did conduct a very interesting survey about communion frequency practices in the Missouri Synod. Additionally, he develops a helpful practical theology of communion, which should aid any pastor working through these issues.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews