The Celebration of the Lord’s Supper
Scripture
An appropriate sermon may precede the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Let the officiating minister read the following Scripture or other fitting passages.
“And as they were eating, Jesus took bread and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples and said, Take, eat: this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it: for this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom” (Matt. 26:26-29).
“The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ. For we being many are one bread, and one body; for we are all partakers of that one bread” (1 Cor. 10:16-17).
“For I have received of the Lord that which I also delivered unto you. That the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread; and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is bro-ken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood; this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till he come. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment [damnation] to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body” (1 Cor. 11:23-29).
FORM A
Invocation
ALMIGHTY GOD, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid; Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of Your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love You, and worthily magnify Your holy Name; through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Invitation
All you who do truly and earnestly repent of your sins, who live in love and peace with your neighbors, and who intend to lead a new life, following the commandments of God, and walking in His holy ways, draw near with faith, and take this holy sacrament to your comfort, and make your humble confession to Almighty God.
The Prayer
Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, we give You thanks for all Your mighty acts, but especially for giving Your only Son Jesus Christ to suffer death upon the cross for our redemption, whereby He offered up Himself as a full and perfect sacrifice for the sins of the whole world.
Humbly we come now to this holy sacrament which He has instituted and commanded us to keep as a continual remembrance of His precious death and sacrifice until His coming again. For on the night on which He was betrayed, He took bread, and after giving thanks to You, He broke it, and gave it to His disciples, saying, “Take, eat. This is my body, given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant sealed in my blood, shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this is remembrance of Me.” Amen.
(Alternate Prayer)
It is truly right and our greatest joy at all times and in all places to give thanks to You, O Lord, Holy Father, Almighty and Everlasting God. Therefore with angels and archangels and with the whole company of Your saints in heaven and on earth, we magnify Your holy name, always praising You and saying [here the congregation may say with the minister]:
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts, heaven and earth are full of Your glory. Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest! Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, we give You thanks for all Your mighty acts, but especially for giving Your only Son Jesus Christ to suffer death upon the cross for our redemption, whereby He offered up Himself a full and perfect sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. Humbly we come now to this holy sacrament which He has instituted and commanded us to keep as a continual remembrance of His precious death and sacrifice until His coming again. For on the night on which He was betrayed, He took bread, and after giving thanks to You, He broke it, and gave it to His disciples, saying, “Take, eat. This is my body, given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant sealed in my blood, shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this is remembrance of Me.” Amen.
The Distribution
Upon distributing the bread the minister shall say: The body of our Lord Jesus Christ which was given for you, preserve your body and soul unto everlasting life. Take and eat this in remembrance that Christ died for you, and feed on Him in your heart by faith with thanksgiving.
Upon distributing the wine the minister shall say: The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ which was shed for you, preserve your body and soul unto everlasting life. Drink this in remembrance that Christ’s blood was shed for you, and be thankful.
The Lord’s Prayer In Unison
The minister or a person of his appointment shall lead the congregation in the Lord’s Prayer.
The Benediction
The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God and of His Son, Jesus Christ Our Lord. And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you, and remain with you always. Amen.
Scripture
See Scripture given prior to Form A.
Instruction
Our God loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son to die in our place so that all people can repent and have everlasting life (Jn. 3:16). Even while we were sinning against Him, Jesus loved us enough to sacrifice His life for us (Rom. 5:8). He asked us to remember His love as expressed through the crucifixion and therefore exhorted His church to regularly partake of this sacrament called the Lord’s Supper. He instructed us to eat the bread in memory of His wounded body and to drink the cup remembering His life’s blood that flowed from those wounds.
As you eat this bread and drink this cup, think deeply of the sacrificial love that you did not deserve. Pray that you respond to this memory by loving Christ with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and by loving others as Christ loves you. In this manner you will show His grace to others that they too may find God’s redemptive healing.
Invitation
The Lord’s Supper is for any who will come in repentance for their sins. Here you may cry out your confession to God who will hear and forgive you. The Lord’s Supper is for all who will come remembering Christ’s death and celebrating the peace they have found through faith in Him.
Friends, Jesus invites you now to come to Him and fellowship with Him at His table. Come earnestly and sincerely. Come humbly and honestly. Come expect-ing to meet Him here by faith and personally express your love to Him for His death on the cross.
Distribution
The piece of bread is a symbol of Christ’s broken body that was hung on the cross. Eat it believing that He died for you.
The cup is a symbol of the blood Jesus shed for your sins and mine. Drink it knowing that He bled for you.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we have eaten this bread and drank this cup remembering Christ’s death for us. By faith, we are embracing His sacrifice for our sins and receiving His life into our needy spirits. We thank You for reaching to us when we were spiritually dead in our sins. We thank You for loving us when we were unlovely. We thank You for making a way for us to come to You and to know Your peace and pardon. Here we celebrate the joy of forgiveness that is ours through Christ’s horror and suffering. We worship in awe that the Holy and Sin-less Creator would love us enough to become a man and die that we might live.
With believers around the world, we look forward to our Lord’s return. We ask that the grace we have received will strengthen us and help us to honor His name. We pray for the Holy Spirit to use us in sharing the message of Jesus’ death with our hurting world. Amen.
Hymn
An appropriate hymn may be sung to conclude the service.