Blessings to you, the readers of this page, in Jesus Christ our
Lord. May He guide you and protect you always.
Blessings to you, the readers of this page, in Jesus Christ our
Lord. May He guide you and protect you always.
Rev. August 6, 2002
This ceremony is written for Christians to use in a group meeting. If, however, you are alone, you may also use this ceremony. Simply take the role of "leader" in all segments.
In this ceremony, we faithfully re-enact the events of His last supper, as described in the Bible. We eat a meal, break bread and eat it, drink wine, and hear His words. Then we sing a hymn and leave, just as they did. IF THE OCCASION DOES NOT PERMIT THE MEAL TO BE SERVED, YOU MAY SKIP IT AND SIMPLY DO THE BREAD AND WINE PARTS OF THE CEREMONY.
The bread must be in loaves, so it can be broken in the normal manner. Bread that is already cut up will not do; each person's piece must be broken from a loaf, following the example of Jesus. The reason for this is that the breaking of the bread symbolizes the breaking of His body on the cross. Unleavened bread is not required, since Christians are not bound by Jewish dietary laws.
The drink specified is wine, not grape juice or some other substitute. If normal red wine is prohibited by law for some reason, non-alcoholic wine may be used. It is still called wine.
Each part of the ceremony is led by a person who is designated "Leader" of that part. Everyone else who partakes of Holy Communion is called "the Assembly." The entire procedure, from the beginning of the meal to the benediction is part of the Holy Communion.
There are two possible understandings of the word "worthily," as used here. First, it can mean, "Make sure you are worthy to take communion." Second, it can mean, "When you take communion, do so in a worthy manner. Be sure you distinguish (discern) the Body (bread) and Blood (wine) of Christ from the other food at the meal. Treat it reverently, do not just gulp it down."
1 Corinthians 11:27-30 (KJV)
27
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.
28
But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of
that bread, and drink of that cup.
29
For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth
and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the
Lord's body.
30
For this cause many are weak and sickly among you,
and many sleep.
If you meet the conditions set forth in Romans 10:9, then you are a
Christian. If you also forgive everyone of all their offenses
against you, then God forgives you of all your offenses against Him,
"as far as the east is from the west."
Thus, you are a true disciple, spotless before Him. Now you are
worthy to take Holy Communion.
"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the
Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart
that God hath raised him from the dead, thou
shalt be saved." (Romans 10:9 KJV)
"For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly
Father will also forgive you:
"But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither
will your Father forgive your trespasses."
(Matthew 6:14-15 KJV)
"As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed
our transgressions from us." (Psalms 103:12 KJV)
If you do not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, risen
from the dead as your own personal Lord and Saviour, you are not worthy to
take Holy Communion. Likewise, if you have any unforgiveness in your
heart toward any person, you are not worthy. Forgive everybody now, and
then you may proceed.
As a final check, ask the Holy Spirit dwelling within you to confirm that you are worthy to take Holy Communion. As always, do what He tells you to do.
Bear in mind that your worthiness is by the grace of God, not because of any excellence on your part.
He explains the purpose of Holy Communion, and he outlines the events of the ceremony.
He explains the need for worthiness and the tests for it.
For those who find themselves unworthy, the Leader offers an opportunity to eat the food anyway, separate from the Assembly, probably in an adjoining room.
"O Lord, we know that You are everywhere,
And nothing happens that You cannot see,
But even so, we pray that You will come
And join with us directly at this time.
As we seek our communion now with You.
We love You, Lord. We give ourselves to You.
And now we pray You give Yourself to us.
In Jesus' holy name we pray, Amen."
Optionally, a hymn may be sung.
Matthew 26:26-30 KJV
26
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.
27
And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to
them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
28
For this is my blood of the new testament, which is
shed for many for the remission of sins.
29
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.
30
And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into
the mount of Olives.
Mark 14:22-26 KJV
22
And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed,
and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat:
this is my body.
23
And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he
gave it to them: and they all drank of it.
24
And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new
testament, which is shed for many.
25
Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the
fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new
in the kingdom of God.
26
And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into
the mount of Olives.
Luke 22:15-20 KJV
15
And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to
eat this passover with you before I suffer:
16
For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof,
until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.
17
And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take
this, and divide it among yourselves:
18
For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of
the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.
19
And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and
gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is
given for you: this do in remembrance of me.
20
Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup
is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for
you.
1 Corinthians 11:23-25 KJV
23
For I have received of the Lord that which also I
delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus the same
night in which he was betrayed took bread:
24
And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said,
Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you:
this do in remembrance of me.
25
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.
The Leader gives thanks to the Lord for the food.
The food is served.
Food is eaten, but not finished.
The Leader blesses the loaves of bread and gives thanks for them.
"O Lord, please bless this bread to our use. Let it
become Your body, given for us."
In sight of the Assembly, the Leader breaks the loaves of bread into
individual servings.
The Leader says, "Jesus said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me."
The Leader distributes the bread, asking the Assembly to please wait until everyone has both bread and wine before anyone starts eating or drinking.
The Leader blesses the wine and gives thanks for it.
"O Lord, please bless this wine to our use. Let it
become Your blood, shed for us."
The Leader says, "Jesus said,
This cup is the new testament in
my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in
remembrance of me."
The Leader distributes the wine.
The Assembly eats the bread and drinks the wine.
"Thank You, Lord, for giving Yourself to us.
We love You, and we give ourselves to You.
In Jesus' holy name we pray, Amen."
The Leader again expresses the love of the Assembly for the Lord.
The Leader gives a benediction to the Assembly.
"May the grace of Christ our Saviour,
And the Father's boundless love,
With the Holy Spirit's favor,
Rest upon us from above.
"Thus may we abide in union
With each other and the Lord,
And possess, in sweet communion,
Joys which earth cannot afford.
Amen."
by Rev. John Newton, 1779
Public Domain
The Leader dismisses the Assembly from the Ceremony of Holy Communion.
The Assembly can now rejoin the other people in the next room, and business can continue. Or everybody can leave at this time.
---------------------------------------------------------------Blessings to you, in Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
Rev. Bill McGinnis, Pastor <><
INTERNET CHURCH OF CHRIST
www.InternetChurchOfChrist.org
INTERNET CHURCH OF CHRIST
Blessings to you. May God help us all.
Rev. Bill McGinnis, Director - LoveAllPeople.org
*** Bible-Based, Christian, Progressive, Universalist ***
All of our original content on all of our web pages is in the Public Domain. You may link to these pages by any means you choose, including "framing."
Index of Internet Church Of Christ - LoveAllPeople.org: - ETHICS & HUMAN RELATIONS - POLITICS & PUBLIC AFFAIRS - CHRISTIAN - AUTOMOTIVE - LAW & LEGAL SERVICES - HEALTH & FITNESS - PUBLISHING & CONSULTING - AFFILIATES & FEATURED PRODUCTS - SITE MAP - CONTACT LINK
Search all pages in The LoveAllPeople.org Network,See what we do => On The Web
using the search box below . . .For list of suggested searches, click => HERE!
To support us, please visit the advertisers appearing on our pages.
God's One Law For All Mankind:
"Love All People As Yourself."