A prayer is said along the following lines, but if
appropriate, shaped to emphasize the truths of the sermon.
§ We lift our hearts to Christ
in heaven.
§ We acknowledge our
unworthiness.
§ We major on giving thanks for
the cross/its work.
§ We confess our sins that we
would come with right motive towards God and others.
§ We ask to partake with sincere
faith and so partake of Christ.
§ We ask to be cleansed and nourished.
§ We ask to be united with each
other as one body.
§ We ask to remain in Christ and
he in us.
§ We ask to be brought to the
heavenly banquet.
Some helpful prayers or phrases:
In you great love, you made us for yourself, and when
we rebelled, you did not destroy us but gave us your one and only Son. (Obeying
you to the end he bore our sins upon the cross, and the punishment that brought
us peace was laid upon him.) [He satisfied the demands of your justice so that
his righteousness could be counted as our own.] <He quenched the fire of
your anger so that we could be reconciled to you.> \ By him you have
triumphed over the devil. Through him you have freed us from sin and death and
hell. In him you have raised us to life by your Spirit, lavishing upon us the
riches of his grace./
Set prayers that could be used as follows
Let’s give God thanks for the cross, and pray that we would partake of
Christ. First, a moment of silence for your own confession of sin and prayers
of preparation.
Heavenly Father, you call
us to your banqueting table. And so we lift our hearts to you in heaven, and
give you our most sincere thanks,
One of the following prayers followed by one of the prayers of partaking
[PRAYER A – BEARING SIN]
for
although we have been sinful from our mother’s womb, turning from you,
suppressing the truth about you, neither seeking you nor fearing you, but
hardening our hearts and gratifying our sinful desires; yet according to your
unfailing love, you sent your one and only Son, to bear our sins in his body
upon the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness.
[PRAYER B – BEARING WRATH]
for
although we are by nature objects of wrath, deserving death and deserving
condemnation, yet according to your unfailing love, you sent your one and only
Son, to redeem us from the curse of the law, by becoming a curse for us, for it
is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”
[PRAYER C – DOCTRINE OF CROSS]
for you love our world so much that you sent us your
one and only Son. Obeying you to the end he bore our sins upon the cross. He
satisfied the demands of your justice, that his righteousness could be counted
as our own. He quenched the fire of your anger, that we would be reconciled to
you.
[PRAYER D – VICTORY OF CROSS]
for you have forgiven all our sins, having nailed the
regulations that stood against us to the cross, disarming all powers and
authorities. In Christ you have redeemed us from sin and death and hell;
through Christ you have therefore triumphed over the devil; and with Christ you
have raised us to life by your Spirit,
[PRAYER E –
ISAIAH 53]
for in your great love you gave your one and only Son to be
a guilt offering for us. He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed
for our iniquities. The punishment that brought us peace was laid upon him, and
by his wounds we are healed.
[PRAYER E –
PHILIPPIANS 2]
for being in very nature God, Christ Jesus humbled himself
and became obedient to death, even death on a cross. Therefore you exalted him
to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at
the name of Jesus every knee should bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord.
[PRAYER F –
COLOSSIANS 1]
for although we were alienated from you, enemies in
our minds because of our evil behaviour, you have reconciled us by Christ’s
physical body, through death to present us holy in your sight, without blemish
and free from accusation – if we continue in our faith.
[PRAYER G –
EPHESIANS 1]
for you chose us in Christ before the creation of the
world to be holy and blameless in your sight. Through him, you predestined us
to be adopted as your sons to the praise of your glorious grace, which you have
so freely given us. In him we have redemption through his blood, the
forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of your grace that you have
lavished on us. When we believed the gospel of our salvation, we were included
in Christ and given your promised Holy Spirit, who guarantees our inheritance,
to the praise of your glory.
[PRAYER H –
GOD AS CREATOR]
for
in you alone are found all life, all goodness and blessedness. You are
sufficient in yourself, not needing your creation or your creatures. Yet you
have chosen to display your excellence through them, and been pleased to have
your fullness dwell in Christ, through whom you are putting all things right
with yourself, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
[PRAYER I –
GOD AS SOVEREI GN]
for
you are the sovereign one, doing whatever you please, for all things were
created by you and for you, and so to you is due from every creature in heaven
and on earth, all worship, service and obedience. And although we have suppressed
the truth about you, neither glorifying you or giving you thanks, you have
worked salvation for us, by sending your Son to give his life for us upon the
cross.
[PRAYER J –
GOD AS JUSTIFIER]
for
you are compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and
faithfulness, forgiving sin; rewarding all who diligently seek you; yet just in
your judgments, hating evil, and not letting the guilty go unpunished. And so in
your great mercy, you presented Jesus your Son as an atoning sacrifice upon the
cross, pacifying your anger that you might be just whilst justifying those who
have faith in him.
[PRAYER K –
THE GLORY OF GOD]
for
you alone are the true and living God, infinite in being and perfection,
eternal and unchanging, immense and incomprehensible, the almighty creator,
most wise, most holy, most righteous, working all things according to your
faultless will, and for you own glory. And so although your greatness and
majesty make our rebellion against you all the more terrible and worthy of your
anger, you have redeemed us through Christ’s blood, that we might be for the
praise of your glory.
One of the above followed with a prayer of partaking from below
[PARTAKING
A]
And
so we draw near to you now, with a sincere heart, and
with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to
cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure
water. We come to your table, not trusting in our own righteousness but
only in your mercy. So grant that we would truly partake of Christ. Nourish us
in our souls, cleanse us from our sins, and unite as one, that Christ may live
in us and amongst us, and we may come, with his whole family, to sit and eat in
his kingdom. Amen.
[PARTAKING
B]
and
so, as we receive this bread and wine in obedience to your Son’s command, grant
that we partake of his most precious body and blood. Amen.
We
say together: We do not presume to come to this your table, merciful Lord,
trusting in our own righteousness, but in your manifold and great mercies. We
are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under your table. But you,
Lord, are the God of our salvation, and you share your bread with sinners. So
cleanse and feed us with the precious body and blood of your Son, that we, with
the whole company of Christ, may sit and eat in your kingdom. Amen.