Communion Service
Communion Service
We live in a culture of media. We read books, listen to the radio, watch movies, search the web. If we study history it is a collection of stories. Unless we lived the history, it is not real to us.
Anyone who has participated in Communion has learned the story line – Jesus met with His Disciples. He used the bread to symbolize His body broken and the wine as His blood shed for believers’ redemption. After teaching they went to Gethsemane. He was arrested. Tried all night by the Jews. Tried again by the Romans. They flogged Him and then Crucified Jesus. A poignant, blessed, and tragic story. History? Right?
Because “story” so often means fiction, i.e. not true (even “true-to-life” stories are fictional) our minds are programmed to assume the “not true”, unless we have experienced a specific truth.
So, with me, shake off the familiar, routine participation in the Lord’s Supper. Jesus was a real man! He was experiencing real mixed emotions – love for His real Disciples – picture them! Knowledge that Judas, his close friend, had betrayed Him. Consider that! Fear of the real agony of torture that would soon occur. Feel that! The certainty that His Father, from who he had never been separated, would soon abandon Jesus to death. Agony! The reality that He, who was life, would actually experience death. Horrible! We have eyewitness testimonies that those are real facts.
Each one of us who takes a piece of cracker or bread and a cup of grape juice or wine may choose to fictionalize this celebration, or stop! Get into the reality of a real man willingly sacrificing His life, the broken bread, to give us real, eternal life. The cup is the Blood of Christ that in actuality does cleanse us from sin.
Communion Preparation
As believers in the reality of Christ’s death for us and His resurrection, we come in full faith to the Lord’s Table. We receive these elements, believing that it was a real happening, that Jesus has cleansed us from all unrighteousness and has delivered us from the wrath of God against our sin.
This time, in this moment, we have God’s authority to set aside any traditional, any cultural reservation. We say with an affirming spirit I believe Jesus is real! He did suffer and die for me!
If this is so, join me in humble, honest confession: first, to affirm our true surrender to Jesus for salvation; and then, to open our souls to the Holy Spirit to reveal any impediment in our souls to the reception of the body and blood of our Savior.
Confession of Sin
He will not always chide; Neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins, Nor rewarded us after our iniquities. (Psalm 103:9-12)
None of us is perfect.
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23)
We come to this table honestly and humbly, knowing that it is an unmerited privilege to partake of the body and blood of our Lord.
Come if you know Jesus is your Savior. Come if you have purged your hearts as much as you can. Come in love for Jesus and in love with your brothers and sisters.
I will pause in the prayer to allow you to confront your sin and humbly acknowledge specific sins to the Lord
Please join me in the prayer of confession
“Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we acknowledge and confess our manifold sins, which we have committed, by thought, word, and deed, against Your Divine Majesty. We do earnestly repent and are heartily sorry for these our misdoings. The remembrance of them is grievous to us.
{Pause for personal confession}
Have mercy upon us, most merciful Father; for Your Son, our Savior’s sake.
Forgive all our sins; and grant that we may ever hereafter serve and please You in newness of life, to the honor and glory of Your Name: through Christ our Lord.”
Affirmation of Forgiveness
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. (Romans 5:8-10)
Absolution from Sin
To each of you who earnestly and heartily repent of your sins and seek to live in newness of life under the righteousness of Christ, I declare your sins are forgiven in the name of Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. all Glory be to Jesus Christ our Savior!
Amen
Invitation to Take Communion
The same night on which He was betrayed, Jesus took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat, for this is My Body broken for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.”
After the same manner, He took the cup, and when He blessed it, He said, “All of you drink from it; and as often as you drink it, you show forth My death until I come.
Please come forward now to receive the Body and Blood of our Savior.
Celebration of Communion
Take; eat, for this is the Body of our Lord broken for you.
All of you drink of it, for this is the Blood of Christ shed for you for the remission of your sin.
Thanksgiving for Communion
Almighty God, we thank you for Your great mercy, granted to us in this Sacrament. You have made us to be partakers of Christ and all His benefits. You have adopted us as Your elect children and made us joint heirs with Christ.
Now Lord Christ, enrich us with Your Holy Spirit that Your life may be made manifest in our mortal bodies and that all our days may be spent in love and service of our Father.
Benediction
The Lord our God be with us, as he was with our fathers: let him not leave us, nor forsake us: Let your heart therefore be perfect with the Lord our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day. That all the people of the earth may know that the Lord is God, and that there is none else. (I Kings 8:57-60)
Amen
